Deerfield MVP group advances Bloody Brook restoration plan, prioritizes two culverts for state grant

The Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Core Group in Deerfield on Feb. 12 reviewed a proposed restoration of town‑owned land along Bloody Brook and voted to prioritize two culverts — Pleasant Street and Captain Lathrop — for inclusion in the town’s MVP ECO OneStop grant application.

Franklin Conservation District representatives Meghan Siudzinski and Kyla Power presented a 4‑page project proposal developed with local firm Bound Design that would restore the town‑owned portion of Bloody Brook between North Main Street and the train trestle. The presenters said the effort would take about two to three years and is estimated at approximately $545,000, with funding expected to come primarily from MVP rather than requiring a town match.

The project is intended to address flood mitigation through nature‑based solutions, improve water quality and public‑health outcomes in the brook corridor, and potentially extend work to nearby residential and commercial properties. At the meeting, the committee identified the Pleasant Street culvert as the top priority because of its critical location and connection to prior grant work, and named the Captain Lathrop culvert as a second priority because of its deteriorating condition and importance to sewer utilities.

Denise Mason moved to approve prioritizing the Pleasant Street and Captain Lathrop culverts for the MVP application; Tim Hilchey seconded and the motion was recorded as unanimously approved. The committee also earlier approved the meeting minutes (motion by Pete Law, seconded by Tim Hilchey); that motion passed by majority vote with Denise Mason recorded as abstaining.

During public comment, resident David Johnson of 112 N. Main St. asked the group to confirm the status of a lower Kelleher culvert (he said it had been replaced years earlier), expressed concern that construction could damage nearby homes, and urged that residents document their properties before work begins. Committee members agreed that soil studies and preventative measures should be part of planning and noted they would follow up on implementation safeguards.

The group discussed a suite of nature‑based strategies beyond culvert work, including creating a ‘‘sponge community’’ to improve water retention, using pervious pavement in municipal projects (the Frontier parking lot was cited as an example), and the possibility of drafting bylaws to require pervious surfaces for new or reconstructed municipal parking lots. Riparian management topics included aiming for a 10–20 foot corridor where feasible, marking mowing limits (with April 15 identified as optimal mowing timing), and managing invasive species such as knotweed. Members flagged potential coordination with MassDOT on training for highway departments, though scheduling remains to be confirmed.

Procurement questions also arose: the group asked whether the state grant would trigger public bidding or other procurement processes and assigned follow‑up to Town staff to clarify rules. The Core Group set its next MVP meeting for March 10 at 4 p.m. (hard stop 5 p.m.), planned a site visit for the River Road project, and assigned follow‑up tasks to Alex Galloway (scheduling and procurement check with Andrew Smith), Kyla Power and Meghan Siudzinski (coordinate with resident David Johnson on the residential native plant project), and Carolyn Shores Ness (follow up with MassDOT contacts on riverbank training). The meeting adjourned at 4:55 p.m.

Next procedural steps for the MVP application include clarifying procurement rules, scheduling site visits, and finalizing sub‑proposals and partner agreements before the application is submitted.