Posted on August 24, 2021
On Monday, the Baker-Polito administration announced it will be awarding $4 million in grants to support local planning and management efforts in coastal communities. This will help in preparing for severe weather events and the impacts of climate change, including storm surge, flooding, erosion, and sea level rise. Among the coastal communities, the Coastal Resilience Grant Program’s funding will award grants to three Dukes County towns, Edgartown, Tisbury, and Gosnold.
The grant program provides financial and technical support to “local efforts to analyze vulnerabilities to climate impacts, increase community awareness and understanding of these issues, plan for changing conditions, redesign vulnerable community facilities and infrastructure, and restore shoreline systems.” Grants may also fund “feasibility assessments, public outreach, design, permitting, construction, and monitoring of projects that enhance or create natural buffers to erosion and flooding.”
Here is a look at how the funding will support Dukes County:
Edgartown will be receiving $240,674 for its South Beach Bathhouse Relocation and Dune Restoration Project. “The town of Edgartown and the Trustees of Reservations will relocate the South Beach bathhouse 50 feet landward, remove an asphalt surface, and restore the primary coastal dune on South Beach and adjacent Norton Point Beach with compatible dredge material and native plants. The project will also move the current over-sand-vehicle trail more landward, which currently runs through the dune overwash area.”
Tisbury will be receiving $169,272 for public outreach, design assessment, and permit-level plan preparation for coastal storm protection along the Vineyard Haven Harbor shoreline. “The town of Tisbury will continue to increase public involvement and outreach, refine conceptual designs and initiate permitting activities for flood protection for downtown Vineyard Haven, including beach and dune nourishment, roadway elevation, and construction of a berm.”
Gosnold will be receiving $212,000 for its Gosnold Fuel Resilience Project. “The town of Gosnold will evaluate, design, permit, and install a preferred alternative for an aboveground fuel storage facility on Cuttyhunk Island. The project will incorporate coastal storm and sea level rise considerations when replacing the recently removed underground tanks.”
