STOW — Town Administrator Denise Dembkoski and the Town of Stow announce the selection of BSC Group, Inc. as the Stow Acres Climate Resilience Master Plan Consultant.
The Stow Acres Climate Resilience Master Plan is being developed as part of a two-year, $1.1 million Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program grant, courtesy of the Executive Office of Energy and Environment.
The Town used a portion of the funds to protect a majority of the Stow Acres North Course for conservation and recreation purposes in January. The remainder will be used to develop the Climate Resilience Master Plan.
The Plan will provide a blueprint for wetland restoration, an increase in flood storage capacity, removal of golf elements, planting of trees/shrubs and riparian buffers, increasing landscape diversity and complexity, wildlife habitat enhancement, design of trails, and state-of-the-art “green” public recreation amenities.
BSC Group, Inc., a leader in providing integrated planning and engineering solutions for large and small-scale projects throughout New England and along the East Coast, was unanimously selected by the Selection Committee for its strong scientific background and expertise in golf course restoration, recreation planning, and climate resilient design.
The Selection Committee consisted of Town Administrator Dembkoski, Conservation Director Kathy Sferra, Planning Director Valerie Oorthuys, and Recreation Director Laura Greenough.
“Stow’s proactive and creative efforts to protect Stow Acres have been receiving regional and statewide attention over the past six months at conferences on both conservation and housing,” said Town Administrator Dembkoski. “BSC Group really brought the best mix of skills for this unique project, and we are very excited about working with their team to identify the goals of the community and complete the Climate Resilience Master Plan.”
Together with town officials, BSC will be hosting public forums and site walks, and will be actively seeking to engage residents and stakeholders in surrounding communities in the planning process.
More information on the Stow Acres project can be found here.
Those with questions should contact Conservation Director Kathy Sferra at 978-897-8615 or by email at conservation@stow-ma.gov.