What Beverly, Danvers, Peabody, Salem Projects May Benefit In State Budget Plan?

SALEM, MA — Beverly, Danvers, Peabody and Salem were awarded $750,000 in supplemental school and transportation funding as part of the state senate budget plan, State Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem) said o Friday.

The funding is part of a $1.33 billion plan overall designed to invest in public education and transportation across the state with funding from the Fair Share Amendment — or so-called "Millionaire's Tax."

Lovely said all seven of her amendments were included in the plan:

• $250,000 to the city of Beverly for the Brimbal Avenue/Dunham Road/Route 128 Interchange Roundabout.
• $80,000 to Salem Public Schools for a truck designated for the Salem High School Band.
• $100,000 to Salem Public Schools for the construction of the capital project of a gym parquet floor.
• $110,000 to the city of Peabody for the purchase of a 42-passenger, 3 wheelchair bus for Peabody schools to transport disabled students to and from school.
• $50,000 to the city of Peabody for transportation projects for pedestrian and traffic safety.
• $60,000 to the town of Danvers for classroom technology.
• $100,000 to the town of Danvers for transportation projects for pedestrian safety.

"This funding will have broad impacts on our communities and provide them with critical resources to address the needs of our local transportation infrastructure and support our students," Lovely said.

"Our transportation system impacts nearly every part of our lives, from housing costs to economic mobility to climate change," said Senator Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn), Senate Chair of the Transportation Committee. "This legislation secures funding to support infrastructure upgrades to the MBTA, capital investments in our regional transit, and improvements to our local bridges, roads, and culverts. Through these various initiatives, residents of the Commonwealth will experience safer, more reliable and more efficient travel."

Different versions having passed both chambers of the Legislature, the branches will now move to resolve their differences before sending a compromise bill to the Governor for her signature.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)