Town Of Arlington: Arlington And Resilient Mystic Collaborative Recognized By National League Of Cities

Press release from Town of Arlington:

03/10/2021

The Arlington Department of Planning and Community Development, on behalf of the Resilient Mystic Collaborative (RMC), was recently awarded $10,000 from the National League of Cities (NLC) through its Leadership in Community Resilience Program for additional support with the Wicked Hot Mystic Project. Seven communities were awarded during this grant cohort, including Alton, TX; Cedar Rapids, IA; Dubuque, IA; Flagstaff, AZ; Portsmouth, NH; Raleigh, NC; Spokane, WA.  Each municipality receives $10,000 in direct financial support as well as technical assistance and advisory services from NLC staff and partners to help them meet community-specific resiliency goals.  

In September 2020, the State Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program awarded Arlington, on behalf of the entire RMC, a $186,200 grant to develop regional maps using high-resolution, watershed-wide, baseline data on ground-level air temperatures, humidity, wind, and particulate matter. Partnering with the Museum of Science and hundreds of trained volunteer community scientists, RMC communities will collect these data during summer 2021.  NLC funding and in-kind support will allow the RMC to engage with community members in some of the hottest neighborhoods to begin the community-led design of effective cooling strategies. 

“The Wicked Hot Mystic Project is enabling the Resilient Mystic Collaborative to focus its attention and resources on historically disinvested environmental justice neighborhoods with fewer street trees, green spaces, and access to water,” said Emily Sullivan, Arlington Environmental Planner and Conservation Agent. “Funding and support from the National League of Cities will move us from data collection to initial community-led design of solutions to help people stay cool and healthy during heatwaves.” 

The Resilient Mystic Collaborative is a partnership between 20 of the 21 cities and towns within the Mystic River Watershed, facilitated by the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA). The Collaborative is committed to working on projects of regional significance to decrease collective risk of harm from flooding, drought, extreme temperatures, storms, sea level rise and other climate-intensified risks. To learn more about the Wicked Hot Mystic project, contact Emily Sullivan, Environmental Planner and Conservation Agent, at 781-316-3012 or esullivan@town.arlington.ma.us. 

About the National League of Cities: The National League of Cities (NLC) is the voice of America’s cities, towns and villages, representing more than 200 million people. NLC works to strengthen local leadership, influence federal policy and drive innovative solutions. Stay connected with NLC on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About the Resilient Mystic Collaborative: Founded by the Mystic River Watershed Association and ten climate-forward cities and towns, the Resilient Mystic  Collaborative is a partnership among twenty neighboring communities in Greater Boston’s Mystic River Watershed working to protect our people and places from climate-intensified risks.

This press release was produced by Town of Arlington. The views expressed here are the author’s own.