Curt Spalding, Regional Administrator, EPA Region 1At a press event on August 18, 2014, staff from the Mystic River Watershed Association received a $60,000 check from Curt Spalding, Regional Administrator of EPA Region 1 as part of the EPA Urban Waters Small Grant Program. The Association was thrilled to be joined by Curt Spalding who shared his enthusiasm for cleaning up the Mystic River Watershed. The event was held at the Park at River's Edge along the Malden River in Medford. Also in attendance were Mayor Michael McGlynn of Medford; John Preotle of Preotle, Lane & Associates; Representative Paul Donato; Jay Ash, City Manager of the City of Chelsea; and representatives from Tri-City Community Action Program, Alternatives for Community & Environment, Inc. and Chelsea Creek Action Group. After the press event Curt Spalding and others enjoyed a boat tour of the Malden and Mystic Rivers.
Beth MacBlane (MyRWA), Patrick Herron (MyRWA), Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn, Curt Spalding, Regional Administrator, EPA Region 1, Philip Bronder-Giroux of Tri-City Community Action Program, Inc. (Tri-CAP) As part of this work, the Mystic River Watershed Association will promote green infrastructure in three environmental justice communities bordering the Malden River through education, outreach, planning charettes, GIS analysis, modeling of pollutant source and loads, development of a low impact development (LID) technical document, and analysis of zoning/ordinances. The program will work directly with municipal staff to train them on the principles of green infrastructure, provide a technical green infrastructure guidance document specific to the urban environment, and expose them to the variety of solutions available.
Chris Marchi of NOAH (Neighborhood of Affordable Housing), Jay Ash - City Manager of Chelsea, MA, John Walkey and Staci Rubin of Alternatives for Community and Environment, Curt Spalding, Regional Administrator, EPA Region 1, Roseann Bongiovanni and Maria Belen Power of Chelsea Creek Action Group.A second grant in the Mystic River Watershed was awarded to staff from Alternatives for Community & Environment, Inc., (ACE). ACE will partner with the Chelsea Creek Action Group (CCAG) to assist environmental justice communities in implementing their Chelsea Creek Community Improvement Plan. The project will engage residents in reviewing and updating the community vision for the Chelsea Creek; assist them in understanding existing regulatory mechanisms for protecting water quality; and facilitate them in taking a proactive role in the promotion of the Chelsea Creek as an environmental, recreational, economic, and educational resource.
