Massachusetts town receives $1M grant for sewer projects

The Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator Mallory Aronstein announced the Town of Swansea received a federal grant to support the Route 6 Corridor Sewer Collection System.

U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss secured $959,752 for the project through the federal FY24 Community Project Funding Program. The funding would be used for the construction of Phase 1 of the project. The project consists of a sewer collection system along Route 6 and is expected to cost $21 million.

The construction of the sewer system will allow increased commercial and economic growth along Route 6, as a new system will be able to support large-scale retail establishments, new housing developments, and provide a competitive advantage over neighboring towns with existing systems.

The Board of Selectmen heard a presentation at its March 12 meeting by Community Development Director John Hansen and Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) Senior Transportation and Comprehensive Planner Lizeth Gonzalez regarding an economic study over Route 6 and Route 118. The study analyzed the top industries in Swansea, projected and current growth in Swansea, and the top growing industries best suited to be located in these commercial corridors.

The Town of Swansea views this system as the first in a multi-phase project that will ultimately extend throughout the Town, alleviating environmental concerns with septic systems in densely populated, low-lying areas such as Ocean Grove.

“With updated systems, Swansea can continue to spur commercial development, which ultimately helps strengthen our tax base,” Aronstein said. “We hope to realize transformative growth in our community and understand sewer is an important piece for businesses to consider.”

Chairman of the Board of Selectmen Chris Carreiro said he was thrilled to see Swansea able to secure these types of appropriations and that the Town has been working on establishing sewers for quite some time.

“I’ve been championing this cause for a while and am excited we are at the point of funding, at least partially, for this critical infrastructure that is so important to our Town’s economic vitality,” Carreiro said. “We have been really creative with financing thus far, using American Rescue Plan Act funding for design and bid specification, and now seeking these federal opportunities for the beginning of construction. The result is minimizing the impact to the taxpayer.”

Swansea previously entered into an Intermunicipal Agreement with the Town of Somerset for sewer services in 2021, working with the Economic Development Administration as well as SRPEDD.

The FY2024 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies funding bill provides $58.2 billion in new spending for energy and water development, including $10 billion toward improving critically important water infrastructure.

Development for the Route 6 Corridor Sewer Collection System is estimated to start in July 2024 and end in November 2026.

“Thank you to Rep. Jake Auchincloss for securing this grant and to state Sen. Michael Rodrigues, state Rep. Patricia Haddad, and state Rep. Steven Howitt for supporting this important project,” Aronstein said.