NORTH SMITHFIELD – North Smithfield has been approved for $50,000 grant from the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank to develop a Stormwater Master Plan for an area of town where beaver dams and other issues have led to increased flooding in recent years.
Funding for the Dawley Brook Master Plan will aim to protect public infrastructure and private property, and to strengthen community resilience in response to climate change, according to a release from RIIB. The brook The travels from a pond in Massachusetts, under Mechanic Street, Great Road, Greene Street, and School Street, terminating at the Branch River.
RIIB, a hub for financing infrastructure improvements, approved a total of $377,500 in Community Project Assistance Fund grant awards for communities across the state, also including Jamestown, Lincoln, Middletown, Pawtucket, Scituate, South Kingstown, and West Warwick, according to the release. Funds will be used for technical assistance to support design, feasibility analysis, needs assessment, strategic planning and engineering for projects that advance community resilience, improve stormwater management, and enhance public infrastructure.
“We hear from our cities and town partners all the time that they need help getting key infrastructure projects off the ground with initial planning and technical assistance,” said RIIB Executive Director Bill Fazioli. “With planning work supported by these grants, we are confident these projects will be able to move forward and apply for low-cost financing through the Bank for eventual construction and implementation.”
“Infrastructure projects don’t happen without significant upfront investments in planning and engineering,” said Board Chairman Vahid Ownjazayeri.
RIIB notes that the town of North Smithfield has experienced an increased frequency of flooding events along Dawley Brook, and has witnessed temporary road closures, property damage and an increased need for town resources to repair damage and protect residents.
Recent discussions of how to address the area’s flooding issue have focused on what to do with the beavers that have built – and then rebuilt – the dams at the root of the problem. The flooding at a 27 acre property at 275 Mechanic Street has damaged an abutting driveway, which recently started to develop a sinkhole.
Councilor Rebecca DeCristofaro has called for humane solutions to the problem, such as installation of a beaver deceiver, since she learned that the town’s usual practice is to euthanize the critters.
Town Administrator Scott Gibbs clarified this week that no intervention actions on the property are planned at this time – including either removal of the beavers or installation of remedial actions – until/unless the town can obtain written consent from the owner. The lot was owed by a Catholic charity for years, but was purchased last year by Michael Mongeon, the owner of North Smithfield Tree Service.
Town officials have said they are in talks with Mongeon on a solution, but no plan has yet been determined.
This grant will instead be used to develop a Stormwater Master Plan for the Dawley Brook corridor, from the Massachusetts State line southerly to its discharge into the Branch River.
“The brook travels through multiple private properties,” said Gibbs. “That has no effect on our ability to study the problem and identifying strategies to mitigate flooding issues.”
“The grant will review the flooding issues at several locations, including Mechanic Street,” Gibbs explained. “The issue of the beavers and their damming of the pond outfall will surely be addressed in the study.”
RIIB’s release notes that Dawley Brook “flows through an area of town that is central to the town’s economy, recreation and environmental health.”
“We are pleased to see the interest in the program, and the important stormwater and resilience projects these grants will help move forward,” said Ownjazayeri.
RIIB noted that the Community Project Assistance Fund will remain open to additional municipal project applications until grant resources are exhausted.
Editor’s note: The above article has been edited to clarify the location of the brook and to include additional comment from Administrator Gibbs.
