Wellesley In Line for New Emergency Management Plan

The Selectmen were presented plans for natural disaster preparedness and ironed out the final municipal issues of the year at last night's weekly meeting.

Martin Pillsbury, manager of environmental planning for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, alongside Bruce Leish representing the MetroWest Regional Collaborative, outlined the Wellesley Hazard Mitigation Plan, which is part of a national Federal Emergency Management Agency initiative to get towns on track with regard to natural disaster planning.

The plan, which had been worked on by several members of town committees and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council among other entities, essentially identified two areas as trouble flooding spots in Wellesley: the low-lying intersections of Route 9 and Kingsbury Street, and Route 9 and Lexington Road, according to Pillsbury.

"Maybe not surprisingly…there's some draining and potential flooding issues," he said.

The Hazard Mitigation Plan was developed due to the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, which requires communities to put in place such a plan to be eligible for various FEMA grants.

Wellesley's planning took into account several possibly environmentally hazardous situations besides flooding, including winds, winter storms, brush fires and earthquakes.

Pillsbury said the most recent hurricane to hit Wellesley was in 1869 and the most recent tropical storm was 1861. Despite Wellesley being relatively safe from natural disasters, the plan is prudent, he said.

"Some of these natural hazards may not be very high probability or very frequently occur, but if they do occur, they could be a very big deal," Pillsbury said.

The study also assessed the needs of the town for future hazard mitigation. Drainage improvements to Route 9, continuation of replacement of drainage pipes and updated Flood Information Rate Maps were all noted as needed future measures for the town.

The plan must be approved by the Massachusetts Environmental Management Agency and eventually forwarded to FEMA for final approval. Then, the Selectmen must vote to adopt the plan. The plan, if accepted, remains valid for five years.

OTHER MEETING NOTES:

-The fiscal year 2012 budget was outlined and approved by the Board.