SWANSEA — The Town of Swansea is pleased to announce that it has received $140,270 in environmental grants for climate resilience projects, awarded through the state’s new centralized Environment & Climate (ECO) One Stop platform.
The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced $45 million in grant funding to support 97 projects across the state through the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ new ECO One Stop platform.
The state grants awarded to Swansea through ECO include $79,130 under the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program and $61,140 under the Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Coastal Resilience program.
Other state climate and environmental resilience programs now incorporated into the new ECO One Stop platform include the Dam and Seawall Program, the Coastal Habitat and Water Quality Grants, the Cooling Corridors Program, Planning Assistance Grants, and the Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance Grant.
Through the MVP program, which was established in 2017, the Town of Swansea will conduct coastal vulnerability evaluations and assess the potential of ecologically beneficial inland marsh migration strategies along the Palmer River. The $79,130 grant-funded project will evaluate how allowing the Palmer River salt marsh to migrate inland could reduce flooding, improve water quality and increase the resiliency of this natural asset. The project will also identify opportunities for marsh restoration and land conservation.
Through the CZM Coastal Resilience program, which began as a pilot in 2014, the Town of Swansea aims to improve the long-term ecological stability of the Swansea Town Beach. This $61,140 grant-funded project will develop a better system for managing dredged material at the waterfront. The project will identify a more resilient approach, including raising the elevation of the dune to protect residents and infrastructure against storm surges, intense wave action and high winds. This initiative will help support future permitting and long-term beach management efforts.
Town Administrator Mitchell Ruscitti thanked the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for awarding Swansea these two important grants.
“We are grateful for this opportunity to build up climate resilience around our natural resources in Swansea,” said Town Administrator Ruscitti. “The MVP award and the Coastal Resiliency grant will allow us to take meaningful, tangible steps to ensure our community is prepared for extreme weather events.”
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