Town of Ayer Awarded $3.1 Million Massworks Grant
****PRESS RELEASE****
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 11/19/2020
Town of Ayer MA Awarded $3.1 Million Massworks Grant for
West Main Street Smart-Growth Public Infrastructure Improvements
& Future “West Ayer Village” Development
The Ayer Office of the Town Manager & Ayer Office of Community & Economic Development are pleased and grateful to announce the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development (EOHED) has awarded a $3.1 million MassWorks Grant to fund comprehensive “Smart Growth” public infrastructure improvements for the West Main Street Corridor, the future “West Ayer Village” accommodating new housing and business development opportunities, and Gateway to the Devens Enterprise Zone.
The successful and noteworthy (regional) grant application was formulated by a strong partnership team including the Town of Ayer, Devens Enterprise Commission, and MassDevelopment at Devens. Ayer Town Manager Robert Pontbriand stated, “The Town of Ayer is pleased to receive this MassWorks Grant in the amount of $3.16 million for the infrastructure and streetscape improvements for West Main Street. This grant will enable the Town to transform this important gateway corridor with new infrastructure which will generate new economic development opportunities. Additionally, this was a successful collaboration between the Town of Ayer, MassDevelopment, and the Devens Enterprise Commission with the support of the Ayer Select Board and our State Legislative Delegation.”
Director of Ayer Community & Economic Development (AOCED) & Grant Team Leader Alan S. Manoian stated, “This is the power of the Economics of Placemaking – the vision of an economically vibrant and environmentally sustainable West Ayer Village now becomes a reality”. Superintendent of Ayer Public Works Dept., Mark Wetzel stated, “This grant award allows Ayer to continue to upgrade our West Main Street infrastructure, improving our water system, stormwater management, and providing safe multi-modal travel for pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles.”
Public infrastructure improvements include over 5,000 linear ft. of new water lines, new wastewater lines, new stormwater management, new roadway surface, new & complete ADA compliant sidewalk network, new bicycle lanes & bike share station, a new Devens Shuttle Bus station, new sidewalk shade trees, and on-street parking.
The combination of the new Smart Growth public infrastructure improvements and the innovative “West Main Form-Based Zoning Code”, recently adopted at Ayer Town Meeting, will predictably and effectively deliver the long-envisioned transformation of the outer West Main Street Corridor into a more traditional, compact, sustainable, vibrant, mixed-use, high-quality New England Village – “West Ayer Village”. The public infrastructure project is proposed to begin in late Spring/early Summer 2021.
For additional information please contact the Office of the Ayer Town Manager at 978.772.8220 and/or cantonellis@ayer.ma.us & Ayer office of Community & Economic Development, Alan S. Manoian at 978.772.8206 and/or amanoian@ayer.ma.us
