As it prepares to apply for Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness 2.0 funding through the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Swampscott’s Climate Action Plan Committee met Monday night to discuss its coastal resiliency priorities.
In a roughly one-hour-long discussion, the committee discussed flood prevention infrastructure at the Swampscott Fish House and seawall repair along the town’s coastline as potential MVP projects.
In 2017, Swampscott was designated a vulnerability preparedness community by the Baker Administration, qualifying the town to apply for funding under the then-new MVP grant program, designed to fund technical support, climate change data, and planning tools to identify hazards and develop strategies to improve climate-based resilience for participating communities.
Last year, the EEA revamped the grant program with the launch of the MVP 2.0 grant program, which serves a similar function to its original counterpart with an emphasis on community-based project planning, increased funding for project planning and consultation, as well as increased equity and diversity in communities’ planning processes.
“We will be given $50,000 to implement a project, so it’s great … to put all of our thinking caps on and to see what are the priorities in regards to resiliency and climate change,” Community and Economic Development Director Marzie Galazka said.
Galazka added that the committee should consult the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps to target parts of town needing coastal resilience infrastructure.
Committee Vice Chair Doug Thompson added that the funds could also be used toward projects outlined as priorities by Kleinfelder, the engineering firm Swampscott hired to study the town’s environmental infrastructure needs. He brought up the Swampscott Fish House as an imminent flood risk.
“The thing that comes to mind for me is the Fish House. I don’t know any other critical infrastructure that is as imminently endangered as that,” Thompson said.
Committee Chair Martha Schmitt added that Kleinfelder’s report also listed the police station and pump house as areas with an increased flood risk.
The Committee will further discuss MVP grant projects at its next meeting, slated for Jan. 10 .
