The Massachusetts House of Representatives allocated $50,000 for the renovation of the Dartmouth Council on Aging Kitchen as well as $25,000 for the Dartmouth Historical and Arts Society’s Russells Mills Schoolhouse restoration, State Rep. Christopher Markey’s office announced Friday.

Markey’s office said that the two issues were priorities for the representative during budget sessions last week.

“The Council on Aging and our elderly are an essential part of our community, and I am proud that we are able to improve their facilities here in Dartmouth,” said Representative Markey. “Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the kitchen has seen an expanded use for Meals on Wheels and other community based programs. The expansion of the kitchen is needed to better serve our elderly community and I am excited to see the new and exciting ways it is utilized.”

Maria Connor, President of the Dartmouth Friends of the Elderly, said that the current facility is in serious need of renovations.

“This money will be a great help to bring the kitchen into the 21st century,” she said. “Right now, it has a lot of Band-Aids. We have a lot of programs that come out of there and it's embarrassing to try and do all of that out of a kitchen that is falling apart. The Dartmouth Friends of the Elderly will continue to raise funds for the renovation, but this money will go a long way towards that goal.”

President of the Dartmouth Historical and Arts Society, Robert Harding said that the money allocated to his organization will help them repaint the historic schoolhouse.

“The Dartmouth Historical and Arts Society is gratified to learn about the grant of $25,000 from the Massachusetts Legislature,” he said. “The preservation of our headquarters building and grounds, the 1871 Russells Mills Schoolhouse, is of paramount importance to the milieu of the Historic District of Russells Mills Village in the town of Dartmouth. The funding provided from this legislative grant will be used primarily for the preparing and painting of the exterior surfaces and other tasks for preserving the historic fabric of the building.”