Moulton’s Office Announces Rockport Awarded $1.2 Million in Federal Funding to Repair Damage from Severe Winter Storms
June 27th, 2016
Federal grant will assist Rockport in rebuilding harbor entrance breakwater
Salem, MA – Today, the Office of Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA) announced that the town of Rockport has been awarded a $1,205,635.50 federal grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to repair Rockport’s Harbor Entrance breakwater. Moulton’s staff worked closely with the town of Rockport and FEMA officials throughout the grant application process.
“These federal resources will enable Rockport to rebuild the Harbor Entrance breakwater, an area that was damaged by severe winter storms and is now in need of serious repair,” said Moulton. “This is great news for our district, and I am grateful to FEMA for their substantial investment in Rockport’s future.”
The breakwater resides in Pigeon Cove in Rockport which provides mooring for commercial and recreational boats. The two breakwater exposures provide much needed protection to Pigeon Cove.
“After being badly damaged by storms over the last few years, Rockport applied to FEMA for mitigation work to upgrade the seawalls around the harbor. FEMA agreed with this until the very end of the process when the town was told they would not receive the mitigation money,” said Bruce Reed, a DPW Commissioner in Rockport. “The DPW in Rockport felt that to protect one of the Commonwealth’s largest ports of the landing of lobster, it was imperative that the Breakwater work be completed. At this point we contacted Congressman Seth Moulton’s office and were directed to Morgan Bell, one of Congressman Moulton’s District Representatives. Within a couple of days we were notified that the project was going to include the mitigation work. If it wasn’t for Congressman Moulton’s intervention, the livelihood of many lobstermen would have been at risk. We recognize the project would not have reached the positive conclusion without Congressman Moulton’s commitment and perseverance to getting the project done.”
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