On May 27, the Mattapoisett Marine Advisory Board invited Kristin Uiterwyk of UMass Boston’s Urban Harbors Institute to present an outline of the process and the benefits of having a harbor management plan.
First championed by Mattapoisett Harbormaster Jamie McIntosh to map out immediate and long-range planning for the harbor and its various compounds, McIntosh believes a harbor management plan is an important tool for establishing achievable goals in an integrated manner that would help to position the town for future grants.
Uiterwyk shared an outline of what the process for developing a plan could include and the associated benefits. The Wanderer received a copy of that document.
Listed as part of the process under the title “Social Benefits” were engagement of impacted businesses, industries, and community members involved in environmental issues, historical oversight, and tourism. The process would achieve “consensus on harbor issues among stakeholders,” Uiterwyk had written.
The section “Environmental Benefits” noted a harbor management plan could inventory and characterize environmental resources, establish efficient and safe patterns of use, and promote understanding of current harbor conditions.
A third section of the plan titled “Intergovernmental Coordination Benefits” listed the following: assists in identifying gaps and improving the effectiveness of existing local land and water use regulations and coordinating with state and federal programs; provides guidance to state and federal government for their regulatory decisions – if the plan is state approved; and lastly provides opportunity to incorporate harbor planning into climate resiliency planning.
A harbor management plan can also identify areas of concern or deficiencies such as navigation and dredging, recreational boating infrastructure, public safety, shell fishing, beach management, public access, water quality, and natural resource protection.
Uiterwyk said that a harbor management plan looking to receive municipal approval takes between 18 and 24 months to complete, while a program prepared for state certification could take upwards of 36 months. “It’s a process,” she said.
Marine Advisory Board member Bob Moore asked Uiterwyk how much a harbor plan would focus on sea level rise. She responded that it varies from town to town and that such data could be in a dedicated section. Chairman Carlos DeSousa said that the Master Plan Committee is currently focusing on sea level rise. Moore also wondered about the potential of federal funding for concerns relating to sea level rise. Uiterwyk said, “There is a lot of potential for federal funding.”
In other business, McIntosh reported that the navigation aids have been placed in the channel and that 82 floating cages of shellfish are now in Pine Island Pond. He applauded the volunteers whose efforts are critical in making the shellfish program possible and singled out Bill Mansfield. Seed shellfish will be arriving soon, he said, but no specific date was announced at the meeting.
McIntosh also noted the coordinated efforts of the Lions Club, Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School, and his department in repainting the Shipyard Park gazebo.
Grant monies earmarked for repairs and improvements to Long Wharf were briefly noted. A grant from the Seaport Economic Council in the amount of $216,000 combined with a 25-percent matching from the town’s coffers were mentioned.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Marine Advisory Board is scheduled for Thursday, June 24, at 7:00 pm.
Mattapoisett Marine Advisory Board
By Marilou Newell