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Resolved: That it is the sense of the Malden City Council that it urges Malden’s State Legislative Delegation to support S.2542, An Act to Build Resilience for Massachusetts Communities (the Mass Ready Act)
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S.2542, An Act to Build Resilience for Massachusetts Communities (the Mass Ready Act) will strengthen climate resilience infrastructure and ensure it includes urgently needed flood protection upgrades to the Amelia Earhart Dam. This act would also increase funding for the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant program, which Malden had benefitted from in the past few years.
The Council specifically supports including language in the Mass Ready Act’s section on the Department of Conservation and Recreation which earmarks as much as possible toward the overall project cost of over $100 million, for long-term coastal flood resilience improvements to the Amelia Earhart Dam and its embankments.
This proposed investment aligns directly with the flooding mitigation and climate adaptation priorities of Malden’s Climate Action Plan, adopted by the City Council in 2024. The Climate Action and Sustainability Commission has endorsed this project and funding and has asked the Malden City Council to do the same.
The Earhart Dam is the primary barrier to prevent flooding on the west side of Malden along the Malden River in the event of a significant storm surge and is a cornerstone of our community’s climate resilience. The increasing threats of sea-level rise and extreme precipitation events pose a growing risk to Malden’s neighborhoods and infrastructure throughout our city. Improvements to elevate and strengthen the Amelia Earhart Dam and would significantly reduce the risk of catastrophic flooding and provide long-term protection to residents, businesses, and public assets.