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CMRPC presents draft hazard mitigation plan; public comment open through Aug. 17
Summary
CMRPC planners presented Brookfield’s draft Hazard Mitigation Plan, explaining FEMA eligibility, priority hazards (flooding, snow, wind, wildfire, dam failure) and recommending actions including culvert upgrades, shelter planning and a potential FEMA Community Rating System decision. The plan is open for a two‑week public comment period that closes Aug. 17.
CMRPC associate resiliency planner Charlotte Levitt presented the draft Brookfield Hazard Mitigation Plan to the Select Board, saying the plan makes the town eligible for FEMA hazard‑mitigation grants and helps prioritize long‑term projects. “Any municipality that adopts and updates their hazard mitigation plan, does become eligible for various FEMA … hazard mitigation grants,” Levitt said.
Levitt and her colleague Will Talbot outlined hazards addressed by the plan — flooding (including groundwater changes), severe snow and ice storms, nor'easters and hurricanes, wind and tornadoes, wildfires, dam failure, drought and invasive species — and described four mitigation pillars: structural projects, preparedness and coordination, education/outreach, and local plans and regulations. Talbot said the plan draws on state and federal data sources including the Massachusetts State Hazard Mitigation Plan and FEMA disaster records, and noted the plan will meet FEMA requirements and be effective for five years once adopted.
The presenters gave examples of high‑priority measures in the draft: GPS‑mapping of catch basins and drainage infrastructure, culvert and bridge inventories, investigating a town emergency shelter site and temporary emergency headquarters, improved coordination with utilities, and evaluating participation in FEMA’s Community Rating System under the National Flood Insurance Program. Talbot said CMRPC helped the town prepare a public survey that drew 49 responses and that the planning team collected local hazard area information and critical facility inventories.
Levitt and Talbot explained the next steps: incorporate public comments, submit the draft to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) for review, then to FEMA for provisional approval, and finally bring a Select Board resolution for formal adoption. Levitt said the town’s public comment period for the draft is open now and “will conclude on Monday, August 17,” and provided an email contact for comments.
The board asked several technical questions about local dams and mapping. Talbot said the plan’s critical‑infrastructure section lists dams known to the team and offered to check whether the Hule Hill (Elm Hill) dam is included. He also pointed members to potential funding programs for infrastructure projects, including FEMA’s BRIC program and state grant opportunities.
