Weymouth, Massachusetts

6 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 10 WEYMOUTH , MASSACHUSETTS grants.” Grants have also been used toward bridge infrastructure, library construction, as well as climate preparedness. As a coastal community, Weymouth is at the mercy of the ocean and the storms that come with it. “It was an issue that was never attended to here,” Hedlund says. “Our sea walls were in decrepit condition that goes back to the WPA (Works Progress Administration) era and had just been patched since. We have been aggressive in getting grants from the state under the Dam and Seawall Grant and Loan Program.” Grants have been used to complete a major seawall project on Fore River Ave, and they are in the process of permitting a second project on Fort Point Road. The town has also received grants to work on coastal resiliency at the town’s beaches. The project includes raising the roadway, which has been plagued by flooding, as well as working on coastal infrastructure improvements. One of the town’s more exciting projects, again funded in part by a grant, includes the development of the Wessagusset Walkway. The project will involve taking out invasive species and adding new plantings to help stabilize the embankment. “We’re armoring that section of the coast, but it will also include a walkway that will connect our beaches,” Hedlund explains. “It’s a recreational improvement, but really a coastal protection initiative.” The Town of Weymouth is the second oldest settlement in Massachusetts, after Plymouth. It was originally settled in 1622 and adopted the name Weymouth in 1635. The town’s long history is alive throughout the community, with buildings dating back to the early 1700s. Weymouth has been active in preserving some of its most significant historic sites. In 2011, the town purchased the Emory Estate, a 1903 mansion modeled after George Washington’s Mount Vernon. They have since turned the 24- acre property into King Oak Hill Park, which