West Newbury Select Board Debates Whether to Accept $600,000 River Road Climate Grant

WEST NEWBURY -- May 14, 2025, West Newbury's Select Board debated accepting a $600,000 state climate grant to study and begin conceptual design work on chronically eroding River Road, with no vote taken. The Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant, already submitted with a $60,000 town match, would fund two years of survey work, wetland delineation, drainage analysis, and rough engineering designs, information officials said is needed before any permanent repair can be permitted or built. Member Barry Fogel said the board had never received a formal estimate of staff hours the project would require, warning that the town's conservation and engineering staff are already stretched across more than 107 active projects. A Climate Change Resiliency Committee member who lives on River Road argued the town risks spending millions on piecemeal rock-fill repairs that regulators could shut down at any time, while the board could not say who will administer the grant if it is awarded. The board indicated it would wait for a formal grant award letter before deciding whether to accept, negotiate the scope, or decline.