As your state senators, we are pleased with what the Legislature was able to accomplish this session for the City of Attleboro. We would like to thank the people of Attleboro for giving us the opportunity to serve you. It is a great honor and a privilege. We have worked hard to advocate on your behalf and to keep you informed of what is happening in the Legislature. To recap what has taken place during this session.

Local aid funding

We have worked consistently to increase local aid and education funding for the city. In fiscal year 2009, Attleboro will receive $30,251,302, or a 5.3 percent increase over last year, in Chapter 70 education funding.

Bristol Community College

We were recently able to secure $3.2 million for the Attleboro campus of Bristol Community College in the higher education bond bill. This money will pay for renovations to a building in the former Texas Instruments corporate campus off of Pleasant Street. The college's foundation purchased the building and loaned BCC the remaining money needed to renovate it for academic use and to increase handicapped accessibility. This state appropriation will reimburse the college to complete the project. Streetscape funding

In the Senate's version of the transportation bond bill, we were successful in securing $2 million for the Streetscape Project which will improve downtown area sidewalks and crosswalks, and will install new streetlights and trees. The money set aside for Phase II of the project will help with the continuing aesthetic, economic, and public safety improvements to the downtown corridor.

Regional transit authorities

With fuel prices at an all time high, public transportation has played an even more important role in our everyday life. As a result, we have been involved in several issues that impact public transportation, including our work as members of the Regional Transit Authority Caucus. Together, we introduced to the Senate a supplemental appropriation that will provide $740,000 to the commonwealth's RTAs to cover the cost of additional services.

Our amendment allows towns that recently became members of the Greater Attleboro-Taunton Regional Transit Authority and the MetroWest Transit Authority to receive a credit against their town's MBTA assessment during their inaugural year. This means towns that joined the GATRA and MWRTA will only pay for the costs assessed for participation in an RTA after that cost is subtracted from their town's MBTA assessment.

In a bi-partisan manner, we spearheaded negotiations to get compromise language passed that will help RTAs to continue services, and not be hit with an unexpected double assessment.

Intermodal project

We secured $3,000,000 for the downtown Intermodal Transportation Project which will greatly assist the ongoing initiative to link the increasing demand for accessible public transportation with a targeted expansion of local business in a high impact area of downtown Attleboro. This project is currently in development, and the increased state assistance will provide significant opportunities to leverage much needed federal funding for its completion.

Stern Metals grant

Following through on our commitment to retaining jobs in Attleboro, we fought to secure a $1 million grant for the Stern Metals Project. Massachusetts Opportunity Relocation and Expansion Grants provide municipalities with the means to attract businesses to open new locations or add to their current workforce. We worked in collaboration with the City of Attleboro and Stern Metals, a division of Cookson Precious Metals, to advance the application through the state agency process. The MORE funds will go toward transportation route upgrades to allow for the redevelopment of an abandoned 200,000 square foot building that has environmental concerns. Stern Metals plans to expand its manufacturing operations into the building and create 250 jobs. The company expects to invest $68 million on the expansion.

Hope Gardens loan

A number of affordable housing developments across the state are nearing the end of their respective mortgage terms, and as a result they will most likely be converted to market rate housing, which is out of reach for low-income residents. To avoid this issue in Attleboro, we responded by working with MassHousing to secure a loan commitment for Hope Gardens, of up to $9,591,445, designed as an incentive for owners to maintain long-term affordable housing units.

Emergency 911 bill

As the chairman and the ranking minority member of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, we co-sponsored legislation that would generate $28.6 million in grant appropriations to municipalities to support training and improvements at all dispatch centers, as well as providing more streamlined services to the disabled community.

This bill raises the existing monthly surcharge on cell phones from 30 cents to 75 cents, establishing an equal balance with the recently reduced surcharge on land line phones. Grant funding eligibility is calculated using the population and call volume of each municipality. Attleboro would receive an estimated $69,000 in FY09 and $92,000 in FY10 from the funds.

Other funding

Additional funds that we have delivered through the Senate to the City of Attleboro include:

$5,395,694 for the Massachusetts Family Network of Attleboro for family services and educational and community building;

$5,750,000 for the Soft Second mortgage program, which helps low and moderate income families buy their first home. Over two dozen families in Attleboro and North Attleboro have taken advantage of this program;

$50,000 to the Attleboro Arts Museum;

Over $200,000 in grants for construction of green buildings and infrastructure;

$5,800 for the Student Awareness of Fire Education program;

$100,000 for a Playspace Program at Horizons for Homeless Children which serves many children in Attleboro;

$45,065 formula grant for the Attleboro Council on Aging to employ volunteer coordination, media and S.H.I.N.E personnel, offset fitness and instructional/speaker costs and provide for mileage, utilities, supplies, dues, conference/meeting attendance and volunteer recognition;

Funding for two capital improvement bonds for the Attleboro Housing Authority: $65,000 to replace the water meters and $7,620 for water heaters and $21,047 to replace 10 water heaters at the Oakhurst development and to repair the heating system at the authority's Hillcrest Oaks development.

We encourage all of our constituents to contact us if they have additional Attleboro-specific concerns that should be addressed by the Legislature, or if they would like further information on any of these issues.

STATE SEN. BROWN, R-Wrentham, represents wards 1 and 2 and precinct A in ward 3 in Attleboro. State Sen. James Timilty, D-Walpole, represents wards 4, 5, and 6 and precinct B in ward 3 in Attleboro.