On August 19, the Mattapoisett Planning Board met with Gabrielle Belfit of Tighe and Bond, an engineering firm which specializes in geotechnical, electric and mechanical, civil and environmental engineering and consulting services, as well as provides technology and sustainability services. The town, under the leadership of Water and Sewer Superintendent Henri Renauld, engaged the firm to assist in necessary updates to the town’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Renauld explained the importance of updating the plan every five years is to keep open the gateway to grant financing for water and sewer projects, as well as other types of municipal assets. Belfit stated, “Once the plan is complete and has been accepted by FEMA and the state, it unlocks funds.”
The detailed presentation covered the topics contained within the plan, such as local plans and regulations, structures and infrastructures, natural systems and public education and awareness programs.
In a follow-up, Town Administrator Mike Lorenco concurred that grant funding generally requires local buy-in, be it a plan to mitigate various types of hazards or matching funds. In the case of grant funding for impacts related to the environment, towns need documented plans. Local plans, Belfit said, tie into the state’s mitigation plans which, she added, were recently updated.
A large portion of the document will be dedicated to impacts and mitigations where Mother Nature has dealt a costly blow. Identified for Mattapoisett were coastal erosion, storm surge, wind damage, tornados, hurricanes and temperature extremes. Flood potentials were explored for municipal structures and associated economic impacts.
Lorenco said that the full presentation will be posted to the town’s website in the coming days. He also noted that the public is invited to share their views on the topics of hazard mitigation by completing the questionnaire located on the town’s website.
In other matters, the board approved the definitive subdivision proposed by William Mansfield, 0 Harbor Acres Road and the holding of a lot located in the Park Lane development in lieu of an $18,500 surety.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board is scheduled for Monday, September 16, at 7:00 pm.
Mattapoisett Planning Board
By Marilou Newell