Resiliency Corner | February 2024

For the second December in a row, a bugaboo of a windstorm hit, this one paired with some rather intense flooding. Events like these make us all more conscious of practical concerns impacting ourselves and our neighbors. And as we prepare for the next storm, it seems like a good time to give an update on the Resiliency Committee.

Resiliency has a restored quorum and has met five times in the past three months to bring new members up to speed on what resilience strategies make the most sense for Gray and the community. Water quality/protection, climate change education, emergency planning, waste reduction, public transportation, biodiversity, energy, housing, and food, are all things that we have our sights on as we think about improving resilience in Gray. Identifying groups impacted more gravely by extreme weather events and economic disruptions and the value of our lakes, forests, and open spaces are also a consideration.

One of the top projects for the committee is to complete the process of enrolling in the Community Resilience Partnership. The committee began working with 207permaculture to qualify for enrollment in the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future program. Royal River Conservation Trust, Cumberland County Soil and Water, and North Star Planning have also supported the committee’s work. Once enrolled, the Town qualifies for $50,000 grants, with no match, to implement some resiliency priorities. To qualify, the Town needs to have a public workshop to discuss resilience priorities, complete a self-evaluation form, and pass a resolution.  

In March 2023, the committee hosted a workshop that looked at resilience broadly and generated a list of actions of importance to a thriving future Gray. New Gloucester and Durham held similar workshops and the three towns have been collaborating to envision a resilient future. You can learn about the effort to identify what is most relevant here.

They also conducted interviews to get a broader view of what some of the risks and hazards are to the town, and a survey was completed. In February, the committee plans to meet with the Town Council to review data collected, priorities, and next steps which includes a request to pass a resolution that will state the priorities for climate action in Gray and complete the process of enrolling in the Community Resilience Partnership. Subsequent meetings with the Council will include grant opportunity discussions.

Stay tuned for more information about resilience work in Gray!

There are open Committee seats if anyone is interested in joining the Resiliency Team. More details can be found here.