Mattapoisett has named five Community Liaisons to broaden community input into the town’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) 2.0 program, which focuses on strengthening resilience to climate change and addressing social and environmental vulnerabilities.
The liaisons are Linda Deveau, Jessica DeCicco, Curtis Mendes, Lauren Rosa and Alison Van Keuren.
They will serve on the town’s MVP 2.0 Core Team, bringing their community experience and connections to the town’s climate resilience planning, according to Mattapoisett Assistant Town Administrator Katie Stephanian. Mattapoisett’s Core Team includes Stephanian, Town Planner Victoria Alfaro, Council on Aging Director Sarah Landry, Building Commissioner Ken Murphy, Water/Sewer Superintendent Henri Renauld, and Highway Surveyor Garrett Bauer.
“They will help the Core Team better understand how flooding, extreme heat, access to resources, and other climate and social vulnerabilities affect residents in different ways,” Stephanian said.
MVP 2.0 builds on the town’s original MVP planning process with greater emphasis on equity, social resilience and expanded community participation. The liaisons will receive training in equitable community engagement and develop a plan to reach residents. Their outreach could include informal conversations with neighbors, community dinners, pop-up events, surveys, social media and email outreach, interviews and focus groups.
“Community Liaisons will help the Town engage with and learn from Mattapoisett residents, especially those who experience higher social and environmental burdens,” Stephanian said.
Their work will help identify residents’ concerns and priorities and inform a seed project that will receive $50,000 in funding through the MVP 2.0 program, with no local match required.
Stephanian said success a year from now would mean the town and liaisons are implementing the selected seed project with community support. Another measure of success would be increased public participation in the MVP process and other town initiatives. The town also hopes the program identifies new ways to engage residents and improve public participation in municipal projects.
While Mattapoisett has selected its Community Liaisons, Marion has not yet announced its team and is still seeking volunteers for its MVP 2.0 process.
Marion Conservation Agent and Planner Doug Guey-Lee said the program addresses gaps in community input identified during the Commonwealth’s assessment of the original MVP process.
“The Community Liaisons are intended to … fill in gaps in community input based on the Commonwealth’s assessment of MVP 1.0,” Guey-Lee said.
The process requires municipalities to solicit community input in varied ways over two years, Guey-Lee said, “to maximize the diversity and quality of community input.” The program especially seeks to reach underrepresented community segments disproportionately affected by climate change and coastal resilience issues, including older residents, environmental justice populations and other vulnerable residents.
As in Mattapoisett, the goal is to use broader community input to develop potential projects that could receive $50,000 in funding through the MVP 2.0 Seed Project program.
Marion residents can apply to serve as Community Liaisons. Information about volunteering is available through the town’s website.
By Laura Pedulli