Southport Climate Action Team seeking MaineDOT funds for climate project
One sculpture and perhaps a second may be placed in the Southport town hall’s flower garden later this month. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
One sculpture and perhaps a second may be placed in the Southport town hall’s flower garden later this month. BILL PEARSON/Boothbay Register
A Beach Road drainage project tops the Southport Climate Action Team’s priority list. The project has an estimated $93,070 cost to replace a culvert with a larger one and pay for a study to determine if the height of the sea wall needs to increase.
On May 8, selectmen signed a Maine Infrastructure Adaptation Fund Grant agreement with Maine Department of Transportation. Last year, Southport became eligible for state grants by joining the state’s Community Resilience Partnership. The town contracted with Shri Verrill, owner of Sunrise Ecologic in Boothbay, to assist in the CRP application for a $50,000 grant. Selectman Smith Climo is a co-chairman of the local team. During the meeting, he read a letter from the team’s other co-chairman, Ella Long, who requested selectmen hire Verrill to assist in administrating grant funds for the drainage and sea wall projects.
Selectmen unanimously approved the request. On May 10, Climo explained the team’s desire to improve Beach Road’s drainage. “We understand without equivocation the need to improve drainage under the road. We’re also doing a study to figure out whether to increase the wall’s height. All these funds will address these issues,” he wrote.
He added the team’s goal is to make the town safer for storm events. The team applied for a Shore Up Program grant from the Island Institute and a Community Action grant. Southport will use local cash and in-kind municipal contributions on the project. The $50,000 grant requires a match. If successful, the team would receive $43,070 (86.14%). Southport’s match is $6,930.
In other action, Claire Tomlin received approval to place a stone sculpture in the town hall’s flower garden. Tomlin and several other volunteers have worked on improving the flower garden’s appearance. The group wants to place two sculptures in the garden. “The small one is OK, but we will wait on the big one,” Selectman Gerry Gamage said.
The board was prepared to sign a liquor license renewal for Robinson’s Wharf, but the document had no place for signatures. Selectmen tabled the renewal until they could sign the document. Gamage reported MaineDOT completed its annual review of Joe Island Bridge. “This is something DOT does consistently every year. They send a guy down, in a truck, who drives over it,” Gamage said. MaineDOT reported no problems with the bridge, according to Gamage.
Selectmen meet next at 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 15 in the town hall.
