AUGUSTA – On May 1, the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future announced that the communities of Saco and Old Orchard Beach have been selected as recipients of a Community Action Grant award from the Community Resilience Partnership.
Together, Saco and Old Orchard Beach will receive an award of $180,000 to be used in determining the quantity of sand needed to upgrade their beaches and dunes to 100-year flood protection, also known as a “Category G” engineering standard.
Reps. Marshall Archer, D-Saco, Lynn Copeland, D-Saco, and Lori Gramlich, D-Old Orchard Beach, released the following statements applauding the funding:
“This grant will allow Saco to take steps necessary to improve our climate resilience and protect our shoreline,” said Archer. “The hard work and forward thinking of the partnership between our community and Old Orchard Beach should be applauded, as this investment will mitigate our flood risk and damage from storm surge.”
“I’m ecstatic that Saco received this grant,” said Copeland. “Faced with climate change, we must adapt and think ahead in order to protect our community. This grant will help us do just that.”
“One of my top priorities as a legislator has been to protect our coastline in the face of a changing climate and increasingly frequent extreme weather events. Here in the Saco Bay region, our beaches are not only our primary economic driver but also a critical buffer protecting our communities from the effects of sea-level rise and storm surge,” said Gramlich. “Restoring our sand dunes is one of the most important actions we can take to promote climate resilience in our communities. I was proud to support this grant application and am deeply grateful for the thoughtful, collaborative efforts of Old Orchard Beach, Saco and the many local stakeholders who are contributing to this project.”
This award is part of $8 million in this round of grant funding to help Maine communities protect people, businesses and infrastructure from flooding, storm surge and other climate effects. The funding, which was approved by the Legislature in the May 2024 supplemental budget, will support projects in 166 communities throughout the state.
The full list of projects can be found here.
Archer is serving his first term in the Maine House and represents part of Saco. He serves on the Labor Committee.
Copeland is serving her third term in the Maine House and represents part of Saco. She is a member of the State and Local Government Committee.
Gramlich is serving her fourth term in the Maine House representing Old Orchard Beach. Before being elected assistant House majority leader, she served as House chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
Contact:
Brian Lee (Archer, Copeland, Gramlich) | 305-965-2744