BOSTON — State Senator Jason Lewis and State Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian are pleased to have secured $193,000 to support local priorities in Melrose as part of the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Massachusetts state budget.
The FY24 budget, which received final passage by the House of Representatives and Senate on July 31, 2023, provides funding for a wide range of programs and services across the Commonwealth. The budget delivers historic levels of investment in public education, housing, healthcare, workforce development, climate preparedness and much more, as part of a comprehensive strategy to make Massachusetts more affordable and equitable for all.
Within the budget, Lewis and Lipper-Garabedian secured funding for the following Melrose priorities: $93,000 for improvements to the Ell Pond Gazebo; $75,000 for the Melrose Police department to buy new service radios; and $25,000 for safety and infrastructure improvements at the Milano Center.
“This budget will deliver substantial resources to our communities and make our state more affordable for working families by helping to address the high costs of housing, healthcare, child care and college,” said Lewis. “I’m especially pleased that Representative Lipper-Garabedian and I were able to also secure funding for some important local Melrose priorities.”
“I am proud to have secured $193,000 for the City of Melrose with Senator Lewis,” said Lipper-Garabedian. “One of the earliest photos I have in Melrose is at the iconic Gazebo, which needs significant refurbishment to anchor our central shared outdoor space. State dollars for driveway lighting at the Milano Center will enhance community safety, especially for our senior population. And equipment for our police department will enhance its safety efforts. Additionally, among the many critical and responsive statewide investments in the budget, I am thrilled to see ongoing historic funding in early education and childcare, a top priority for which I advocated, as well as universal free school meals to make Massachusetts the seventh state to make the program permanent.”