State Awards $3.5 Million for Local Technology Infrastructure
PITTSFIELD — Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito announced $3.5 million in grants to 70 municipalities through the Community Compact Cabinet Information Technology grant program. The Baker-Polito administration has now issued 749 grants worth $19.2 million through this program to help Massachusetts communities become more efficient and innovative while improving their technology infrastructure.
“Technology systems support so many of the critical services that Massachusetts cities, towns, and school districts provide to residents,” Gov. Charlie Baker said. “We are proud that our administration, through the work of the Community Compact Cabinet, is continuing its partnership with local communities to enable another round of innovative IT improvement projects.”
Polito noted that, “since the beginning of the grant program, our collaboration with cities and towns across the Commonwealth has led to hundreds of transformative technology investments, from public-safety systems upgrades to establishing online permitting. As the chair of the Community Compact Cabinet, I am pleased to announce and congratulate the 70 municipalities receiving awards in this year’s round of grants.”
Pittsfield will receive $99,750 to build a downtown public WiFi network in this round of funding, the third award the city has received through the Community Compact IT Grant program in last five years. The city received $95,000 in FY 2019 for the implementation of wireless infrastructure for internal and public use and $40,000 in FY 2017 for switching infrastructure to enable telephone system consolidation.
Other examples of Community Compact IT Grant program awards this year include $114,503 for East Longmeadow to bolster its cybersecurity infrastructure and improve disaster-recovery capabilities; $100,000 for Plymouth to implement an online permitting system; $73,478 for Athol to implement network security across all town buildings; $60,000 for Hopkinton to implement a records-management system; $48,615 for Revere for network systems integration; and $25,000 for Leicester for cloud-based software for EMTs and paramedics.
“We are proud to continue supporting a wide range of impactful IT initiatives that will undoubtedly improve the efficiency and reliability of government services,” Administration and Finance Secretary Michael Heffernan said. “We appreciate the continued commitment and partnership of our local community leaders in identifying and undertaking these projects to better serve their businesses, residents, and visitors.”
