Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $7.9 Million to Support Coastal Community Resilience

Boston — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced $7.9 million in grants to help Massachusetts coastal communities prepare for storms, storm surge, flooding, erosion, and sea level rise. Through the Coastal Resilience Grant Program, the Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) is supporting nineteen projects in proactive local planning and shoreline management efforts to address these climate change impacts.

“In the past year, we’ve seen extreme storms bring catastrophic damage across the state. We need urgent action to address these escalating impacts of climate change,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Building resilience along our coastal communities is a matter of public health, safety, and a strong economy. This grant program demonstrates our administration’s commitment to working with our local partners to expand and improve climate change solutions.”

“As a former mayor of a coastal community, I know firsthand the challenges our cities and towns are facing when it comes to tackling coastal flooding and erosion,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Our coastlines are part of Massachusetts’ culture, and these grants will help provide support needed to ensure our communities can develop pragmatic approaches to maintain their quality of life.”

CZM’s Coastal Resilience Grant Program provides funding and technical assistance for local efforts to evaluate vulnerabilities to climate impacts, increase community awareness and understanding of these issues, plan for changing conditions, redesign vulnerable community facilities and infrastructure, and restore shoreline systems through non-structural approaches. Grants may fund feasibility assessments, public outreach, design, permitting, construction, and monitoring of projects that enhance or create natural buffers to erosion and flooding.

Including the grants announced today, CZM has invested over $45.7 million in 219 Coastal Resilience Grant projects since 2014. This funding has supported comprehensive planning, infrastructure retrofits, and shoreline restoration projects to reduce wave energy, erosion, and flooding impacts.

“Our coasts are facing intensifying impacts of climate change that are threatening essential facilities, infrastructure, and natural resources. Every dollar we invest now will help our communities lessen the damaging impacts of storms,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “We are proud to award this financial support to our coastal cities and towns as they work to improve resilience and safeguard public access to shorelines.”

“In close collaboration with our local and regional partners, CZM is dedicated to developing proactive and effective coastal resilience solutions,” said CZM Director Lisa Berry Engler. “The Coastal Resilience Grant Program has been tremendously successful in making these solutions a reality, and we congratulate this year’s grant recipients for another round of impressive projects.”

“Our coastal communities are on the frontlines facing coastal storms, flooding, and erosion,” said State Representative Josh Cutler. “These grants will help Duxbury and other coastal communities better protect our coastal infrastructure and local economy.”

Projects receiving the Coastal Resilience Grants are:

Barnstable
Sandy Neck Beach Long-Term Coastal Resiliency Project, $92,579
The Town of Barnstable will finalize plans to enhance the primary dune and relocate the parking lot landward at Sandy Neck Beach Park to reduce the risk of storm damage to infrastructure and preserve access to recreation.

Beverly
Designing a Resilient Lynch Park, $325,375
The City of Beverly will assess the vulnerability of Lynch Park to flooding and erosion and develop resilience strategies. The project will evaluate potential impacts to the seawall and develop conceptual designs to mitigate flooding, address the drainage of floodwaters, and protect public access and amenities. 

Braintree
Monitoring and Adaptive Management of Watson Park Shoreline Erosion Mitigation and Coastal Resiliency Improvement Project, $74,940
The Town of Braintree will implement a monitoring plan for a salt marsh restoration and shoreline stabilization project at Watson Park constructed in 2022. Monitoring information will be used to adapt project management and maintenance approaches to lengthen design life while reducing erosion and flooding. Braintree will also create an interactive map to document the resilience lessons learned from the project.

Chatham
Complete Environmental Permitting for Temporary Flow Training Structures and Beach Nourishment, $94,540
The Town of Chatham will continue public outreach and complete permitting for beach nourishment and temporary structures that redirect tidal currents to address shoreline erosion and shoaling near Stage Harbor and Morris Island. The project will help stabilize the channel and barrier beach system, improving navigability and storm damage protection.

Chatham, on behalf of the Pleasant Bay Alliance
Pleasant Bay Living Shorelines - Jackknife Beach Salt Marsh Restoration, $117,220
The Town of Chatham will complete permitting, monitoring, and construction documents to advance implementation of a living shoreline to protect Jackknife Beach. The project will restore the fringing salt marsh adjacent to the public access area to build resilience to erosion and sea level rise.

Cohasset
James Brook Watershed Coastal Flood Pathways Mitigation Design, $227,770
The Town of Cohasset will develop preliminary designs for protecting infrastructure from flooding in the James Brook watershed. Designs will include roadway elevation, streetscaping, seawall repairs, and other approaches to protect roads and buildings.

Priority Coastal Flood Resiliency Improvements for Wastewater Infrastructure, $220,000
The Town of Cohasset will finalize design plans and permitting for wastewater system flood resilience. The project will seal sewer pipes and manholes to reduce flows during flooding and will elevate electrical equipment.

Duxbury
Bay Avenue and Gurnet Road Beach and Dune Nourishment Project, $2,000,000
The Town of Duxbury will construct the first phase of the Bay Avenue and Gurnet Road beach and dune restoration project using approximately 75,000 cubic yards of sand, gravel, and cobble. The project will also conduct surveys of the site’s resources, facilitate contractor hiring in coordination with Marshfield, and continue public outreach.

Duxbury Beach Reservation, Inc.
Mixed Cobble and Sand Berm Construction and Permitting Support for Duxbury Beach Reservation, $123,000
The Duxbury Beach Reservation, Inc., will construct a mixed cobble and sand berm to address erosion north and south of Powder Point Bridge, one of two access points to Duxbury Beach. Construction of the berm will maintain access to the shoreline and critical infrastructure.

Hingham
Hingham Harbor Shore Protection Alternatives Analysis, Preliminary Design, and MEPA Filing, $268,771
The Town of Hingham will assess coastal flooding and develop preliminary designs for a shoreline resilience project for Hingham Harbor. The project will work in conjunction with planned Massachusetts Department of Transportation improvements along Route 3A to ensure flood protection. 

Hull
Climate Adaptation Pathways for Critical Facilities Design Alternatives Analysis: Managed Retreat or Retrofit?, $120,000
The Town of Hull will evaluate plans to reduce the flooding risk for the Department of Public Works facility and the Municipal Light Plant. Through a comprehensive approach, including community engagement and best practices for nature-based solutions, Hull will select projects to reduce the long-term sea level rise and storm damage vulnerability of these facilities.

Manchester-by-the-Sea
Manchester, MA - Near-term Coastal Resilience-Phase 1 Action, $112,281
The Town of Manchester-by-the-Sea will complete near-term resilience actions to protect critical infrastructure from flooding in the downtown and inner harbor area, including elevating generators at municipal buildings and convening a community visioning workshop for a floodable park.

Marshfield
Bay Avenue Beach Nourishment Project, $1,200,000
The Town of Marshfield will construct the first half of a beach nourishment project to address erosion and flooding south of Green Harbor. The project complements beach nourishment efforts in Duxbury and will ultimately result in approximately 3,000 feet of restored shoreline across the two communities.

Nahant
Forty Steps Beach - Regulatory Permitting of Beach and Bluff Stabilization, $147,295
The Town of Nahant will seek permits for cobble nourishment and vegetation planting at Forty Steps Beach to address erosion and damage to the existing seawall and revetment. The project will stabilize the eroded bluff and protect adjacent critical roadway and utility infrastructure.

Nantucket
Feasibility Study and Design for Flood Barrier in Nantucket’s Historic Downtown Gateway, $421,875
The Town of Nantucket will create preliminary designs for installing flood barriers in the lowest-lying section of its downtown waterfront. Based on feasibility assessments and community engagement, Nantucket will evaluate various options including road elevations to ensure access to roads, ferry service, and businesses in the area.

Oak Bluffs
Martha’s Vineyard Hospital Resilience Project, $169,150
The Town of Oak Bluffs will conduct a flooding and sea level rise vulnerability analysis of key transportation routes to the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, the island’s only hospital.

Salem
Salem Winter Island Park Pathway and Bank Restoration, $109,800
The City of Salem will begin to address coastal erosion at Winter Island Park through community engagement, pedestrian traffic management, and shoreline erosion and invasive plant species assessments. The project will help preserve a valuable recreational and historical resource in the city.

Scituate
North Scituate Beach Nourishment, $1,976,480
The Town of Scituate will place an additional 26,000 cubic yards of sand and gravel on North Scituate Beach to extend the nourishment area and the life of the project. The nourished beach will help protect vulnerable public infrastructure and homes from coastal storm impacts.

Yarmouth
Packet Landing Resiliency Alternatives Analysis, $79,940
The Town of Yarmouth will create three conceptual designs for potential projects to increase the resilience of Packet Landing Marina from sea level rise and storm surge.

The Massachusetts Office of 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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