MARLBOROUGH – What would the city do in case of fire, flood, high winds or other natural hazards?
The city has a hazard mitigation plan, compiled with the help of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.
On May 22, the City Council held a public hearing to learn more about proposed updates to the plan.
Martin Pillsbury, the environment planning director for the MAPC, said the updates are required every five years by the Federal Emergency Management Agency; an updated plan means the city could apply for FEMA grants to fund mitigation projects.
According to the updated draft of the plan, natural hazard mitigation planning determines how to either reduce or eliminate loss of life and property damage from hazards like floods, earthquakes and hurricanes.
“Hazard mitigation means to permanently reduce or alleviate the losses of life, injuries, and property resulting from natural hazards through long-term strategies. These long-term strategies include planning, policy changes, programs, projects and other activities,” the plan read.
“We want to break the cycle of disaster and rebuild,” said Pillsbury.
Within the draft plan are locales within the city that are subject to flooding, such as Mowry Brook and Causeway Street. It also lists dams with adjacent roads that could be impacted in case of a failure.
Wildfires pose another risk. In August 2022, the city dealt with several brush fires, including in the Desert Conservation Area that burned 25 acres.
The plan includes ways to mitigate potential hazards – cleaning catch basins on a regular basis; requiring permits for open burning; more trees in parking areas. It also chronicles work being done, or completed, as well the priority placed for its completion.
High-priority projects include completing work on an inlet on Glen Street/Millham Brook, establishing a plan to evaluate the Hager Street dam to either repair, replace or remove the dam and establishing a new fire station on the west side.
Another project includes improving power grid protection by increasing tree trimming and dead tree removal around power lines and other utilities. It calls for specifically prioritizing the trimming and removal in vulnerable parts of Marlborough.
View the plan at www.mapc.org/resource-library/marlborough-hmp.
Email to [email protected]; input will be accepted through Friday, June 16.
