In the News

Old mill cities like Lowell often must live with unpleasant remnants of their industrial past, primarily toxins contained in the chemicals used in the manufacturing process.

But thanks mainly due to the cleanup efforts of one federal agency and Congress, these contaminants have systematically been removed from the soil, giving that land a potentially tax-producing use.

In a recent example of that federal partnership, U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan and U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey last month announced $8 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law targeted for remediation projects within Trahan’s district, including a significant portion for Lowell.

The $8 million will go for the cleanup of brownfields – parcels that have previously been contaminated – in communities across the 3rd Congressional District.

“This federal funding will give Lowell, Lawrence, Clinton, and the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission the resources necessary to complete revitalization projects that will improve life for hardworking families, create good-paying jobs, and strengthen our local economy for years to come,” said Trahan, a Lowell native and Westford resident.

The city of Lowell, which received $5.5 million of that fund pool, will use $5 million of that sum to clean up a contaminated 5.7-acre area along the VFW Highway astride the Merrimack River.

Lowell City Manager Tom Golden said reclaiming that area would allow the city to “complete the remediation of critical open space” along the Merrimack’s north bank.

“This funding is a significant step forward in transforming this section of the Centralville neighborhood into a regional destination park,” said Golden. “EPA brownfields funding will not only help to revitalize our community, but this project will serve as a model for climate resiliency, expanding and showcasing our commitment to sustainable and equitable urban development.”

The remaining $500,000 will help in the assessment of five former mill sites and manufacturing facilities in the Hamilton Canal Innovation District for the city’s JAM (Jackson/Appleton/Middlesex) Urban Renewal Plan.

The Merrimack Valley Planning Commission will receive $1 million to support cleanup projects across the Merrimack Valley.

“MVPC is thrilled to receive funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency  brownfields program,” said MVPC Executive Director Jerrard Whitten.

Other funding includes $1 million for the remediation of four sites in Lawrence, as well as $500,000 to clean up the Rockbestos-Surprenant Cable Corp. facility in Clinton.

Markey called funding from the infrastructure bill an “historic investment.”

“It’s simple — we know that brownfields grants unlock vital funding to free our towns and cities from dangerous pollution and toxic contamination,” said the junior U.S. senator. “This historic investment will bring cleaner water, land, and air to communities across the Commonwealth and deliver a more livable future with green spaces to work, live, and play.”

Often a tedious process, the reclamation of contaminated parcels and vacant buildings takes time and most importantly, money.

We urge our congressional delegation to key a collective eye on that federal funding prize, so even more contaminated sites can return to the tax rolls.

Mass. sales-tax holiday gives border towns a break

We don’t know if the lure of a sales-tax free holiday has waned among consumers, but that certainly appears to be the case in the Democrat-dominated state Legislature.

With the deadline to announce this year’s event occurring at the end of this week, lawmakers on Thursday finally set the dates for the annual sales-tax free weekend, Aug. 10-11.

If lawmakers had failed to do so, that task would fall on Revenue Commissioner Geoffrey Snyder. He would have had until July 1 to decide which August weekend the state would suspend collection of the 6.25% sales tax on most items that retail for $2,500 or less.

That sales-tax break doesn’t apply to purchases of some specific goods or services, including motor vehicles, motorboats, meals, alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, marijuana products, telecommunications services like prepaid calls, natural gas, steam, or electricity.

The Department of Revenue estimated that last year’s sales tax holiday weekend, held Aug. 12-13, resulted in the loss of approximately $36.94 million in sales tax revenue for the state.

The 2018 “Grand Bargain” law that raised the minimum wage, created a state paid family and medical leave program, and phased out time-and-a-half pay on Sundays and holidays, also made a sales-tax free weekend an annual holiday and laid out the timetable for its implementation.

As part of that law, retailers gave up their plans for rolling back the sales tax rate to 5% on the statewide ballot, its prior rate before the Legislature in 2009 raised it as part of a budget-balancing package.

The benefits of suspending the sales tax for a couple of days have long been a subject of debate.

It’s been called both a gimmick and a source of genuine relief for consumers, even if the maximum savings on a single item comes out to $156.25.

And while supporters, especially in the retail industry, say it provides an economic boost during a traditionally slow shopping period, detractors insist the holiday just redirects business activity, rather than increasing it.

Either way, for businesses in the Merrimack Valley, North Central Mass. and other areas along the New Hampshire border, it provides at least one weekend when both states compete on an equal, no sales-tax footing.