House of 7 Gables gets state grant for coastal resilience plan
Sep. 24—One of the region's biggest preservation partners just landed some cash to help answer one of the North Shore's most pressing questions: When the ocean rises, where do we put all the history sitting at sea level?
The House of the Seven Gables in Salem is getting a $509,919 grant from the state, targeting "Preserving History: Assessments and Climate Adaptations at the House of Seven Gables."
"{span}The House of Seven Gables will prepare an adaptation plan," the announcement reads, "that identifies short-, medium-, and long-term actions to improve the resilience of its campus and buildings to anticipated changes in groundwater elevation, precipitation, storm intensity, and sea level rise."{/span}
{span}The Salem Preservation Partners, of which the House is a member, is a group of local organizations that focus on historical preservation specifically local preservation issues threatening the region's history. The group recently held a two-day "Preservation in a Changing Climate" conference that highlighted and explored the issues of protecting local history from climate change, like rising oceans that will one day reach the House of the Seven Gables, which overlooks them.{/span}
{span}"Coastal communities in Massachusetts face increasing risks to infrastructure, buildings, and natural resources due to coastal storms and climate change," said Gov. Charlie Baker in the announcement. "We've been focused on investing in climate change solutions since taking office, and we commend local leaders for their forward-thinking planning and action with these Coastal Resilience Grant projects."{/span}
{span}The Baker-Polito administration announced $12.6 million grants in total Tuesday for "local planning and shoreline management efforts." Awards were also announced for efforts in Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, and Salem.{/span}
{span}Salem will receive a $480,485 grant to tackle near-term coastal flooding risks and fixes to the seawall and revetment systems at Palmer Cove Park. The funding will also cover engagement programs "on climate change and disaster preparedness."{/span}
Marblehead picked up $523,220 to tackle retrofits and flooding mitigation projects "along the shoreline encompassing the Municipal Light Department and adjacent properties," the announcement reads.
Ipswich landed $113,160 for the Argilla Road Adaptation project at the Crane Estate.
Manchester-by-the-Sea received $175,132 to build a "conceptual action plan to reduce coastal flood risks in the downtown inner harbor. The project will develop alternatives for protecting critical assets including the Town Hall, wastewater treatment plant, and downtown commercial district."
Contact Dustin Luca at 978-338-2523 or DLuca@salemnews.com. Follow him at facebook.com/dustinluca or on Twitter @DustinLucaSN.
Contact Dustin Luca at 978-338-2523 or DLuca@salemnews.com. Follow him at facebook.com/dustinluca or on Twitter @DustinLucaSN.
