THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 21, 2021 Page 9 Holyoke Soldiers’ Home set for reconstruction as House approves H.3770, An Act Financing the Reconstruction of the Soldier’s Home in Holyoke B OSTON – On Monday, Representative Steven Ultrino (D-Malden), Representative Paul Donato (D – Medford), and Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian presented a united front in support of H.3770, An Act Financing the Reconstruction of the Soldier’s Home in Holyoke, the fi nal version of the bill which will fund for the construction of a new facility at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. The House unanimously approved the bill, which would allocate $400 million to the design and construction of a brandnew facility for the Soldiers’ Home. The newly approved version of the legislation ensures that the construction project would feature a small home concept where veterans will have more living space and independence. The development will also include state-of-the-art technology to meet the needs of current and future veterans. The bill also allocates an additional $200 million to improving long-term care services for veterans throughout the region, including expanding support for home- and community-based care services and the creation of regional or satellite veterans’ homes for those not served by the Chelsea or Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. The fi nal language of the approved bill also expands signifi cantly on provisions related to minority, veteran, and women contractors hired for this project. By requiring the submission of annual reports until the completion of the facility, the legislation ensures that the project will remain on track in terms of budgeting, costs, design, construction progress, as well as labor participation goals for minority, veteran and women contractors. “The approval and support we received for this bill represent a major step towards healing after last year’s tragedy,” said Representative Ultrino. “From the very beginning, this has been a project about honoring our veterans and proving to their families and friends that we are ready to give them the support they need. I truly believe that this reconstruction project will be able to breathe new life into the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home and give our veterans the care and attention they deserve.” "Ensuring that our veterans have the resources they need should always be a top priority. This bill makes that clear by Maldonian honored as Big Sister of the Year T he Big Sister Association of Greater Boston recently recognized Tracy-Jane Pierre of Malden as a Big Sister of the Year at its annual meeting. Pierre has been matched with her Little Sister Allya since May 2017. Pierre was awarded Big Sister of the Year for going above and beyond the expectations and commitment of being a positive adult friend and mentor to her Little Sister. “While all our Big Sisters are going the extra mile by sharing their friendship, it is Big Sisters like Tracy-Jane who truly embrace what it means to be a mentor and exemplify the quality mentoring experience,” said Big Sister Boston President/CEO Deborah Re. Pierre is a Big Sister in the Site Based Mentoring Program. SiteBased Mentoring take place in schools and community centers in Boston, Cambridge and Quincy. Big and Little Sisters commit to at least three academic semesters together (excluding summer break and school holidays) and meet once a week during the school day or their afterschool program. During visits, they read books, learn new skills, work on projects of their mutual choosing or engage in physical activities. During a girl’s busy school day, Site-Based Mentoring creates a safe space for her to have fun, learn and grow alongside her Big Sister. Classifieds Advocate Call now! 617-387-2200 advertise on the web atwww.advocatenews.net 419 BROADWAY, EVERETT MA 02149 WWW.EVERETTBANK .COM/COMMERCIALLENDING Member FDIC Member DIF We don’t just make deals. We make it happen. TALK TO SEAN ABOUT OUR COMMERCIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LOANS. WE’RE READY TO HELP YOU GET STARTED. SEAN CUMMINGS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT SCUMMINGS@EVERETTBANK . COM 61 7-957-9989 investing hundreds of millions of dollars in ensuring veterans across Massachusetts will have those much-needed resources for years to come,” said Representative Paul Donato. “I’m grateful to Speaker Mariano for his leadership in ensuring we took swift action to fund this project, and to my colleagues for uniting behind this impressive proposal.” “As we pause to remember those who sacrifi ced their lives this Memorial Day, we think also of the more than 77 veterans who lost their lives in the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home last year during a terrible COVID-19 outbreak,” said Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian (D-Melrose). “Our veterans deserve safe, comfortable places to live. As such, I am honored to have voted in favor of this legislation to support the design and construction of a new soldiers’ residence.” With this vote, H.3770 has been approved by the House for fi nal passage. It will be sent to the Senate for fi nal consideration before reaching the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.
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