Malden Awarded $150K For River Works Project

MALDEN, MA — The Baker-Polito administration awarded Malden a $150,015 Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Action Grant to continue work on the Malden River Works project. Through the MVP program, the state has invested more than $44 million since 2017 to "identify climate hazards, develop strategies to improve resilience and implement priority actions to adapt to climate change."

Malden was awarded an MVP Planning Grant in 2019 and received its MVP Designation in 2020, making the City eligible for the MVP Action Grant program. The grant will be used to begin the design/engineering phase of the project.

Malden River Works was identified in the city's MVP Plan as one of the top priority actions in climate change adaptation. The project will transform the Department of Public Works yard, located on Commercial Street along the Malden River, to provide flood protection for the DPW and create a new waterfront park for the community. The DPW plays a crucial role in disaster response, managing street repairs, waste removal, and drainage repairs in the wake of climate events.

This award comes on the heels of a year-long community engagement process that included four public meetings, three community-wide surveys, and countless volunteer hours to develop a concept design for the DPW yard and public park. The work was driven by the Malden River Works Steering Committee – a new coalition of community leaders of color, youth, environmental advocates, and government stakeholders.

"Receiving the MVP Action Grant is a testament to the incredible work this team has done over the past year," Mayor Gary Christenson said in a statement. "The Malden River Works Steering Committee represents the power of diverse collaboration, and we are thrilled that the State has recognized the importance of community-driven planning processes."

The concept design was funded by a $100,000 grant from MIT’s Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism (LCAU).

The Malden River Works Steering Committee includes:

• Marcia Manong, Chair
• Souad Akib
• Carlos Aragon Aldana
• Linda Cline
• Khalil Kaba
• Laura Le
• Emmanuel Marsh
• Ramon Norales
• Barbara Murphy, Ward 5 City Councillor
• Bobby Knox, DPW Director
• Karen Buck, Friends of the Malden River
• Evan Spetrini, Malden Redevelopment Authority

The Malden River Works Project Team includes:

• Marcia Manong, Steering Committee Chair
• Mayor Gary Christenson
• Kathleen Vandiver, MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences
• Marie Law Adams, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning
• Tanvi Sharma, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning
• Karen Buck, Friends of the Malden River
• Amber Christoffersen, Mystic River Watershed Association
• Melanie Gárate, Mystic River Watershed Association
• Evan Spetrini, Malden Redevelopment Authority