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APCC outlines $15 million NOAA award; Town of Dennis to receive roughly $4 million for Weir Creek culvert and salt‑marsh restoration
Summary
Association to Preserve Cape Cod told the select board the organization secured a $15 million NOAA transformational habitat grant covering five restoration projects; APCC said about $4 million of that will be subawarded to the Town of Dennis for culvert replacements, construction, permitting and monitoring at Weir Creek.
Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC) briefed the Dennis Select Board on a $15,000,000 grant awarded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support five coastal and freshwater habitat restoration projects across four towns, including work on Weir Creek in Dennis.
"We successfully applied for $15,000,000 in funding," APCC executive director Andrew Godley told the board, adding that APCC will manage grant administration and subawards. Jordan Mora, APCC’s lead ecologist, said the award covers design, permitting, construction and monitoring through September 2028 and that Weir Creek will receive the largest single subaward for the town.
Mora said the Weir Creek work focuses on replacing two undersized culverts under Lower County Road that currently restrict tidal flow, degrade marsh vegetation and increase local flooding risks. "For this particular budget and subaward, we're expecting over $4,000,000 to go to the Town of Dennis for construction," she said, and described APCC’s role in final design, grant administration and adaptive management planning.
APCC provided a program-level budget breakdown: about $5,450,000 for tidal (brackish) salt‑marsh restoration (much of that for Weir Creek and a second site, Oyster Pond), more than $8,000,000 for freshwater bog restoration projects, $890,000 for APCC’s time and expense, and roughly $426,000 for community training and capacity building for partners including the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. APCC said partners are contributing more than $5,000,000 in leveraged funds, pushing total project investment to about $20,000,000.
Board members asked about timing, town obligations and risk. Mora said 60% designs are expected by the end of December, permitting will start next spring, and monitoring that began this fall will continue into next summer. She said APCC and partner agencies will model hydrology and identify mitigation for property impacts before construction. "All of that modeling is going to be done," Tom Andrade, town engineer, confirmed, noting contractors will be required to post bonds and work through the conservation commission as part of permitting.
Select Board members praised APCC’s grant-writing and emphasized that the federal funds will not draw from municipal tax revenues. The board did not take a formal action on the grant but agreed to continue coordination between APCC and town staff as design and permitting proceed.
The next procedural steps APCC listed are subaward setup, kickoff meetings with partners, finalizing roles and schedules, advancing permitting and preparing procurement documents for construction.
