Greater Gardner and North Central MA Communities Benefit from FY27 One Stop for Growth Awards
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In the City of Gardner:The City of Gardner combines transit-oriented land-use planning with major brownfield environmental remediation and utility extensions to support up to 210 jobs and expand its commercial tax base.
Project Scope & Community Impact: Gardner links environmental remediation with long-range infrastructure capacity building. A $400,000 Brownfields award completes site cleanup at the former Garbose Metals property (an 11.87-acre brownfield at 155 Mill Street), positioning the parcel for 60,000 sq. ft. of retail/commercial development capable of creating 120 to 210 permanent jobs.
Simultaneously, a $100,000 Community Planning grant funds comprehensive zoning revisions and transit-oriented development (TOD) planning around Union Square to support a prospective MBTA commuter rail extension. Infrastructure readiness is further supported by $100,000 for utility engineering near Route 140, complemented by $150,000 in wayfinding capital and $50,000 in vacant storefront tax credits to accelerate downtown commercial leasing.
| Project Name | Grant Program | Award Amount | Lead Organization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garden Transit Plan | Community Planning Grant Program | $100,000 | City of Gardner |
| Gardner Site Readiness | Brownfields Redevelopment Fund | $400,000 | City of Gardner |
| Gardner Vacant Storefront | MA Vacant Storefront Program | $50,000 | City of Gardner |
| Gardner Water and Sewer | Site Readiness Program | $100,000 | City of Gardner |
| Gardner Way-finding Plan | MDI Capital | $150,000 | City of Gardner |
Some of the grants for other Communities in the region:
Ashburnham: The Town of Ashburnham secured foundational capital to inventory and assess its municipal stormwater networks, establishing structural engineering baselines for future land-use development.
| Project Name | Grant Program | Award Amount | Lead Organization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashburnham Stormwater AMP | Rural Development Fund | $110,000 | Town of Ashburnham |
Project Scope & Community Impact: Grant funding supports the development of a comprehensive Stormwater Asset Management Plan (AMP) to perform engineering evaluations of municipal culverts, bridges, and conveyance structures. Beyond mitigating acute flood risks and addressing deferred maintenance liabilities, the AMP provides the hydraulic baseline data necessary to evaluate municipal utility capacity for future residential, commercial, and light industrial park developments.
Petersham: The Town of Petersham received target infrastructure capital to address critical culvert deterioration and protect rural road network integrity.
| Project Name | Grant Program | Award Amount | Lead Organization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nichewaug Road Culvert | Rural Development Fund | $135,000 | Town of Petersham |
Project Scope & Community Impact: Grant funds cover field engineering, environmental permitting, and replacement design for three severely undersized, failing cross culverts along Nichewaug Road, removing acute flood risk and securing rural travel routes.
Royalston: The Town of Royalston secured targeted funding to resolve severe environmental and public health risks associated with municipal wastewater infrastructure mounted to a compromised bridge.
| Project Name | Grant Program | Award Amount | Lead Organization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sewer Main Relocation | Rural Development Fund | $110,000 | Town of Royalston |
Project Scope & Community Impact: This award supports an Alternatives Analysis and civil engineering design to relocate a municipal sanitary sewer force main away from the structurally condemned King Street Bridge, eliminating failure risks and safeguarding local river ecosystems.
Westminster: The Town of Westminster was awarded utility infrastructure funds to replace a critical municipal water main spanning a major highway overpass, restoring hydraulic redundancy to regional commercial zones.
| Project Name | Grant Program | Award Amount | Lead Organization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Br. W-028-23 Waterline | MassWorks Infrastructure Program | $780,000 | Town of Westminster |
Project Scope & Community Impact: Funding supports the complete replacement of the municipal water main crossing Bridge W-28-023 (Route 2A/140 over Route 2). The project eliminates structural leak risks and restores system hydraulic redundancy, ensuring uninterrupted fire protection and water delivery to the Westminster Business Park and adjacent industrial corridors.
Winchendon: The Town of Winchendon secured dual MassWorks awards to establish build-ready industrial sites while unlocking private investment for the adaptive reuse of a landmark historic mill.
| Project Name | Grant Program | Award Amount | Lead Organization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Innovation Place | MassWorks Infrastructure Program | $400,000 | Town of Winchendon |
| Mill at Glenallen | MassWorks Infrastructure Program | $400,000 | Town of Winchendon |
Project Scope & Community Impact: Winchendon balances industrial site creation with historic mill preservation:
- Innovation Place ($400,000): Delivers roadway extension, public water/sewer connections, drainage, and wetland mitigation to bring a new industrial park to pad-ready status, enabling 165,000 sq. ft. of commercial space and supporting an estimated 210 permanent jobs.
- Mill at Glenallen ($400,000): Extends municipal sanitary sewer service along Glenallen Street to facilitate the historic adaptive reuse of Sanborn Mill. Public infrastructure investment unlocks approximately $10 million in private equity, creating 25 residential apartments, 5 retail spaces, and 1 restaurant space.
