Priority Projects and Partnerships

Somerset-Swansea Route 6/Route 118 Planning and Wastewater Projects

This corridor offers redevelopment opportunities on several large vacant and underutilized sites; these opportunities can build on recent U.S. EDA-funded investments in Somerset’s wastewater treatment facility and transmission infrastructure, the creation of a Wastewater District and Water Resource Management Plan, and a resulting SomersetSwansea intermunicipal agreement (IMA) for future wastewater service.35

Stakeholders: Towns of Somerset and Swansea; Commonwealth of Massachusetts; the Swansea Redevelopment Authority; numerous private entities.

Proposed Activities: The Town of Swansea recently received a $75,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Economic Development to study economic development feasibility along the Route 6/Route 118 corridor. Swansea intends to work directly with SRPEDD to secure additional matching funding that will enable a comprehensive needs assessment, build-out analysis, and implementation plan for several sites – all with the intent of identifying private investment opportunities and partnerships necessary for future applications to U.S. EDA construction funding to extend wastewater infrastructure west from Somerset along Route 6.

Strengths

• Strength in health care, manufacturing, value-added agriculture, and fishing

Weaknesses

• Modern infrastructure investments – especially in ports, water, sewer, and broadband – are still required for more growth

Opportunities

• Our region has numerous remaining development sites where we can leverage state and federal infrastructure funding to encourage growth

Threats

• Perceptions of persistently high unemployment and low educational attainment