Salem Awarded $130K As Part Of MA Greening The Gateway Cities Program

SALEM, MA — The city of Salem and Salem Coastwatch were awarded $130,00 of the nearly $600,000 in state grants from the Greening the Gateway Cities Program designed to create spaces and transfer asphalt surfaces in urban areas.

"Tree plantings provide cleaner air, cooler streets, and healthier neighborhoods," Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. "These grants focus on investing in gateway cities, which have faced higher pollution levels and fewer green spaces.

"By reducing heat, managing stormwater, and improving public health, this work supports the goals of our recently proposed Mass Ready Act, which aims to build stronger, more resilient communities across Massachusetts."

The city of Salem was awarded $100,000 to water trees and plant trees in identified hot spots.

Salem Sound Coastwatch was awarded $30,000 to conduct outreach and generate interest in the GGCP program and recruit residents to have trees planted on their property, as well as identify high-priority planting locations across the designated planting zone in coordination with Department of Conservation and Recreation.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)