Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs received 64 applications by its Aug. 29 deadline requesting $70 million in grant funds to repair or remove dams, seawalls, levees and other coastal infrastructure.
The number of applications is an indication of the need for the new Dam and Coastal and Inland Flooding Infrastructure Program, with requests amounting to nearly four times the available funding, even though communities had only a short time to submit “shovel-ready” projects in this first round of applications.
The $20 million fund is being split evenly between dams and flooding infrastructure, such as seawalls.
The grants and low-interest loans under the program are designed to cover design, permitting, bid preparation and construction costs. Applicants will be awarded up to $1 million for dam projects and up to $4 million for seawalls.
The MMA and many environmental organizations lobbied the Legislature last year to create the new program, which is open to cities and towns as well as regional entities, nonprofit organizations and dam owners.