A total of $1.4 million is coming to Franklin County from the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to support projects designed to help communities mitigate the impacts of climate change, including flooding and erosion.
Montague was awarded $458,750, Conway received $330,300, Shelburne was given $395,940, Rowe was awarded $90,820 and the Greenfield-based Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) received $125,000 as part of a total $28.7 million in state grants to help 54 communities prepare for extreme weather, including heat waves, flooding, wildfires and storms. The Massachusetts Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Action Grant funding round included $11.1 million specifically to support small, rural towns.
“Communities across our commonwealth are grappling with hotter summers, stronger storms and record flooding,” state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, said in a statement. “I am grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for expanding the Massachusetts Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grant program to include funding targeted for rural and small towns, ensuring that every community has the tools it needs to meet the challenges of a changing climate. This $11.1 million investment into our rural and small municipalities is driving forward key climate resilient infrastructure projects that are designed and constructed to serve our communities and residents for the next 100 years.”
Montague
The $458,750 coming to Montague will support the Hill Neighborhood Green Infrastructure Master Planning project, which seeks to address erosion and road washout conditions in “The Hill” neighborhood of town, adjacent to the Connecticut River.
This funding will help the town develop a plan to combat stormwater runoff issues before it harms the underground drainage systems in sandy, erosion-prone areas.
“This project will help us understand the causes and effects of slope failures in The Hill
neighborhood and their impacts downslope, threatening roads, properties and the
Connecticut River,” Montague Department of Public Works Superintendent Sam Urkiel said in a statement. “It will guide us in developing effective projects to strengthen our roads and drainage infrastructure.”
The project was identified in previous MVP processes, including in the 2018 MVP Resilience Plan developed with FRCOG and the 2024 MVP 2.0 process. Town officials say the project is urgent and necessary to address future climate-related flooding.
Last week, the Montague Selectboard authorized a contract with Fuss & O’Neill for engineering services, using $446,500 from the grant.
“The town of Montague is grateful for the support from the MVP program to help us plan for the impacts of climate change in a neighborhood that has experienced washouts and slope failures due to recent heavy rain events,” Assistant Town Administrator Chris Nolan-Zeller said in a statement.
Shelburne
Shelburne will use its $395,940 to conduct field research and community outreach in support of the Dragon Brook watershed.
Kimberly MacPhee, FRCOG land use and natural resources program manager, said the town is planning to collect “flow data for the brook and a fluvial geomorphic assessment of Dragon Brook to identify stressors on Dragon Brook and its watershed, and [to identify] projects to restore natural functions and improve flood resilience.”
The data will be used to generate computer models of flood risks and support outreach, which will include “meetings with landowners in the Dragon Brook watershed, and the development of a Learning Landscapes plan for students and educators to use to explore and connect with the outdoor classroom of the Dragon Brook watershed,” MacPhee said.
Conway
According to Town Administrator Veronique Blanchard, the $330,300 awarded to Conway will fund designing and permitting for lowering the floodplain and digging out accumulated sediment from behind the historic mill dam on the South River.
Blanchard added that these changes will not only address current flooding concerns, but will also help protect the area from a potential increase in flooding in the future, a possible consequence of climate change.
Rowe
The town of Rowe plans to use its $90,820 to implement a climate-smart forestry plan that will include constructing a slash wall — a dense wall made of logging debris to protect young trees and vegetation from being nibbled on by deer and other critters. The walls will be approximately 10 feet tall and 20 feet wide.
The town also plans to hold community trail walks and programs with Rowe Elementary School to educate the public on climate-resilient forestry projects.
“It is a goal from our forestry stewardship plan and something that we are looking forward to doing,” Rowe Park Commission Chair Laurie Pike said. “I think we’re looking at this not just as a goal, but also as a research project for the future, for how do we adapt for climate resiliency in the forest.”
FRCOG
In addition to assisting Conway, Shelburne and Rowe with administration and public outreach for their own MVP projects, FRCOG will work on its own project to support climate resiliency in the various watersheds in Franklin County and study how climate change will impact the county’s water reserves. The work will also explore what steps can be taken to mitigate these impacts.
“There is a growing urgency for water suppliers to build resilience toward weather extremes, such as floods and droughts, as an integral part of water supply management,” MacPhee said in a statement. “With these funds, FRCOG will work with water suppliers and partners to identify climate impacts to our municipal, public, private, agricultural and firefighting water supplies in our rural region and develop recommendations to better prepare our region for water use and droughts, floods and forest fires.”
Staff Writer Aalianna Marietta contributed reporting.