Town of East Hampton Awarded $250,000 Grant

The Town of East Hampton was awarded a $250,000 grant on Thursday by the State of New York to develop a Coastal Assessment and Resiliency Plan (CARP).

“The impacts of climate change and sea-level rise lend ever-greater urgency to coastal resiliency planning,” said Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell. “This grant will provide the funding to complete a Coastal Assessment and Resiliency Plan that examines erosion risks, storm vulnerability and natural recovery. I appreciate the cooperation of our Natural Resources and Planning departments, as well as citizens groups such as Concerned Citizens of Montauk for their leadership in helping secure this grant.”

Comprising of $250,000 from the state and a matching $250,000 from other private and public sources, the grant will be used to develop the CARP through gathering and analyzing scientific coastal data and ensuring broad public awareness and input.

The work will be in line with the Town’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan (LWRP) and will strengthen the resiliency of existing communities in East Hampton, address the needs of future generations and involve broad-based public involvement to develop and implement a community plan, according to Peter Van Scoyoc, the Town Deputy Supervisor.

East Hampton has demonstrated its commitment to coastal planning by participating in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration “Climate Adaptation for Coastal Communities” training course held at Stony Brook Southampton from December 9 to 11.

NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management and local coastal experts led sessions covering such topics as climate science, vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning and implementation, and East Hampton Town’s Natural Resources and Planning departments were represented.

“This three-day intensive course, sponsored by East Hampton and Southampton towns, the Peconic Estuary Program, Concerned Citizens of Montauk, the Peconic Institute and Stony Brook University, focused on providing coastal community organizations with a climate adaptation toolkit to proactively address coastal planning priorities and, as a result of our participation, we fully expect to immediately integrate climate adaption strategies into our coastal policies, plans and programs,” said Kim Shaw, the Town’s Director of Natural Resources.

More on Patch:

• Cops: 12-Year-Old Boy Struck, Killed by Car Thursday Morning
• State Approves Establishment of Second Area Code for Suffolk County
• Huntington Station Raid Yields Weapons, Cocaine and Cash
• Long Island’s Kinkaid Impresses in First NHL Start for Devils
• Runaway Horse Fatally Struck on Sunrise Highway
• Woman Critically Injured in Greenlawn Crash With School Bus
• DA: Ex-Yankee Torres Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Girl
• Police Seek Suspect Who Forced Man to Withdraw Money From Patchogue Bank
• Packaging the Holiday Spirit at Babylon Elementary