Malden Gets Grants To Fight Heat Islands, Flooding

MALDEN, MA — A new round of grants through the state’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program is sending several hundred thousand dollars to Malden and its neighbors for a series of municipal and regional projects aimed at mitigating various impacts of climate change.

Projects range from work to address heat islands to local revitalization efforts around the Malden River.

In total, the state is backing three Malden-connected projects with close to $700,000 in combined grant spending.

“We are making a major push forward by funding more climate resilience implementation projects than ever before,” Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito said in a statement on Tuesday. “It has been rewarding to see projects move through the phases from planning to design to construction and implementation over the last five years, and we are starting to see the tangible difference these projects are making in our communities as we prepare for a changing climate.”

Region Gets Money For Heat Island Mitigation

Gov. Charlie Baker announced Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grants on Tuesday, doling out $32.8 million across the state.

The Mystic River Watershed Association highlighted $8.6 million headed to its north-of-Boston communities in a statement following Baker’s announcement, noting the multiple projects impacting Malden.

Of those, $339,915 will go to a combined effort by Malden, Chelsea and Arlington officials to address heat islands identified in a previous grant-funded project dubbed “Wicked Hot Mystic.”

Various studies have tracked varying “real feel” heat conditions throughout the Greater Boston area, identifying places where heavy urbanization and a lack of green space might combine to produce “heat island” conditions with elevated temperatures.

Malden officials have discussed heat islands within city limits, recently addressing the topic in response to feedback from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development on the city’s plans to redevelop Roosevelt Park in town.

That project, which calls for a new turf field in place of what is currently a grass field next to Malden's Salemwood School, has faced criticism over concerns that it will worsen heat island conditions in the surrounding neighborhood.

“Heat island is a citywide challenge that the City is taking very seriously,” Malden Director
of Strategic Planning & Community Development Debbie Burke told Patch last month.

Burke, at the time, teased “big news” on city efforts to address heat islands, further citing city efforts to mitigate heat island impacts at Roosevelt Park through various planned design measures. Those include planned tree plantings and the use of wood-based infill instead of hotter crumb rubber in turf, Burke said.

Grants Fund Flooding Study, River Improvements

Partnering with Chelsea and Arlington on heat island work, Malden will similarly join with Revere, Everett, Saugus and Lynn to conduct a study on flood damage within the Saugus River Watershed.

That project now has $150,872 in state Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness funding.

At the municipal level, Malden is set to receive $200,550 to complete designs for planned work around the Malden River and the Malden Department of Public Works yard on Commercial Street.

Planned as the “Malden River Works” project, work at the DPW yard will combine facility improvements with a new climate resilient park next to the historically neglected Malden River.

Christenson called the city’s plans for the area a “crucial precedent-setting project,” in his statement through the Mystic River Watershed Association.

He also discussed the project in an interview earlier this month, crediting local figures such as Karen Buck of the group Malden River Works for their efforts.

“She along with her team have brought the river back to life,” Christenson said of Buck. “Before, (the river) was always an afterthought. Now it’s a preeminent feature of our city.”

This latest round of Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grants set records for the amount of money distributed in a single round of grant funding for the program.

See a full list of funded projects here.