Revere To Receive Over $1 Million in Grants From Baker-Polito Administration

The Baker-Polito Administration announced nearly $10.8 million in Seaport Economic Council grants for 19 projects, including two that are in Revere. The grants will help coastal communities advance projects that benefit commercial maritime industries, improve resident and visitor access to waterfront assets, mitigate the impacts of climate change, and advance future dredging. The grants were approved at today’s meeting of the Seaport Economic Council, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito at the Chatham Harbormaster Building in Chatham.

“Massachusetts’ coastal communities are home to working waterfronts, maritime industry and innovation,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “I’m proud that the Seaport Economic Council, led by Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, has directed nearly $77 million since we have taken office to strengthen Massachusetts’ coastal communities and reinforce them for the future.”

“I appreciate the hard work of the Seaport Economic Council members in evaluating and investing in projects that will deepen our maritime economy, promote economic development, and support resilient infrastructure in our coastal communities,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Chair of the Seaport Economic Council. “From the North Shore to the South Coast, today’s awards will advance important improvements along our waterfront.”

The Seaport Economic Council serves all 78 of the Commonwealth’s coastal communities. The Council awards grant funding to municipalities and other entities in support of projects that promote job creation and economic growth, transformative public-private partnerships, educational opportunities for young people, local economic development planning efforts, coastal infrastructure improvements, and the planning and permitting of saltwater dredging. With this latest round of grants, the Seaport Economic Council has invested approximately $77 million through 164 grants in 54 coastal communities since 2015.

“Our waterfronts are economic drivers for Massachusetts, supporting maritime industries and drawing visitors to enjoy our beaches and local businesses,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy. “Providing the resources to shore up our waterfronts through infrastructure improvements and coastal resiliency efforts is integral to both the long-term environmental and economic health of our Commonwealth.”

“Capital grants from the Seaport Economic Council help our coastal communities tackle locally identified projects to update and improve their waterfront infrastructure,” said Undersecretary of Community Development Ashley Stolba, Vice Chair of the Seaport Economic Council. “Under the leadership of Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, we are proud to award nearly $10.8 million in grants today to advance 19 important projects.”

The Seaport Economic Council Grants for Revere are as follows:

• City of Revere, $35,000

Fulfilling one of the primary goals emanating from the recent Seaport Economic Council-funded Revere RiverFront Master Plan (2021) process, the City seeks to create a center for non-motorized community boating programs on a site on the Pines River where a dilapidated vacant small boat yard has stood for decades. Funds are requested to support final design and permitting of a dockage system and related waterside resiliency improvements for this purpose.

• City of Revere,
$1 Million

The City will use this grant to construct the first phase of a public walkway around the perimeter of the master-planned public/private mixed-use development in the 19-plus-acre Revere RiverFront. In 2020, the Seaport Economic Council provided essential funding for a masterplan for this area. A key recommendation stemming from the public input part of the process was the creation of a walkway to allow public access to the Pines and Saugus riverbanks where none now exists.