Montague Awarded $458,750 MVP Action Grant for Hill Neighborhood Green Infrastructure Master Planning

MONTAGUE, MA 9/18/2025 — The Town of Montague is pleased to announce it has received a $458,750 climate resilience grant for the Hill Neighborhood Green Infrastructure Master Planning Project. This award was granted through the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program, administered by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). These competitive grants support communities in identifying climate hazards, developing resilience strategies, and implementing priority actions to adapt to climate change. Montague’s project is one of 54 initiatives to receive funding in this latest round.

“The Town of Montague is grateful for the support from the MVP program to help us plan for the impacts of climate change in a neighborhood that has experienced washouts and slope failures due to recent heavy rain events,” said Chris Nolan-Zeller, Assistant Administrator. “As extreme weather becomes more frequent and intense, it is vital that we understand how to protect our properties and infrastructure through resilience-focused projects and nature-based solutions. We sincerely appreciate EEA’s support in helping us achieve these goals.”

Building on Montague’s climate resilience planning efforts completed in 2018, and revisited in 2024 through the MVP 2.0 process, these funds will enable the Town to take proactive measures to prevent future flooding and erosion. Specifically, the project will address stormwater runoff issues before they impact the Town’s underground drainage system and the surrounding deep, sandy slopes—areas increasingly vulnerable to erosion from high-volume discharges. The Town identified these projects as urgent and necessary in its efforts to address ongoing climate change impacts.

“This project will help us understand the causes and effects of slope failures in the hill neighborhood and their impacts downslope, threatening roads, properties, and the Connecticut River. It will guide us in developing effective projects to strengthen our roads and drainage infrastructure,” stated Sam Urkiel, DPW Superintendent.

“This grant represents a significant step forward in safeguarding our community against the mounting impacts of climate change,” stated Maureen Pollock, Director of Planning & Conservation. “By investing in green infrastructure and proactive planning, we are working to build a more resilient Montague for generations to come.”

The MVP program, created in 2017, provides funding for community-driven climate resilience planning and action. Ninety-nine percent, or 349 out of 351 of the Commonwealth’s cities and towns, are participating in the program and over $210 million has been awarded for local climate resilience planning and projects. Communities originally enrolled in the program by completing the MVP Planning Grant process (MVP 1.0), which then opened up access to apply for an MVP Action Grant, or implementation funding.

Posted: to General Montague News on Thu, Sep 18, 2025
Updated: Thu, Sep 18, 2025