July Sustainability and Resilience Newsletter

July 2022 Program Newsletter

The heat and humidity last week couldn't put a dent in our progress here at the Regional Sustainability and Resilience Program. We've been busy presenting across the state, and have upcoming workshops on our recently released Economic Resilience Assessment. We're excited to share news of Kennebunkport's recently awarded grant for climate resilient infrastructure, as well as new grant opportunities through the Community Resilience Partnership. We round off this issue of the newsletter with an update on our ongoing Climate Ready Coast - Southern Maine project.

Read on to learn more!

A Summer of Presentations

Program staff have been busy this summer sharing our projects and resources with Maine communities. Here are just a few of the presentations we've given this summer.

Electrifying Community Transportation: Sustainability Coordinator Karina Graeter participated in a panel presentation at the Communities Leading on Climate workshop. She shared the Municipal EV Readiness toolkit and how municipalities can use zoning and ordinances to promote EV infrastructure development.

Climate Adaptation Planning and Technical Assistance: Coastal Resilience Coordinator Abbie Sherwin participated in a panel presentation at the Communities Leading on Climate workshop. She shared the resources and guidance documents SMPDC has to help communities adapt to climate change.

Coastal Resilience Model Ordinance Language: Abbie also presented new guidance and model ordinance language developed to support municipalities to integrate coastal resilience measures into land use planning at the Beaches Conference, held at Berwick Academy in June. She highlighted the Municipal Guidance for Coastal Resilience: Model Ordinance Language for Maine Municipalities document which provides a menu of land use provisions and resilience measures that municipalities can incorporate into existing ordinances to address local conditions, coastal hazards, and needs.

Next Round of Community Resilience Partnership Grants

The second round of grants through the Community Resilience Partnership (CRP) is now open! The CRP, a program of the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF), provides grants and technical support to municipalities to improve community resilience. The CPR will provide $4.75 million over two years through local and regional grants.

There are two current grant opportunities for supporting municipal climate planning and action:

Community Action Grants

Service Provider Grants

To be eligible for Community Action Grants, communities must enroll in the CRP by completing the following steps:

Complete a Community Resilience Self-Evaluation and review a List of Community Actions to assess existing progress and identify potential next steps on community resilience.

Hold a public workshop(s) to review the self-assessment results and prioritize projects for implementation.

Adopt a municipal resolution to join the partnership.

Once enrolled, communities can apply for Community Action Grants of $5,000 - $50,000. Collaborative proposals may receive up to $100,000. These local and regional grants can be used to fund community resilience actions, including planning, infrastructure, and educational projects. The first round of grant applications are due September 20th.

Service Provider Grants are designed to link technical assistance providers with municipalities in order to complete the necessary steps for enrolling in the CRP. Communities wishing to pursue this grant type should reach out to SMPDC for assistance. Grant applications for Service Provider grants are due August 31st.

Interested in enrolling but not sure where to start? Contact SMPDC Sustainability Coordinator Karina Graeter (kgraeter@smpdc.org) or call us at 207-571-7065.

UPCOMING! Economic Resilience Workshops

SMPDC is holding two virtual workshops to present the results of its regional economic resilience planning study: the Economic Resilience Assessment and Plan for Coastal York County.

The study, funded by EDA, assessed impacts of coastal storms and sea level rise in the six Regional Program communities with a specific focus on the local and regional economies. The workshops, scheduled for August 9th and 10th from 5 to 6 pm, will present key study findings, custom online sea level rise mapping resources, and select recommendations and strategies for enhancing local and regional economic resilience to coastal storms and sea level rise.

For more information or to register for the workshops, please contact Coastal Resilience Coordinator Abbie Sherwin at asherwin@smpdc.org or (207) 571-7065

Kennebunkport Receives Grant for Climate-Resilient Infrastructure

The Town of Kennebunkport was recently awarded $2.585 million by Maine DOT through the Maine Infrastructure Adaptation Fund to increase the resilience of Pier Road Causeway to the impacts of climate change.

The funding will be used to elevate the road and protect it, its associated wastewater and water infrastructure, and the access it provides to the economically vital Cape Porpoise Pier from rising seas and more intense storms.

The project, which was identified through the Town's long-range capital planning for climate change and sea level rise, is necessary due to the increasing frequency at which the causeway is flooded by storms and king tide events. Elevating the causeway will improve Kennebunkport's resilience by adapting critical infrastructure to the effects of climate change.

As a member of the Community Resilience Partnership, Kennebunkport's match requirement for the grant was reduced from 5% to 2.5% of the total cost. By enrolling in the Community Resilience Partnership with SMPDC, Kennebunkport will save over $65,000 in match costs!

Climate Ready Coast - Southern Maine Update

Draft Vulnerability Assessment Complete

In late June, the Climate Ready Coast - Southern Maine project team, Working Group and Advisory Committee assembled virtually to review and begin exploring the project's draft regional coastal vulnerability assessment and web mapping tool. Working Group and Advisory Committee members were asked to share feedback about the tool and suggest minor changes to enhance its usefulness and usability. The project team is now working to address that feedback and make improvements to the mapping tool.

Over the next few months, the Working Group will use the mapping tool and vulnerability assessment, along with the Group's collective expertise and experience, to identify high-priority areas and sites across the region that are vulnerable to coastal hazards. That information will be utilized to develop locally appropriate resilience strategies and solutions which will ultimately be incorporated in a regional coastal resilience plan.

Trainings and Resources

NOAA: Seven Best Practices for Risk Communication: Wednesday August 24, 3 - 4 PM

NOAA Application Guide for the 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report. The Application Guide was designed to assist coastal decision-makers and coastal professionals with applying and integrating the information in the 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report (released February 2022) into local sea level rise planning and adaptation decisions.

Communities Leading on Climate Material s - View helpful materials from panelists and workshops from the June 17th Maine Climate Council – Communities Leading on Climate conference.

Funding Opportunities

Maine DOT Village Partnership Initiative - Funding and support available for any Maine village or downtown on a state or state aid highway where a community has a vision for significant improvements to lower-speed areas that are or could become a community center. $4M in seed money available. Contact your MaineDOT regional planner.

Hazard Mitigation Grants - DR-4522 - Grants up to 90% of the cost for mitigation projects for any emergency or major disaster declared between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021, or an incident period that began in 2021. Applications due Oct. 1st.

Hazard Mitigation Grants - DR-4627 - Grants up to 90% of the cost for mitigation projects for the Halloween Storm Event (Oct. 30-31, 2021) in Knox, Waldo, and York Counties. Applications due Feb. 1st, 2023.

Community Resilience Partnership Service Provider Grant - Grants are intended to enable organizations to provide assistance to communities to prepare for and enroll in the Community Resilience Partnership and then apply for grant funds to undertake priority projects. Applications due August 31st.

Community Resilience Partnership Community Action Grant - Grants of up to $50k to implement climate action priorities. Applications due September 20.

NEW! Clean School Bus Rebate Program - The program provides $5 billion over the next five years to replace existing school buses with low- and zero-emission school buses. Funding is in the form of rebates. Rebate applications due August 19, 2022.

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