Community Resilience-Building Workshop Summary of Findings Draft
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Town of Ayer, Massachusetts COMMUNITY RESILIENCE BUILDING WORKSHOP Summary of Findings DRAFT April 2020 COMMUNITY RESILIENCE BUILDING WORKSHOP REPORT COMMUNITY RESILIENCE BUILDING WORKSHOP Summary of Findings Prepared for: Town of Ayer Department of Public Works 25 Brook Street Ayer, MA 01432 Prepared by: Arcadis U.S., Inc. 500 Edgewater Drive Suite 511 Wakefield Massachusetts 01880 Tel 781 224 4488 Our Ref: 30037452 Date: March 2020 This document is intended only for the use of the individual or entity for which it was prepared and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. Any dissemination, distribution or copying of this document is strictly prohibited. arcadis.com COMMUNITY RESILIENCE BUILDING WORKSHOP REPORT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Town of Ayer MVP process was led by: Mark L Wetzel, P.E. Superintendent Town of Ayer - Public Works Department With support from the Core Team members: Dan Van Schalkwyk, Town Engineer Robert Pedrazzi, Fire Chief / Emergency Management Director Brian Gill, Deputy Police Chief Carly Antonellis, Assistant Town Manager Mark Archambault, Town Planner The Core Team is grateful to all members of the Ayer community who participated in the MVP planning process. Funding for this report was provided by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). The MVP process in Ayer was supported by Arcadis U.S., a state-certified MVP Provider. arcadis.com COMMUNITY RESILIENCE BUILDING WORKSHOP REPORT CONTENTS Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Acronyms and Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................ iii 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Town of Ayer ................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 MVP Program Background ............................................................................................................. 2 1.3 Community Resilience Building Workshop ..................................................................................... 2 1.3.1 Pre-Workshop Coordination ...................................................................................................... 3 1.3.2 Preparation and Outreach for the Workshops .......................................................................... 3 1.3.2.1 Data Collection and Literature Review .............................................................................. 3 1.3.2.2 Community Outreach and Advertising .............................................................................. 4 1.3.2.3 Community Resilience Building Risk Matrix ...................................................................... 5 2 Top-Priority Hazards and Vulnerable Areas ......................................................................................... 6 2.1 Precipitation and Flooding .............................................................................................................. 6 2.1.1 Precipitation and Flooding Hazards .......................................................................................... 6 2.1.2 Vulnerabilities Identified During CRB Workshops ..................................................................... 7 2.2 Heat and Drought ........................................................................................................................... 8 2.2.1 Heat and Drought Hazards ....................................................................................................... 8 2.2.2 Vulnerabilities Identified During CRB Workshops ..................................................................... 9 2.3 Extreme Storms and Wind ............................................................................................................ 10 2.3.1 Extreme Weather and Wind Hazards...................................................................................... 10 2.3.2 Vulnerabilities Identified During CRB Workshops ................................................................... 10 2.4 Snow and Ice Storm ..................................................................................................................... 10 2.4.1 Impacts from Snow and Ice Storms ........................................................................................ 10 2.4.2 Vulnerabilities Identified During CRB Workshops ................................................................... 11 3 Current Strengths and Assets ............................................................................................................. 12 4 Top Recommendations to Improve Resilience ................................................................................... 15 4.1.1 Top Priority Actions ................................................................................................................. 15 4.1.2 High Priority Actions ................................................................................................................ 15 4.1.3 Medium Priority Actions .......................................................................................................... 16 arcadis.com S:\1-Projects\Resilancy Plan\MVP Plan\Final Report\Community Resilience Building Workshop - Summary of Findings - Draft_03022020.docx i COMMUNITY RESILIENCE BUILDING WORKSHOP REPORT 4.1.4 Low Priority Actions ................................................................................................................. 17 5 Project Team and Workshop Participants ........................................................................................... 18 TABLES Table 1. Ayer MVP Core Team Members ..................................................................................................... 3 Table 2. Preliminary list of Vulnerabilities and Strengths for Ayer identified by the Core Team .................. 5 Table 3. Summary of Projected Annual Precipitation Changes for the Nashua Basin ................................. 7 Table 4. Precipitation and Flooding Related Vulnerabilities ......................................................................... 8 Table 5. Summary of Projected Annual Temperature Changes for the Nashua Basin ................................ 9 Table 6. Heat and Drought Related Vulnerabilities ....................................................................................... 9 Table 7. Extreme Storms and Wind Related Vulnerabilities ....................................................................... 10 Table 8. Snow and Ice Related Vulnerabilities ........................................................................................... 11 Table 9. Participants in CRB workshop January 9th, 2020 ......................................................................... 18 Table 10. Participants in CRB workshop January 16th, 2020 ..................................................................... 19 FIGURES Figure 1. Town of Ayer Department of Public Works .................................................................................... 1 Figure 2. Example digital outreach advertising the Community Building Workshops .................................. 4 Figure 3. Process Diagram for Building Community Resilience ................................................................... 5 Figure 4. Community Resilience Building Workshop .................................................................................. 11 Figure 5. Town of Ayer MVP Base Map ...................................................................................................... 14 Figure 6. Community Building Workshop .................................................................................................... 15 Figure 7. Community Building Workshop .................................................................................................... 16 APPENDICES Appendix A. Community Resilience Building Workshop Presentation Appendix B. Workshop Maps Appendix C. Community Resilience Building Matrices arcadis.com S:\1-Projects\Resilancy Plan\MVP Plan\Final Report\Community Resilience Building Workshop - Summary of Findings - Draft_03022020.docx ii COMMUNITY RESILIENCE BUILDING WORKSHOP REPORT ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS CRB Community Resilience Building DPW Department of Public Works EEA Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs MBTA Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority MPH Miles per hour MRPC Montachusett Regional Planning Commission MVP Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration SSO Sanitary Sewer Overflow arcadis.com S:\1-Projects\Resilancy Plan\MVP Plan\Final Report\Community Resilience Building Workshop - Summary of Findings - Draft_03022020.docx iii COMMUNITY RESILIENCE BUILDING WORKSHOP REPORT 1 INTRODUCTION The Town of Ayer (Town), located in the historic Nashoba Valley of Massachusetts, has developed rapidly over the years from a once small agricultural community to a town with thriving industries and a unique historical downtown area. The growth and development of the Town has been heavily influenced by the presence of railways, as Ayer once provided a major junction for both east-west