Request for MVP Action Grant FY25+FY26 Acceptance_memo — File 24-1434

CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENT KATJANA BALLANTYNE MAYOR TO: The Honorable City Council, Mayor Ballantyne, Neha Singh (Director of Intergovernmental Affairs), and Kimberley Hutter (Legislative Liaison) FROM: Emily Sullivan (Climate Change Program Manager) and Elyse Belarge (Sustainability and Resiliency Planner) CC: Christine Blais (Director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment), Kathy Cole (Financial Analyst) RE: Requesting approval to accept and expend a $310,100 regional grant with no match required from the City of Somerville in FY25 and FY26, from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to the Office of Sustainability and Environment for the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Action Grant. DATE: September 30, 2024 The City of Somerville became a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) designated community in 2018. Since becoming designated, Somerville has received $445,000 in direct funds to reduce local climate change vulnerability and has been part of regional climate change resilience projects totaling more than $1,000,000. Somerville applied for $310,100 through the MVP action grant program in 2024. The grant award is a 2-year award, with $155,500 allocated for FY25 and $154,600 allocated for FY26. Somerville applied as the municipal lead for this regional project on behalf of municipalities in the Resilient Mystic Collaborative (RMC), including the City of Somerville, City of Medford, City of Everett, City of Cambridge, City of Chelsea, City of Revere, and Town of Winthrop. OSE is requesting acceptance of these funds to support the region’s planning for a network of community resilience centers, also known as resilience hubs. This project furthers climate resiliency research and work completed or supported by the RMC, including ▪ The Lower Mystic Regional Climate Assessment ▪ The Wicked Hot Mystic project ▪ Heat, Health, and Housing workshop series ▪ Climate Safe Neighborhoods initiative ▪ Medford Connects