MassDEP has opened the application period for the Section 319 Nonpoint Source Competitive Grants program.

The MBTA today announced service changes in April on the Silver, Orange, Blue, Red, Kingston, Middleborough, Greenbush, Haverhill, Newburyport/Rockport, and Fairmount lines. The MBTA will continue working to maintain its infrastructure and improve reliability across the system.

Riders can find more information on service changes through in-station signage, in-station public announcements, and at mbta.com/alerts. Transit Ambassadors and MBTA staff will be available on-site to offer information and assistance during these service changes. Riders are encouraged to subscribe to T-Alerts or to follow the MBTA on X (the site formerly known as Twitter) @MBTA, @MBTA_CR, and @MBTA_CR_Alerts for up-to-date service information.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is preparing for the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade and festivities in South Boston on Sunday, March 17, 2024. With up to a million people expected to attend the parade, the MBTA is implementing several measures to accommodate the increased ridership and to remind the riding public what everyone can do to help maintain a safe and family-friendly environment for customers utilizing the MBTA. We urge folks to use our Riders Guide https://www.mbta.com/guides/st-patricks-day-guide. 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is seeking partners with experience working with youth between the ages of 10-21 to provide programming for the 2024 Urban Summer Youth Initiative, entitled DCR Summer Nights. The initiative is focused on providing urban youth of all abilities with a variety of cultural, recreational, and educational experiences during the summer months of July and August.  
 
DCR invites youth organizations serving all urban Massachusetts communities to apply, with a focus on the following areas: Attleboro, Barnstable, Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Chicopee, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Gardner, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, New Bedford, Peabody, Pittsfield, Quincy, Revere, Salem, Springfield, Taunton, Westfield, and Worcester. Partners may offer programs at selected DCR, municipal, and partner sites. Authorized use of non-DCR sites will be the responsibility of the partner and will incur no risk of liability to DCR. 
 
If organizations are interested in submitting a proposal for DCR’s 2024 Summer Nights program, please note there is a new 2-step process for this year:

STEP 1: Organizations must submit a bid on CommBuys in response to the DCR-937 RFR for Youth Programming in order to be awarded a master contract. The deadline for submitting a bid response in CommBuys for DCR-937 is March 29, 2024 at 4:00PM. If organizations have not submitted a bid response in CommBuys by this date, DCR will not be able to accept proposals for Summer Nights programming.

STEP 2: Submit a proposal specifically for DCR’s 2024 Summer Nights program. To submit a proposal, organizations must complete the attached Summer Nights Proposal Form. Completed proposals must be submitted via email to [email protected].  

Proposals for Summer Nights are due by April 1, 2024.  Please note, this deadline must be adhered to in order to allow sufficient time to review bids and award organizations in a timely manner.     
Should you have questions please feel free to reach out.
 

MassDEP has opened the application period for Section 604(b) Water Quality Management Planning Grants.  

Section 604(b) of the Clean Water Act provides grants to determine the nature, extent, and causes of water quality issues and to develop plans to restore or protect water quality pursuant to the Clean Water Act and Massachusetts Surface Water Quality Standards. This year’s round of funding will focus on nonpoint source assessment and planning projects.

Eligible entities include regional planning agencies, councils of governments, conservation districts, counties, cities and towns, federally and state recognized tribes, and other substate public planning agencies and interstate agencies.

Key dates:

• Deadline for submission of written questions from applicants: Friday, March 20, 2024
• Answers to questions posted on MassDEP website: Friday, March 27, 2024
• Grant Application Deadline:  Friday, May 8, 2024, at 5 PM

Additional information on the 604(b) grant program, and other MassDEP watershed and water quality funding, can be found on MassDEP’s website.

The Health Connector and MassHealth co-hosted, public educational webinar for MA Employers next week on Wednesday, March 13, at 10:00 a.m. 

This free webinar, MassHealth Renewals and Available Resources for Massachusetts Employers will cover the MassHealth renewals process and health coverage options through the state’s Marketplace – the Massachusetts Health Connector – for those employees who may not be eligible for employer benefits and how employers can help to raise awareness. 

Those interested can register for the webinar directly through Eventbrite: MassHealth Renewals and Available Resources for Massachusetts Employers Registration, Wed, Mar 13, 2024 at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite

I am excited to share that Mass Humanities has launched the Expand Massachusetts Stories grant for 2024. These grants of up to $20,000 will benefit approximately 60 organizations across the Commonwealth.

There are three tracks of the Expand Massachusetts Stories grant:

• Advancing Equity track: April 5 (letter of inquiry due)
• Climate Change track: May 31 (application due)
• Open track: May 31 (application due)

This is a great and innovative opportunity for humanities-based and non-profit organizations, tribes, colleges, and municipal governments. These grants will go towards for projects that collect, interpret and/or share narratives about the Commonwealth, with an emphasis on the voices and experiences that have gone unrecognized, or have been excluded from public conversation. Additionally, the new Climate Change track will allow for projects that illuminate community knowledge, experiences, and values, in response to the climate crisis.

https://masshumanities.org/grants/

Please find below the RMV announcement announcing the closure of 4 auxiliary road test locations.  These locations were added during the implementation of the Workers Family Mobility Act.  All customers with road tests scheduled at these locations are being contacted directly and rescheduled for a test at a location of their choice.

Road Test Location Closures

Effective March 1, 2024, at the close of business, the following Class D Road Test locations will no longer be available for scheduling:

• Avon (Central Mass Safety Council Road Test Site)
• Framingham (Central Mass Safety Council Road Test Site)
• Holyoke (Department of Conservation and Recreation Fitzpatrick Arena Skating Rink)
• West Boylston (Central Mass Safety Council Road Test Site)

The road test public schedule has been adjusted and Mass.Gov/RMV will be updated to reflect this change in availability. Customers with road tests scheduled at the above locations after March 1, 2024, are being contacted directly and rescheduled for a test at a location of their choice.

Closures will begin on Monday, February 26, and will occur weekly, Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Two lanes of traffic will always remain open during these lane closures.

Below, please find information about the Health Connector’s recently released Navigator grant opportunity.

Successful organizations are awarded Health Connector grants following a competitive procurement process to conduct health insurance outreach and education and provide application and enrollment assistance in the communities that they serve.  A list of our current Navigator organizations can be found here: https://www.mahealthconnector.org/navigators