Winthrop, Massachusetts

WINTHROP , MASSACHUSETTS climate change impacts,” says Faison. “We’re already feeling that with the historic tide last year. And we’ll continue to get hit by these things. I have a $60 million budget for the town and I could spend that every year for the next 10 years trying to tackle this problem and it wouldn’t be enough. So, I’m advocating as much as possible to higher levels of government to help provide us with the best practices and insight we need to work on this program.” The Center Business District is the first priority when it comes to issues with high water moving through town and new infrastructure is in the works in that regard. A large water storage facility is being built under one of the parks to hold water. Faison notes, “The ocean isn’t going anywhere and we need to think about what to do with that water when it comes here, and how to future-proof development by incorporating resilient zoning, so we aren’t letting people buy properties that may be negatively impacted by climate change. We need to start working now and I would love to have a business community in town, outside of retail, to help lead the discussion.” Siting for a new Public Safety building is dependent on information gleaned from flood and tidal maps. Finding a location where services can still operate in case of an emergency is critical. The town of Winthrop works closely with Woodard & Curran on engineering for those types of large- scale construction projects. “They’re like our pseudo engineering department,” says Faison, “and they’re very helpful. We’re also engaging with other engineering firms, as well, because it’s turning into pictured Winthrop City Hall