Reading Community Snapshot

Reading was part of the FY24 MVP 2.0 pilot program and worked on a Seed Project focused on multi-directional communication mechanisms. They have two MVP Action Grant focused on stormwater and flood resilience.

Reading Overview

Reading is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the upper Northeastern part of the state. They have a population of 25,223 people and an area of 10 square miles. Climate hazards present in Reading include inland flooding, drought, extreme temperatures, severe winter storms, and other severe weather. 

Reading's MVP 2.0 Core Team

The MVP 2.0 Core team is a group of municipal staff and Community Liaisons who work together to identify local climate resilience priorities and implement a project that supports those priorities.

Reading's Community Liaisons include representation from: 

• Humane Society of the US volunteer
• New resident and parent
• Retired guidance counselor and board member for Reading Teachers Association with a prior career in crisis intervention
• Teacher and Sustainability Committee Coordinator at Pike school in Andover
• Dress for success
• Crayons to cradles
• Youth gardening at middle and elementary schools
• Meals on wheels

Reading's Core Team includes municipal representation from:

• Procurement and Contracting
• Director of Operations
• Public Works Director
• Director for Equity & Social Justice
• Executive Assistance Operations

Reading Community Resilience Priorities

Community resilience priorities are practical actions created during the MVP 2.0 Planning Grant process. They were shaped through community input, thoughtful discussion about changing local needs, and feedback from Environmental Justice groups and other community members.

Reading, in partnership with their Core Team, identified the following priorities through the MVP 2.0 process.

Priorities		Potential Actions
Priority 1: Improve communication between Town and community members.			Potential Actions:  Create a clear, streamlined, user-friendly information and resource hub for broad community access. Identify and implement new, culturally sensitive & effective mechanisms for distributing emergency preparedness and other important information. Maintain a database of especially vulnerable residents (e.g., seniors, those with disabilities, non-English language, renters, low-income) and establish protocols for meeting their needs in emergency situations. Expand the Town’s communication tools and networks to better inform residents about Town events and initiatives, as well as to receive input from the community, to foster greater public participation and civic engagement. Explore new ways to reach out to the vulnerable populations who may not be on social media and are more limited in where they receive news and information from. Install multiple, solar-powered message/notice boards distributed strategically around town to provide updates and important info to the community. Explore creating a welcome packet/guide for new/all residents about opportunities offered by the Town for recreation, businesses, involvement, organizations.
Priority 2: Increase access to affordable housing and reduce cost burden for vulnerable residents.			Potential Actions:  Improve access to low- and no-cost energy efficiency improvements and other climate resilience strategies to reduce utility and repair costs. Ensure coordination with Reading Municipal Light (RMLD) Reactivate the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to pursue development of affordable housing and identify funding mechanisms. Work with RMLD to help residents save on energy costs/ transition their homes to clean energy methods. Expand access to the Mass Save program and explore other resources and programs.
Priority 3: Reduce impacts of urban heat island effect, flooding and ice in the Downtown and priority areas.			Potential Actions:  Combat urban heat island effect downtown and around Environmental Justice populations. Tree planting, reflective roadways/buildings/roofs Mitigate roadways and sidewalk areas known to flood / ice and implement resilient infrastructure (and mobility access), including green stormwater infrastructure and more resilience maintenance practices. Explore more sustainable options for repairing and preventing potholes. Conduct a stormwater management system analysis and flood study to determine Reading’s infrastructure improvement needs to attenuate stormwater flows from increased rain events and changing weather events. Extend compost center hours to include non-working (9-5) hours.
Priority 4: Improve and expand local/regional transportation options.			Potential Actions:  Explore opportunities to improve local transit and multi-modal (bike and pedestrian) transportation infrastructure. Expand local transportation to help people access medical appointments, grocery stores, and shops. Improve bus stop infrastructure with bus shelters. Increase coordination with the MBTA to improve local bus routes and bus stop infrastructure (including bus stop locations and shelters) that better serves the community. Explore road traffic management solutions.
Priority 5: Reduce food insecurity by improving access to resources and expanding support.			Potential Actions:  Continue to invest in local hunger relief efforts (community garden, food pantry). Identify gaps in community access to food/water, determine needs. Identify spaces for a farmers market or mobile market. Consider hiring a local food access coordinator, to help coordinate farmer’s markets, mobile markets, community gardens, and food pantry services.
Priority 6: Improve community health and well-being through parks and greenspaces.			Potential Actions:  Create a climate resilient park design to support social gathering, cooling and improvement of natural resources. (general parks access improvements for multiple benefits). Consider adding a splash pad for families; promotes leisure and community. Help to address resident isolation and loneliness. Address resident concerns about rodents and pest populations across town to prevent negative health impacts.
Priority 7: Support local small businesses, activate the Downtown, and expand commercial options.			Potential Actions:  Host cultural placemaking events to activate the downtown. Pursue arts and culture initiatives that help to generate local activity. (Re: Arts and Culture Plan). Explore opportunities to expand the variety of commercial spaces, especially for youth interested. Establish local small business assistance programs to ensure commercial spaces are affordable for local businesses. Coordinate with the Chamber of Commerce to promote and partner with local small businesses. Consider adopting a local/small business purchasing policy.
Priority 8: Protect and enhance access to natural areas, and improve local waste management.			Potential Actions:  Improve trail networks and conservation land in underutilized areas by addressing accessibility (for multiple modalities, uses, and abilities), combating invasive species, and improving stormwater collection. Identify multi-benefit green spaces for stormwater management, flood attenuation, urban cooling, and other climate resilience priorities; and ensure these spaces are accessible for a range of modalities, uses, and abilities. Create and broadly distribute a town-wide trail map, and increase communications about available outdoor recreation resources and uses. Increase communications and education about affordable and accessible waste reduction, recycling, and composting options, including the connection with ecosystems and human health. Explore opportunities to hire more staff with the DPW and Parks departments to maintain storm water infrastructure and manage open spaces.

Reading's MVP 2.0 Seed Project: Community Communication

Reading received funding to implement a Seed Project that addresses one or more of their climate resilience priorities. They will work to build stronger connections between the Town and community members through expanded and enhanced multi-directional communication mechanisms.

The activities of this project include:

1. Identify and implement new, culturally sensitive and effective mechanisms for distributing information on emergency preparedness.
2. Identify vulnerable populations and establish protocols for meeting their needs in emergency situations.
3. Expand the town’s communication tools and networks to better inform residents about events and initiatives as well as to receive input from the community.
4. Explore new ways to reach out to vulnerable populations who may not be on social media.
5. Install multiple solar powered message and notice boards strategically around town to provide updates to the community.
6. Explore creating a welcome packet/guide to new and current residents about opportunities offered by the town.

Reading's Action Grant Projects

The MVP Action Grant provides funding to communities that want to take important steps to prepare for climate change, such as dealing with extreme weather, flooding, rising sea levels, and extreme heat. 

Maillet, Sommes, Morgan Constructed Stormwater Wetland (FY23)

This project commenced construction of the stormwater wetland system at Maillet, Sommes, and Morgan which will help create additional offline stormwater storage (a regional priority for Mystic River watershed), reduce inland flooding within the local area as well as downstream communities, and improve water quality. The project will also improve stream bank stabilization and ecological stability while improving open space development and trail connectivity.

• Reading FY23 MVP Action Grant Case Study
• Maillet, Sommes & Morgan Constructed Wetland Project Website

Resilient Facilities Project: Finding solutions for flood-prone sites that serve priority populations (FY25)

This ongoing project will increase the climate resilience of priority populations by 1) identifying the top flood-prone facilities in each participating Upper Mystic municipality that serve or host priority populations, 2) prioritizing the sites with stakeholders and community members, and 3) selecting the top 10 sites for concept design.  The intention is to tee up a priority list of projects serving priority populations that each municipality will individually carry into the design/permitting phase.

Questions?

Learn more about the MVP 2.0 Planning Grant  Learn more about the MVP Action Grant  Reach out to your MVP Regional Coordinator