WRENTHAM — Town Administrator Kevin Sweet would like to provide Wrentham residents with an update on a grant the Town received last year to build climate resilience in town, including ways residents can get involved in the process.
Last September the Town learned it had received a $113,344 municipal climate resilience grant for the Climate Resilience and Low Impact Development Regulatory Integration and Town-wide Green Infrastructure Plan.
Awarded by the Baker-Polito Administration’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program, which is administered by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), these competitive grants support cities and towns in identifying climate hazards, developing strategies to improve resilience, and implementing priority actions to adapt to climate change.
A “Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Action Grant” webpage has been created to give residents more information on the grant and provide a place for those interested to ask questions and make recommendations. To view the website, click here.
Once on the page, residents can view a map of areas in town that have been identified as potential locations for green infrastructure projects, such as ways to improve or prevent the pollution of stormwater runoff. To view the interactive map:
- Visit the page’s Green Infrastructure Assessment subpage here
- Scroll down to the “Wrentham Public Input” section and click on the icon to proceed as a guest
- Click on “Good Candidates for Green Infrastructure” in the right pane.
- Click the green dots to view suggestions. Residents can “like” a suggestion or offer a comment.
This interactive map will help the town choose the best possible locations for these projects.
Grant Funding Background
Wrentham is one of 66 communities and regional partnerships to have received action-grant funding in the latest round of applications.
Building on Wrentham’s climate resilience planning process completed in 2018, these funds will allow Wrentham to update the local land use bylaws and regulations with the goal of increasing climate resilience with the implementation of stormwater green infrastructure, a green infrastructure assessment and community engagement targeting private property owners around the three major lakes in Town.
Community members interested in getting further involved in the process can contact Director of Planning & Community Development Rachel Benson at planning@wrentham.am.us or by calling 508-384-5441.
About the Program
The MVP program has awarded over $65 million in funding and technical support to communities across the state. With this year’s awards, 93% of Massachusetts cities and towns, or 328 municipalities in total, are enrolled.
Created in 2017 as part of Governor Baker’s Executive Order 569, the MVP program pairs local leadership and knowledge with a significant investment of resources and funding from the Commonwealth to address ongoing climate change impacts like sea level rise, inland flooding, storms, and extreme temperatures.
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