A nearly $100,000 state grant could help Revere residents elevate critical utilities in flood-prone basements.
Last week, Governor Maura Healey’s administration announced more than $45 million in grants to support 97 projects that will help communities across Massachusetts better withstand flooding, extreme heat, coastal erosion, and other climate impacts.
The grants were awarded through the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ (EEA’s) new Environment & Climate (ECO) One Stop program. The aim of the program is to help strengthen infrastructure, restore and enhance natural resources, and improve public safety while making it easier to access state funding for climate resilience projects.
In Revere, the $98,360 grant will be used to help evaluate the feasibility of developing a Utility Elevation Assistance Program to help residents elevate critical utilities (e.g., HVAC equipment, electrical panels and boilers) currently in flood-prone basements. The project will establish recommended Design Flood Elevations, identify retrofit strategies, and assess program design approaches, including eligibility criteria, administrative structures, benefit-cost evaluations, and funding mechanisms.
“Flooding in Revere’s low-lying neighborhoods frequently damages HVAC equipment, electrical panels, and boilers located in basements,” said Tom Skwierawski, the city’s director of Planning and Community Development. “This project will develop a municipal program to help residents elevate vulnerable utilities and reduce damage during future storms.”
The project will evaluate approaches to program design and funding to ensure residents can access assistance, according to Skwierawski.
“Technical analysis will identify recommended retrofit methods, establish design flood elevations for utilities, and develop planning-level cost estimates,” he said. “Community engagement will help identify potential pilot participants and inform program design. Results will provide the City with a roadmap for implementing a household-level resilience program that reduces flood impacts and strengthens community resilience.”
In announcing the statewide grants in Salem last week, Healey said the state needs infrastructure that can withstand flooding, extreme heat and severe storms.
“This $45 million investment will help communities protect residents, strengthen roads, dams, coastlines and other critical infrastructure and lower costs,” said Healey. “ECO One Stop is making it faster and easier for communities to access the funding they need to get these important projects moving.”
The inaugural ECO One Stop pilot round includes seven state grant programs supporting projects that reduce climate risks and strengthen communities, including Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Action, Dam & Seawall Repair or Removal, Coastal Resilience, Coastal Habitat and Water Quality, Cooling Corridors, Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance, Culvert Replacement Training Site, and Planning Assistance. A total of 97 projects received awards, including 71 municipal projects, 14 regional planning agencies, seven nonprofit organizations, two Tribes, and three other public entities.
“We’ve seen firsthand this summer how heavy, sudden rainfall can overwhelm aging dams and culverts, how extreme heat can harm vulnerable populations, and how storms can drive bacteria to our beaches and strain our wastewater systems,” said EEA Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “The ECO One Stop program combines the power of many of the state’s major environmental grant programs in one place, so municipalities can act quickly and think creatively about how to invest in their communities. Through this investment, we’re making sure that water has a safe place to go during downpours, that communities can cool down when temperatures rise, and that our most treasured natural resources are preserved for generations to come.”