Posted on September 21, 2021
With nearly $80,000 worth of state grant funding, the Sandwich Department of Natural Resources will begin climate resiliency projects in Sandwich Village as early as the end of September, director David J. DeConto said.
The town’s main project includes looking at the inner Mill Creek area and stabilizing problem flooding areas from the fire station to town hall, Mr. DeConto said.
Additional projects include raising the height of culverts, roadways, fire hydrants and the fuel docks at the Sandwich Marina.
“We need to come up with plans of what we can do now and what we should be doing in the future,” Mr. DeConto said. “Now would be things like protecting the fire station during big flooding events and putting up some temporary walls to help prevent flooding.”
The funding, granted on August 31 through the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program, is part of the Baker-Polito Administration’s initiative to provide communities with support in identifying climate hazards, developing strategies to improve resiliency and implementing action plans to adapt to climate change, according to a news release.
“The MVP program is a vital tool in our efforts to prepare and strengthen our coastal and inland communities to address the impacts of climate change,” Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito said in a news release.
In Massachusetts, 93 percent of cities and towns are enrolled in the MVP program, and Sandwich was the first to receive funding in 2019. Since then, the town has received three additional grants, which were used to assess the town’s infrastructure, create a 100-year climate change story map, begin educational outreach programs for students and start short-term resiliency projects.
Some of the long-term projects could take until 2100 to complete. In the interim, the Department of Natural Resources will partner with the Sandwich Chamber of Commerce and Heritage Museums & Gardens.
“We are very proud of both groups and we are very excited to partner with them,” Mr. DeConto said.
Heritage curators will put together an interactive piece of art to tell the history of climate change in Sandwich that will be publicly displayed, and the chamber will assist in contacting and notifying members and townspeople of the initiatives and available education, Mr. DeConto said.
