GOPIF visit to Blue Hill WWTP

Partners in Climate Resilience: Blue Hill and Mount Desert Island 

On MDI, the towns of Bar Harbor, Mount Desert, and Tremont are engaged in both individual and regionally collaborative projects funded by the Community Reslience Partnership.

Individually, the towns are conducting a mix of greenhouse gas inventories and vulnerability assessments, exploring options to electrify municipal buildings, and doing pre-development homework for a municipal solar array.

Collectively, the three towns are installing EV charging stations and building a “climate ambassadors” program that is training residents to be effective communicators about climate change solutions.
 
In the Blue Hill region, infrastructure vulnerability is a leading concern. Three towns -- Surry, Blue Hill, and Brooksville – received Community Action Grants recently to assess vulnerability to flooding, identify potential funding sources for resilience projects, and develop capital improvement plans to ensure the work is prioritized and completed.
 
In both regions, collaboration among towns is a key feature. Under the banner of the regional Blue Hill Peninsula Tomorrow initiative, the nine towns on the peninsula have cooperatively applied for over $6 million in state and federal funds and, so far, have successfully garnered nearly $4 million, including $1 million of Congressionally Directed Spending to upgrade the Blue Hill Wastewater Treatment Facility, above.