Peabody, Salem Awarded $150 State Grant For Riverwalk Project

PEABODY, MA — The Peabody-Salem Resilient North River Corridor & Riverwalk Project is getting a $150,000 boost with the help of a grant from the state's Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program.

The state awarded $21 million in grants this week designed to identify climate hazards, develop strategies to improve resilience and implement priority actions to adapt to climate change.

The grants are in addition to the Baker/Polito administration's proposal to invest $900 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act into key energy and environmental initiatives, including $300 million to support climate-resilient infrastructure.

"The MVP program is a vital tool in our efforts to prepare and strengthen our coastal and inland communities to address the impacts of climate change," Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito. "We are thrilled to welcome 16 new towns to the program as they take important steps in planning for the future, and to award funding to 66 priority implementation projects that range from upgrading or removing high-risk dams and culverts to investing in Environmental Justice communities."

The Baker-Polito administration said projects chosen for assistance are focused on proactive strategies to address climate change impacts and may include retrofitting and adapting infrastructure, actions to invest in and protect environmental justice communities and improve public health, detailed vulnerability assessments or design and engineering studies, stormwater upgrades, dam retrofits and removals, culvert upgrades, drought mitigation, energy resilience, and projects that focus on implementing nature-based solutions such as wetland restoration and floodplain protection.

"Every region in Massachusetts experienced extreme weather throughout the summer, including excessive heat, record precipitation, and flooding, and the MVP program offers vital technical and financial assistance to help municipalities address vulnerabilities and create stronger, more liveable climate-resilient communities," Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides.

The River Walk project goes back to 2012 when Salem and Peabody created a vision for a multi-use path connecting the two cities along the North River. The goal was to provide continuous greenspace from Peabody Square to the Salem Depot MBTA Commuter Rail station.

In 2020, the cities worked with the Solomon Foundation on a feasibility study to look at options for connecting the final gap in the greenway and link the downtowns.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)