Malden receives large grant to promote tourism, safety, planning efforts

The City of Malden has been awarded an $882,000 Community Mitigation Fund grant from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC), which will help fund a variety of community efforts.

Mayor Gary Christenson credited interdepartmental collaboration with the success of the grant application, saying, “Thank you to the OSPCD, Engineering, Police, and Public Works departments for pulling together a compelling grant request. The resulting projects will make our community stronger and safer.”

This grant is managed by the city’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD) and represents the full dollar allocation for which Malden was eligible. Here is the full list of funded projects:

• $175,000 for the City of Malden’s upcoming comprehensive planning process, which will guide Malden’s priorities for the next 15-20 years
• $51,300 for a new tourism initiative to promote Malden’s Gaming District and diverse food scene
• $408,600 to construct safety and congestion-related improvements on Main Street
• $93,000 to purchase a snowplow for the Northern Strand Community Trail (for access and safety)
• $154,100 for traffic enforcement equipment, trainings and extra traffic patrols

According to MGC’s guidelines, their grant program was designed to give municipalities in the vicinity of gaming establishments (for Malden, Encore Boston Harbor in Everett) some certainty regarding the availability of mitigation funds for their communities. Eligible projects must show that they address casino-related impacts on a community.