TAUNTON — Taunton is one of 18 local communities to benefit from an $80,000 grant for the regionalization of municipal stormwater, which was announced on Thursday by Governor Deval Patrick’s administration.
The $80,000 grant was just a small part of the total $4 million in Community Innovation Challenge Grants that will fund 37 projects throughout the state, with an emphasis on promoting regionalization efforts to cut costs and to help save taxpayer dollars.
“The CIC program is a major component of the Patrick Administration’s commitment to provide cities and towns with the tools to effectively manage resources and provide services to their residents,” said Massachusetts Secretary of Administration and Finance Glen Shorr. “This program provides an opportunity for neighboring communities to build partnerships, share services and use their resources wisely.”
Mansfield was the lead applicant for the grant that will benefit Taunton and 17 other communities, which also include Norton, Bridgewater, West Bridgewater and Easton. The 18 municipalities will use the grant to work with the Southeastern Regional Services Group to develop the Southeastern Massachusetts Stormwater Collaborative.
“The collaborative will directly help these communities to improve the quality of their local watersheds and comply with the mandates of U.S. EPA’s Municipal Separate Stormwater Sewer System General Permit,” said Meghan Kelly, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Administration and Finance.
Since Mansfield is the lead applicant, they will administer the project and the spending of the grant money, Kelly said.
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