Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 5/4/2021
WESTHAMPTON – The town of Westhampton conducted a virtual Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) public listening session on April 29 to talk about how Westhampton could sustain future weather and climate change related hazards.
According to the Massachusetts state website, the MVP grant program provides support for cities and towns in the state to begin the process of planning for climate change resiliency and implementing priority projects. The state then awards communities with funding to complete vulnerability assessments and develop action-oriented resiliency plans. Cities and towns that complete the MVP program become certified as an MVP community and are eligible for MVP Action Grant funding.
According to an initial report posted on their website, the town pursued the MVP Planning Grant to strengthen the community across all sectors, from economic diversity to robust social networks and communications. The MVP objectives specifically include increasing the resilience of the community, increasing the understanding of climate threats, identifying priority actions to move forward, and creating implementation pathways.
Amanda Kohn, Westhampton’s MVP certified provider from Weston & Samson, detailed climate change in Westhampton and beyond, strengths and vulnerabilities within Westhampton, as well as certain actions Westhampton could take to improve the city’s climate change resilience. The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission is also a partner with the city and Weston & Samson on this project. Departments like the highway department and Selectboard were also integral in providing a detailed report of what Westhampton specifically needs with regard to climate adaptation.
With the completion of the listening session, the city of Westhampton has now become eligible for action grant funding, according to Kohn.
“The action grant can cover anything from assessment to construction,” said Koch, who added that cities like Westhampton could focus on education and outreach, ecological restoration, and water quality and filtration.
In January and February, Koch and the town participated in a workshop with a bunch of people in the community to walk through the three pillars of sustainability and resilience: infrastructure, the environment and community resilience.
Koch began the conversation with an overview of the types of climate change hazards we are beginning to see on this side of the country, whether it be more frequent snow storms, a sharp rise in temperatures, and an increase in wind events. The people in attendance felt that wind was one of the biggest climate hazards in Westhampton.
“If I’m heading off to work, and I don’t know if lines are down or trees are down; it was pretty scary,” said one resident. “For me, it’s not knowing what is down the road. The wind is a scary thing.”
Koch went on to discuss the strengths and vulnerabilities within Westhampton based on sustainability and resilience. For infrastructure strengths, the report identified that municipal buildings, particularly the planned construction of the new public safety building, was a strength, as well as deep drinking water wells. Emergency communications was also noted as a strength within town.
“Some of the vulnerabilities that were identified were undersized and aging culverts, limited weighted bridges going in and out of town,” said Koch. “There’s really only one bridge going out of town that isn’t limited weighted, so there’s a lot of truck traffic.” Limited backup power for critical facilities for community lifelines, as well as minor flooding in the basement of the town hall were also cited as town vulnerabilities, and something to look at for the future.
The city is now looking at specific action items for climate adaptation, including fortifying the town’s electric grid, investing in microgrid systems or renewable backup energy for critical facilities, and monitoring invasive species by accumulating educative resources and spearheading public action programs. Including vegetation that does not affect facilities or power lines is another item the program is looking into, as well as specific ways to update culverts.
The program will also be working with the state’s Department of Transportation to improve their highways to help reduce flooding in the future.
“For emergency communications, we developed an opt-in list for communications,” said Koch who added that they are also working on developing an emergency response team.
“The MVP Action Grant is open at the moment,” said Koch. “We would also include in this a strong community engagement component – how do we continue to raise awareness?”
Koch and company will take public comment into consideration and add recommendations into the program’s overall master plan, which includes updating the open space and recreation plan. Koch added that the city is looking to wrap up the program by June with a final report. A YouTube recording of the listening session is up on the Westhampton website.