Hazard Mitigation Grants Administrator at MEMA Dave Woodbury speaks to Leominster officials at the intersection of Mechanic Street and Manning Avenue in Leominster, discussing the Monoosnoc Brook project during a visit in October of 2023. (GARY FOURNIER)
LEOMINSTER — Sen. Ed Markey, along with Sen. Elizabeth Warren Rep. Jim McGovern, this week announced nearly $6 million for the city of Leominster from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
The funding will support a project to reduce flood risks in the city through the redesign of the channel of Monoosnoc Brook in downtown Leominster.
“Monoosnoc Brook runs through the heart of our downtown business community,” said Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella. “Since the partial collapse of one of its walls in 2017, the repair and upgrade to the entire brook corridor has been a top priority for us. These funds will not only help to protect critical infrastructure and the environment, but will help continue to make downtown Leominster a destination.”
Monoosnoc Brook was one of several waterways in Leominster that flooded during the devastating storms in September 2023. The $6 million grant will fund the city’s Leominster-Monoosnoc Brook Resilient Redesign and Retrofit Project, redesigning its surrounding infrastructure to increase resiliency and mitigate flood risk.
“Downtown Leominster’s infrastructure requires the same resilience displayed by the city’s residents after last year’s flooding,”said Sen. Markey. “I am proud to have fought for this funding on their behalf to mitigate the risk of flooding and prevent future disasters. I thank FEMA and Mayor Mazzarella for their commitment to this vital work.”
This funding comes in addition to the $6 million in Individual Assistance funding that FEMA has distributed to residents and businesses impacted by the flooding on Sept. 11, 2023. Following this flooding, the Congressional delegation advocated to President Biden and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell asking them to approve Governor Healey’s request for a major disaster declaration for Massachusetts. After FEMA denied the initial request, in March the delegation wrote to the President and FEMA and successfully urged them to approve the Governor’s appeal.
-Office of U.S. Sen. Ed Markey
