What is the MVP Program
Uxbridge has been awarded three Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program Action Grants by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Commonwealth’s MVP program is designed to:
There are two types of MVP Grants: MVP Planning Grants and MVP Action Grants1. MVP Planning Grants award funding to help towns assess their vulnerability to climate change impacts. That funding is used to help towns build community resilience against the effects of climate change. Communities that receive the grants also receive the MVP Program Municipality designation from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
MVP Action Grants are designed to help towns act against the effects of climate change. The grants give funding to municipalities so they can take important climate adaptation actions. The money is given to projects that are designed to protect towns against extreme weather, inland flooding, coastal flooding, severe heat, or increased pest populations like ticks and mosquitoes.
Why the MVP Grant is Important to Uxbridge
In Uxbridge, our greatest weaknesses to climate change are related to natural water systems such as rivers streams and wetlands, artificial water systems like wells and the public water supply, and insect-borne diseases. As the climate changes, the existing rain and snowfall patterns that our water infrastructure was built for are at risk for breaking down or failing completely. Long periods of lower than normal precipitation can lead to droughts and put a strain on our water supplies. On the other hand, there is a greater chance of disruptive flooding due to increased precipitation2. Floods can damage private property, town infrastructure and potentially contaminate municipal water supplies and private wells3. Severe floods can destroy property and cause human injury and death. Flooding also increases the amount of standing water which can lead to increased mosquito populations in the area. Increased mosquito populations are linked to an increased risk of mosquito borne disease, as we saw during the 2019 EEE outbreak.
The MVP Grants are allowing Uxbridge to design and implement improvements to our water systems and infrastructure, upgrade our emergency communications, and improve our capacity for mosquito control in eco-friendly ways.
Examples of Past MVP Grants
82% of towns in Massachusetts have received assistance through the MVP Program. Towns have used the grants to address air quality, dam removal and upgrades, flood mitigation, energy resilience, wetland restoration, and other climate related projects5.
The grant funding ranges from $46,000 for some towns to conduct resiliency planning up to $1.5 million given to Boston to begin upgrading Moakley Park along the coast4. Uxbridge received more than $500,000 in MVP funding, well above average. That we received such a substantial grant really highlights the importance of taking action against the effects of climate change in our community.
Uxbridge MVP Core Team
The MVP Projects are run by a core team made up of professionals from multiple town departments. The Core Team meets at least once a month to discuss the progress of the MVP projects, and many of them lend their expertise to project tasks. For information about the members of the core team, click here.
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