Leah Hill, the town’s Coastal Resilience Coordinator, told the Select Board the Coastal Resilience Advisory Committee (CRAC) finished predesign work for the Francis Street Beach Improvement Project and will move toward schematic design this spring. Hill said public engagement produced dozens of attendees and recorded virtual sessions for those who could not attend.

CRAC is also advancing the Easy Street flood mitigation project. Hill said the consultant Arcadis developed five concept alternatives and plans a second virtual open house in mid‑March to gather feedback on concept design options.

CRAC members highlighted use of Climate Central’s Flood Vision imagery to make future coastal flooding more tangible. Hill described Flood Vision’s use of Massachusetts Coastal Flood Risk Model (MCFRM) data for a 2050 1% (100‑year) storm scenario and shared example visuals showing road and storefront inundation levels.

The committee reported progress on its recommendations: roughly half of the plan’s 40 recommendations are underway, in development, or complete. CRAC also recommended changes to zoning and building-code approaches to discourage investment in the highest-risk areas. Shannon Holst (Cape Cod Cooperative Extension/Woods Hole Sea Grant) briefed the committee on floodplain mapping and model‑bylaw language CRAC could adapt for future zoning work.

On funding, CRAC discussed several mechanisms including a special-purpose stabilization fund and a revolving account. Town counsel John Giorgio told the committee these ideas need vetting with the finance director; CRAC plans a letter to the Select Board outlining next steps. Hill asked the Select Board to add $50,000 for grant consultants to the Natural Resources Department fiscal year 2026 budget to pursue state and federal grants for coastal resilience construction; committee members said the Coastal Resilience Planning Fund could supply planning‑phase costs.

Why this matters: CRAC’s work translates climate science into near-term projects and policy options. The committee is advancing designs that would reduce flood risk in the short term while seeking funding streams for construction. The Select Board asked staff to continue interdepartmental coordination and to prioritize permitting and funding analyses for near-term projects.