Looking for information on MAPC’s official meetings and legal notices? Find it here.
The Commonwealth recently announced that residents and staff of public and subsidized senior housing are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccinations as part of the first tier of Phase II of the vaccine rollout. This step is anticipated to begin later this month.
With this opportunity comes the need to quickly arrange vaccination opportunities for some of state’s most vulnerable residents. This requires coordination among three groups: municipal officials and staff, including local boards of health; owners and managers of public and subsidized senior housing, including local housing authorities; and medical providers who can staff clinics and vaccinate residents.
Please join us on Tuesday, February 9 to learn how cities and towns can support vaccination in senior housing facilities.
Webinar speakers will include:
Robin Lipson, Deputy Secretary, Executive Office of Elder Affairs
Emily Cooper, Chief Housing Officer, Executive Office of Elder Affairs
There will be an opportunity to ask questions!
More information from the Commonwealth on COVID-19 vaccinations for senior housing setting is available here.
Local Examples and Launch of Shared Communications Hub
As the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations picks up Massachusetts, local officials, health organizations, and community groups are vital messengers to raise confidence in vaccines and communicate updates to Massachusetts residents.
With the tiered rollout plan and frequent news, this can seem daunting for municipalities and organizations big and small.
At this webinar on Tuesday, March 23, you will hear about municipal efforts to raise awareness about vaccines in ways that resonate with residents; and learn more about an online hub for municipalities and local organizations to share communications resources.
Looking to fund economic recovery and development in your city or town?
The Economic Development Administration offers multiple funding opportunities to help local governments, nonprofits, and other organizations serve economically-distressed areas.
MAPC helps support the funding process in our region and is available to assist with applications. At this information session, learn about the various grants available, find out how to apply, and hear from EDA grant recipients about their recent projects. There will time for Q&A.
We especially encourage community colleges, CDCs, and arts organizations to attend!
Funded projects could include planning and implementation projects that focus on economic development strategies, public facilities and infrastructure, and economic recovery. Successful applications must match MAPC’s and EDA’s funding priorities.
Municipal Webinar
Economic Development Administration American rescue plan act programs and funding
The Economic Development Administration received $3 billion in supplemental funding to assist communities in their economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
EDA is making funding available through six innovative “challenges.” This webinar will review those funding categories and provide guidance about eligible projects, submitting applications, and developing partnerships.
Read more about EDA’s ARPA funding and the six challenges here.
After you register for this webinar, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Municipal Webinar
How Municipalities can make meaningful investments with ARPA dollars
Massachusetts cities and towns have received $3.4 billion dollars through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)’s State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. These dollars present an opportunity to make critical investments in communities and especially those that were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. This federal funding can help set the stage for an equitable and resilient recovery.
Join us for a discussion with Doug Howgate from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation on how cities and towns can make these strategic investments for a more prosperous and equitable region.
Speakers include:
- Lizzi Weyant, Director of Government Affairs, Metropolitan Area Planning Council
- Doug Howgate, Executive Vice President, Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
MAPC’s Clean Energy Department is hosting its first webinar in a series about what centering equity in municipal-level clean energy and climate planning and implementation can look like. This first event will provide an introduction to equity in climate planning, followed by presentations and a panel discussion with three guest speakers who have worked on equitable climate planning in their municipalities:
• Emily Koo, Director of Sustainability, City of Providence
• Shayna Hirshfield-Gold, Climate Program Manager, City of Oakland
• Ibrahim Lopez-Hernandez, Sustainability Manager, City of Chelsea and Revere, Town of Winthrop
There will then be an opportunity for Q&A with attendees.
Stay tuned for information about the additional sessions in the webinar series!
MAPC is happy to be in attendance at this event as part of our partnership with the City of Malden on the development of their climate action plan.
Attending the event? Look for the MAPC table, and come by and say hello! We’ll have a dot-voting activity, a postcard activity, and a drawing station/art contest (winning art will be used as section dividers in the final climate action plan!).
More information on the event can be found here.
More information on the Malden Climate Action Plan (CAP) can be found here.
The Metropolitan Area Planning Council’s (MAPC) Clean Energy Department is hosting a webinar on equitable community engagement for its Equity in Clean Energy webinar series. This event will provide an introduction to equitable community engagement in planning, followed by brief introductions from each of our guest speakers and the community engagement work they do in their communities. We will be joined by:
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- Niri Kumar, Natick Resident
- Marlees Owayda, Cambridge Community Engagement Manager
- Lindsay Diaz, Cambridge Community Engagement Team Co-Leader
- Gail Latimore, Executive Director, CSNDC – Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation
Questions? Please contact:
Francelis Morillo Suarez
fmorillosuarez@mapc.org