Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Plan Workshop Announcement
January 24, 2019
The Town of Bridgewater has received a grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to develop a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Plan. The MVP Plan will include a vulnerability assessment of the Town relative to climate change and mitigation strategies to make the Town more resilient to potential climate change impacts. In 2016, Governor Baker issued Executive Order No. 569: Establishing an Integrated Climate Change Strategy for the Commonwealth. Under the executive order, grant funding was made available for Massachusetts communities to develop MVP Plans based on climate projections prepared by the Northeast Climate Science Center at the University of Massachusetts. The MVP planning grants will help cities and towns develop the necessary action steps they need to take to become more resilient to anticipated weather patterns in the future, such as higher temperatures and increased precipitation (as well as sea level rise for coastal communities).
Once Bridgewater’s MVP Plan is approved by the Commonwealth, the Town will be eligible for future MVP Action Grants that will help fund implementation of specific mitigation action steps identified in the plan. The development of the MVP Plan will follow the Community Resilience Building Framework created by The Nature Conservancy and will include two 4-hour public workshops to be held at the Bridgewater Municipal Offices Building, 66 Central Square. The workshops will allow opportunities for citizen involvement in the development of the plan. Once the Draft MVP Plan is complete, a presentation will be made to the public. The two workshops are scheduled to occur on February 14th and February 21st from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. It is anticipated that the final MVP Plan will be completed by April of 2019. More information about the MVP Grant program can be found at: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/mvp-program-information.
If you have any interest in being involved in the MVP Planning process, please contact:
Azu O. C. Etoniru, PE, PLS
Town Engineer/Conservation Agent
Community & Economic Development Department
Municipal Building, 66 Central Square
Bridgewater, MA 02324
508-697-0906
aetoniru@bridgewaterma.org