On July 2, 2019, the Chesapeake Bay Trust—in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the City of Baltimore Office of Sustainability announced $965,972 in funding for the Chesapeake Bay Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns Grant Program (G3).
These awards help communities redevelop and implement plans that reduce stormwater runoff, restore green spaces in urban areas, revive the health of local rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay, create green jobs, and enhance both resilience and livability in towns and cities.
This announcement highlights awards made to 20 innovative green infrastructure projects that span Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC and West Virginia.
“We commend the Borough of Marietta and all of the grantees for their winning proposals to support clean water and strong neighborhoods,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio. “This program helps communities reduce pollution to local waters and the Chesapeake Bay, while improving their economy and quality of life.”
The Borough of Marietta, Pennsylvania, the host location for the award announcement, is one of the program’s recipients. Their $29,995 award builds on the success of a previously presented G3 grant supporting a concept plan for green stormwater infrastructure. The current award continues the next phase of design and construction development for the Front Street green improvements focusing on stormwater outfalls where the most conflict between vehicle, pedestrian and stormwater infrastructure exists. The resulting benefits become replicable in future areas of Marietta and other river towns facing similar dilemmas.
“We are excited that our small, historic town has been chosen as a locale to present the G-3 concept to others incorporating the value of Green infrastructure and the value of Green in our capital improvement projects,” said Borough of Marietta Mayor, Harold Kulman. “The G-3 grant ensures that we can fully implement our Street Scape plan and will certainly assist in the beautification of our small town, support a manageable stormwater plan, and provide job opportunities for our citizens.”
In addition to the project in the Borough of Marietta, 19 other awardees announced today will not only implement projects that include the removal of impervious surfaces, expansion of urban tree canopies, inclusion of bioretention and other stormwater treatment practices, vacant lot retrofitting, and other green infrastructure practices throughout the region’s watershed, but also share their plans and projects to ensure that the greater Chesapeake Bay watershed community can benefit from their lead.
“The Baltimore Planning Department’s Office of Sustainability knows that it’s essential to prioritize greening in a comprehensive community development strategy. In fact, the recently updated Sustainability Plan and newly adopted Baltimore Green Network Plan reemphasizes our agency’s commitment to greening in communities with the highest concentration of vacant and abandoned lots,” said Lisa McNeilly, director of the Office of Sustainability, Baltimore Planning Department. “We are excited to support Baltimore communities through greening investments with the help of our city agency partners, nonprofit partners and the support of the Mayor’s Office.”
“Maryland fully appreciates the connection of our neighborhoods, environment, and economy, and this program provides tremendous support for all of these priorities,” Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio said. “We commend these local communities and organizations for their outstanding projects that bolster our neighborhoods, our waters, and our outlook for the future.”
The work of the G3 program is intended to facilitate and encourage community integration of green techniques into traditional “gray” infrastructure projects. As communities have to, for example, repave roads, reconfigure intersections, or implement other gray infrastructure projects, the G3 program encourages them to add green elements at little additional up-front cost for big eventual savings on stormwater treatment, flooding abatement, and other community benefits. Eligibility for application extends to all communities in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia thanks to the collaboration of funding partners within Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region.
“This year’s increase in award dollars is representative of the increased awareness among towns and communities that implementation of green practices now saves money later, in addition to improving quality of life across time,” said Dr. Jana Davis, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Trust. “The funding partners in the G3 program have collaborated to make it easier for communities to get the resources they need to pursue these important multiple-benefit projects.”
The Chesapeake Bay Trust is a nonprofit grant-making organization established by the Maryland General Assembly dedicated to improving the natural resources of the Chesapeake region through environmental education, community engagement, and local watershed restoration. The Trust’s grantees engage hundreds of thousands of individuals annually in projects that have a measurable impact on the waterways and other natural resources of the region.
The Trust is supported by the sale of the Chesapeake license plate, donations to the Chesapeake Bay and Endangered Species Fund on a state income tax form, donations from an online boating, fishing, and hunting license system, contributions from individuals and corporations, and partnerships with private foundations and federal, state, and local governments.
Photo (by Storm Cunningham) shows a Chesapeake Bay wetland near Solomons, Maryland.
Learn more about the Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns Grant Program (PDF).