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Gloucester Awarded $97,500 State Grant for Pump Stations Floodproofing Redesign Retrofit

~ Chris Sicuranza

Baker-Polito Administration Awards $2.2 Million for Coastal Communities to Prepare for Climate Change 

BOSTON – The Baker-Polito Administration today announced more than $2.2 million in funding to support local efforts to increase community preparedness and resilience to coastal storm and climate change impacts, including storm surges, flooding, erosion, and rising sea levels. These grants, provided by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), are being awarded to Dennis, Duxbury Beach Reservation, Inc., Eastham, Essex, Falmouth, Gloucester, Kingston, Marshfield, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, Northeastern University, Salem, Scituate, Wareham, Weymouth and Winthrop. Fifty-one resilience projects have been completed under the Baker-Polito Administration with an investment of over $6.8 million for these projects.

“Protecting and preparing Massachusetts’ extensive residential and commercial developments, port facilities, habitats and natural resources from changing climate conditions along our coast is a priority for our administration,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We are committed to addressing these challenges and pleased to provide more than $2 million to coastal communities to adapt and prepare for future storms.”

“Massachusetts is home to 78 coastal communities with unique economic assets that drive sustainable growth,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, who also serves as Chair of the Seaport Economic Council. “Today’s grants will help more than a dozen communities from Cape Cod to the North Shore and the South Coast better protect the assets that help drive their local communities.”

The funding continues the commitment of the Baker-Polito Administration to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard residents, municipalities, and businesses from the impacts of climate change, and build a more resilient Commonwealth. Earlier this year, the Administration awarded over $1 million in grant funding and designation status has been awarded to 71 towns and cities across the Commonwealth to provide communities with technical support, climate change data and planning tools to identify hazards and develop strategies to improve resilience.

“The Commonwealth’s coastal communities are leading by example to proactively integrate climate change projections in planning, infrastructure improvements and the stabilization of natural coastal buffers like salt marsh and barrier beaches,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton. “Through these grants, we are helping to enable communities to become more resilient to coastal storms and sea level rise over time.”

CZM’s Coastal Resilience Grant Program provides financial and technical support for innovative local efforts to increase awareness and understanding of climate impacts, plan for changing conditions, redesign vulnerable community facilities and infrastructure and implement nonstructural measures to increase natural storm damage protection, flood and erosion control and community resilience. Grants can be used for planning, public outreach and feasibility assessment and analysis of shoreline vulnerability, as well as for design, permitting, construction and monitoring of projects that enhance or create natural resources to provide increased shoreline stabilization and flood control.

“Gloucester joins our local, state, regional and global leaders to make our communities more resilient to the effects of climate change,” said Gloucester Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken. “All of us will suffer the costs if we don’t act, both in our budgets and in our homes which will be lost. While these coastal resilience grants will help communities like Gloucester endure future storm events and minimize public health and environmental risks due to climate change, we cannot solve these issues alone and remain grateful for the support from the Baker-Polito administration in navigating solutions both short term and long.”

“Through the Coastal Resilience Grant Program, CZM actively works with communities and other partners to develop effective strategies to address shoreline erosion, flooding and climate change issues,” said CZM Director Bruce Carlisle. “We recognize the tremendous efforts and commitment at the local level needed to complete these projects, and we look forward to sharing project results with other coastal communities experiencing similar issues.”

Gloucester – $97,500

  • Project: Gloucester Pump Stations – Floodproofing Redesign and Retrofit
  • Description: The City of Gloucester will design and prepare bid specifications for infrastructure improvements at five of its most vulnerable pump stations. The floodproofing measures will be designed to protect the long-term function of the pump stations from anticipated sea level rise impacts.

The Massachusetts Office Coastal Zone Management is the lead policy and planning agency on coastal and ocean issues within the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Through planning, technical and grant assistance and public information programs, CZM seeks to balance the impacts of human activity with the protection of coastal and marine resources. The agency’s work includes helping coastal communities address the challenges of storms, sea level rise and other effects of climate change; working with state, regional and federal partners to balance current and new uses of ocean waters while protecting ocean habitats and promoting sustainable economic development; and partnering with communities and other organizations to protect and restore coastal water quality and habitats.

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Mayor’s 2016 Year End Review & Thank You

~ Chris Sicuranza

Dear Gloucester Residents,

As 2016 winds down, I want to pause to express my gratitude to everyone for all that you have done to help move Gloucester forward.  Many believe that this year was tougher than other years, but I want to reflect on the positive and look ahead with renewed hope as we enter 2017.

To start the year, our administration and the new City Council were sworn in and we committed ourselves to working together on behalf of all Gloucester residents.  We are lucky to have so many dedicated public officials who are willing to roll up their sleeves and work hard on the issues that we face as a community.

I want to thank all City Councilors, city employees, board and commission members, volunteers, organizers, members of the business community and everyone else who has helped to build on the progress that we have made.  No one person can achieve as much as we did and will continue to achieve by working together.  I couldn’t be more proud of everyone’s efforts.

We have put our fiscal house in order by adopting financial policies that will pay benefits for years to come.  For the first time in many years, all City departments lived within their operational budgets allocated by the City Council and we are well on our way to doing that for a second straight year.  This is a critical first step in building a financially healthy City. As a result of our financial policies adopted for free cash and our work with the school department, school committee and MSBA, we are now better positioned to fund capital improvements to our schools like the roof at the high school.

In my short time as Mayor, we have been committed to economic growth in the City.  We will continue to work to expand our commercial industrial base and upgrading our technological services within the City.  At the same time, we worked to repair our coastal seawalls, establish co-working spaces for entrepreneurs, improve visiting areas like Stage Fort Park, continue our cultural heritage in the arts, attend the Seafood Show to promote Gloucester Fresh Seafood including designing the logo which led to a relationship with 99 Restaurants to sell local fish, work alongside Representative Ferrante, Senator Tarr and our federal delegations to secure funds including a new roof at the State Fish Pier, and so much more.

The City welcomed new changes in the Mayor’s Office to help with constituent services, as well as new staff leadership across many City departments, including Harbormaster, Community Development, Tourism, Communications, Police, Human Resources, and, for the first time in a long while, Fisheries Commission Director. I believe our team is stronger than ever as a result of these changes and I am confident that we will continue to provide the best services to all Gloucester residents.

From our seniors to our students, from Ward 1 to Ward 5, for those just moving here to those who have had generations living here, please know that our administration will continue to provide the best results by working with everyone and building toward a strong collective future.  While we respect our culture and heritage for 2017 and well beyond, we must continue to listen to one another and find ways to deepen our contributions, however large or small, to help every citizen.

As I have said many times, my door is always open and I welcome your input and guidance.

I am sure that 2017 will usher in many challenges for us as a community but I know through everyone’s hard work and what we have accomplished in 2016 that we will be successful.  Thank you and I hope you and your family have a happy and healthy New Year!  Let’s keep moving Gloucester forward… together.

Sincerely,

Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken