Secretary of Administration and Finance said Massachusetts will help Springfield with expenses not covered by federal reimbursements.
View full sizeJay Gonzalez, left, Massachusetts Secretary of the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, and Carole J. Cornelison, Commissioner of the Division of Capital Asset Management, help serve lunch Tuesday at the Open Pantry Loaves and Fishes Kitchen in the basement of Christ Church Cathedral in Springfield. SPRINGFIELD – State Secretary of Administration and Finance Jay Gonzalez Tuesday showered praise on the city’s campaign to recover from the widespread damage left by the June 1 tornadoes.
Visiting Springfield to get a closer look at local rebuilding efforts, Gonzalez met with Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and leaders of Rebuild Springfield, the public-private group orchestrating the city’s long-term recovery.
“I’m very impressed with the genuine commitment to both rebuilding the city, and also to the needs of the people,” Gonzalez said following the meeting at Gov. Deval L. Patrick’s regional office on Dwight Street.
Gonzalez said the city is calculating the costs of storm recovery to submit to the Federal Emergency Management Administration, which will provide the largest share of reimbursements for tornado relief costs.
The state will also help the city with expenses not covered by federal reimbursements, though it is too early to say how much and for what specific costs, Gonzalez said.
Funding for the tornado recovery was one of the subjects discussed by Gonzalez during his meeting with the mayor and two leaders of Rebuild Springfield, Gerald W. Hayes and Nick Fyntrilakis.
Sarno appointed the pair to oversee the long-range recovery effort; Hayes is a vice president at Westfield State University and Fyntrilakis is an assistant vice president at MassMutual Financial Group.
The group, which includes a 15-member advisory committee, is currently seeking consultants with expertise in urban renewal to draft a master plan for the rebuilding effort.