In response to COVID-19, FRCOG offices are closed. Staff are working remotely. Email is likely the most efficient way to reach us. You can find our contact information on the Staff page under the About link below.

Building, plumbing and wiring inspectors are responding to emergencies only.

All meetings, workshops and forums are cancelled or have been changed to a call-in or video format.  Please look for emails from FRCOG staff about specific meetings or on our calendar at the Meetings and Events link below.

Archive | June, 2020

Public Review and Comment Period for Draft Amendment to the FY 2020 Unified Planning Work Program

The Franklin County Transportation Planning Organization will hold a 21-day public review and comment period from Monday, June 29 to Monday, July 20, 2020, for an Amendment to the Fiscal Year 2020 Unified Planning Work Program.  The document may be viewed at the link below or by calling 413-774-3167 to request a copy.  Comments may be emailed to mmullaney@frcog.org or mailed to Franklin Regional Council of Governments, 12 Olive Street, Suite 2, Greenfield, MA  01301.

Franklin 2020 UPWP draft amendment 6-15-2020

**COVID-19 Updates**

For the data dashboard  from the Franklin County MACC, click here

For the latest situation reports from the MA COVID Command Center, click here.

For the COG’s COVID Municipal Resources Page click here.

For the Region 1 Health and Medical Coordinating Coalition, click here.

To read the FRCOG’s Municipal Leader COVID-19 updates:

MassDOT Announces a New Funding Program to help Cities and Towns to Create Shared Streets and Spaces

MassDOT has announced a new funding program to help cities and towns.  The Shared Street and Spaces funding program will provide technical and funding assistance to help Massachusetts cities and towns conceive, design, and execute shared streets and spaces projects and engage their residents and businesses in that process. The program will provide grants ranging from $5,000 to $300,000 for municipalities to quickly launch or expand improvements to sidewalks, curbs, streets, on-street parking spaces, and off-street parking lots in support of public health, safe mobility and renewed commerce in their communities. Please see this link for further information on the grant program.

Please feel free to contact Beth Giannini at giannini@frcog.org if you have additional questions.

FRCOG’s Regional Pollinator Habitat Corridor Project Begins & National Pollinator Week is June 22-28!

The FRCOG will officially begin work on a Regional Pollinator Habitat Corridor Project during National Pollinator Week which is June 22-28, 2020.
Eight Franklin County Towns will participate in the Regional Pollinator Habitat Corridor Action Plan. Bernardston, Conway, Greenfield, Heath, Montague, Orange, Shelburne, and Wendell will work with the FRCOG to develop the plan.

Please see the flyer below for more information
Regional Pollinator Habitat Corridor Project and National Pollinator Week Flyer

For further information please contact Land Use and Natural Resources Planning Program Manager, Kimberly MacPhee at KMacPhee@frcog.org.

FRCOG Racial Justice Work

The murder of George Floyd and resulting international protests highlight again the dire consequences of systemic racism and inequity in our society. We all must proactively work to right centuries of wrong.

At the FRCOG, we are already involved in projects to improve racial equity. The Communities that Care Coalition, staffed by our Partnership for Youth, has a 5-year grant to address racial justice in our county’s school districts. Welcoming and Belonging Franklin County, in which we participate with the Franklin County Community Development Corporation and Greenfield Community College, among others, has received a grant to address racial equity and inclusion in our workplaces and community. The FRCOG’s research conducted to produce last year’s Community Health Needs Assessment identified troubling health disparities for people of color in our county. These inequities must be considered in all local and regional planning efforts moving forward. The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council’s Pan Flu Planning Subcommittee has acknowledged systemic racism as a public health issue, and has recognized that domestic terrorism inflicted upon black and brown people is a Homeland Security issue. The FRCOG also works closely with our county’s first responders, and we will collaborate with them to ensure greater racial equity in our region.