The so-called Chapter 90 road money cannot be released until legislators approve a bill that authorizes issuing the bonds.
Ludlow police direct traffic around construction work on Chapin St. earlier this month. The work will include drainage improvements, re-pavement, and resurfacing and is expected to continue through mid-September. Similar work is being delayed in some communities because the state cannot yet release annual grants for road paving.BOSTON - Communities in Massachusetts are finding that they cannot yet use state money approved late last month for road improvements, further delaying some important paving work in some municipalities.
Gov. Deval L. Patrick on June 29 approved a law with $200 million in statewide money for use by cities and towns, mostly paving of local roads. But the so-called Chapter 90 grants cannot be released by the state until legislators and the governor pass a second bill, known as a "terms bill," which authorizes the state treasurer to issue bonds to finance the program.
Charles Dazelle, highway superintendent in Huntington, said he can't start a project that calls for paving 1.25-mile stretch of Old Chester Road.
Huntington has $103,000 left over in Chapter 90 funds from the prior fiscal year, but he said that is not enough money to complete the job.
Dazelle said the delay in obtaining his town's share of Chapter 90 money is putting a damper on his job. Huntington's grant is for $167,328.
"It's kind of upsetting," he said. "It's really not helping the economy."
Legislators were already late in approving Chapter 90 money. They usually attempt to approve the annual grants in the spring in order to catch most of the construction season.
"The Legislature dropped the ball on it," said Joseph I. Pipczynski, director of the Department of Public Works in Easthampton. "They didn't approve the expenditure."
Pipczynski said it is "absolutely" causing a problem across the state.
He said he is hopeful that work can be completed in September and October. He is planning pavings for East Green Street and Hendrick Street in Easthampton.
Paul Jay, budget director for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, said highway superintendents cannot sign contracts for road work if they need this year's Chapter 90 money to fund those projects.
Once the "terms bill" is passed, then the $200 million in statewide money will be freed up, according to Jay.
"We don't have the money," Jay said on Friday. "The terms bill is the piece that actually funds the Chapter 90 bill."
Jay agreed that smaller communities are probably getting affected the most, partly because they don't have much money remaining from a prior fiscal year to fund projects this year and partly because their Chapter 90 grants tend to be less than bigger communities.
Stanley W. Kulig, superintendent of the Chicopee Department of Public Works, said Chicopee had about $500,000 remaining from a prior Chapter 90 distribution, so work was not delayed in his city. Chicopee received about $1.2 million grant this fiscal year.
"The Chapter 90 money for some smaller communities is really a lifeline," Kulig said.
The good news for communities is that legislators are close to approving the terms bill. The state House of Representatives voted final approval of the bill on Thursday and now it needs only final approval in the Senate to go to the governor's desk, according to the state Legislature's website for tracking bills.
"I want to get the chapter 90 money out as soon as possible," Rep. Angelo J. Puppolo Jr., a Springfield Democrat and member of the House Ways and Means Committee, said in an e-mail. "I do believe, though, that if there is no objections or controversy it can be done in an informal session."
Formal legislative sessions end at midnight on Tuesday. After that, informal sessions are held for the rest of the year on Beacon Hill and no recorded votes are taken. During informal sessions, a bill can be stopped if only one legislator objects.
Of the $200 million in statewide Chapter 90 money, a total of $14.4 million went to communities in Hampden County. A total of $7 million went to communities in Franklin County and a total of $7 million went to cities and towns in Hampshire County.