City of Springfield awarded $20 million EPA grant

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that the City of Springfield, and its partner Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, were selected to receive nearly $20 million in funding .

The city will be able to create projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity. From retrofitting homes and removing lead hazards, converting city buildings to clean energy expanding the tree canopy, and investing in community solar and workforce training programs.

The city of Springfield is helping to turn that vision into a reality by providing the community
with the necessary resources to make that happen.

“This partnership will create two resiliency hubs in Springfield which will be within existing buildings that are city-owned and adding geothermal energy to turn them into heating and cooling centers,” said Coalition Building and Community Engagement Director Samantha Hamilton.

They will also be planting 1,500 trees to address the heat island effect, the fact that cities are hotter and residents are more at risk of being exposed to high temperatures. Lastly, they hope to reconfigure the West Street corridor, by creating better pathways for people to walk and bike to make it pedestrian-friendly to cut down on emissions.

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