Town, borough seek public input for plan

OLD SAYBROOK — The Town of Old Saybrook and the Borough of Fenwick are in the process of updating the Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (NHMP). The purpose of the NHMP Update is to update the hazards risk assessment, the mitigation strategies, and the actions to reduce the loss of life and property resulting from natural and climate-related hazards. In addition, a key part of this update is to document the progress made in implementing actions outlined in the 2014 NHMP.

As a part of the planning process, the Town and the Borough created a local planning team made up of local, state and regional officials to assist in leading the development of the plan. The Town has retained GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. to assist the planning team in the preparation of the NHMP Update. Funding for this activity is being provided by the Town of Old Saybrook.

A critical component of the planning process is open public involvement where the Town and the Borough will provide the public with the opportunity to provide input and comments at two public meetings.

The first public meeting will be held on Dec. 5, 6:30 p.m. in the First Floor Conference of Town Hall, 302 Main Street. The focus of the first public meeting is to present:

1) the planning framework

2) the critical assets identified in the Town and the Borough and

3) the natural and climate-related hazard characterizations for the Town and the Borough.

A second public meeting will be held on Feb. 6, 6:30 p.m. in the First Floor Conference of Town Hall, 302 Main Street. The focus of the second public meeting will be to present the updated natural hazard mitigation strategy and actions for Old Saybrook and Fenwick. The updated strategy and actions will be designed to reduce the loss of life and property from natural and climate-related hazards including but not limited to coastal flooding, sea-level-rise, severe wind resulting from hurricanes, and severe winter weather.

During each meeting, the public is invited to make comments or suggestions. All comments received from the public will be documented and considered for inclusion in the Plan.

For information about the current NHMP and the recent Coastal Resilience Study, visit the Town Initiatives page at www.oldsaybrookct.gov.