Cape Elizabeth authorizes grant-match funding for Sawyer Road removal project

An aerial view of Spurwink Marsh. Courtesy of Cape Elizabeth

Cape Elizabeth Town Council unanimously approved authorization of grant-match funding related to Sawyer Road at its June 12 meeting.

A part of Sawyer Road/Street lies on the Spurwink Marsh between Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough. The municipalities have held studies looking at the road, which frequently floods. The town councils met together last fall to discuss options. The towns found that the work needed to upgrade the road for resiliency in the face of sea level rise would cost several million dollars. Instead, the option of removing the road and restoring the marsh and its tidal flows is being examined.

Cape Elizabeth Town Council has authorized grant-match funding from Maine Natural Resources Conservation Program of up to $250,000. Scarborough would authorize the equal amount. The Cape Elizabeth Town Council also authorized the submission of further grant applications for the project, with the full total remaining within the authorized $250,000.

“It’s a big project. I think the idea is to invest money now and with that investment to avoid a much larger bill in the future to respond to climate change, to rising sea levels, to storm surges,” said Cape Elizabeth Town Planner Maureen O’Meara. “I’m very pleased to be a member of a very nice team.”

To be in the competitive range to receive grant money, the town needs to have a real cash match, said O’Meara.

With Cape Elizabeth authorizing the grant-match funding, the municipality can send a letter of intent. If Maine Natural Resources Conservation Program approves the letter they will invite the towns to submit a full proposal. If the proposal is successful and funding is granted, then town staff are required to return to the council, who will have the opportunity to choose whether or not to accept it.

There was no public comment. Councilor Timothy Reiniger asked how common it is for there to be a cooperative project between towns such as this proposal. O’Meara explained that it is “unusual but not unprecedented,” with other examples of cooperative arrangements between Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough and South Portland.

The authorization was unanimously approved by the council. Councilor Gretchen Noonan was absent from the meeting. The funding decisions by Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program will likely be made in November or December this year, with contracts signed early spring 2024. The cash-match funding could then be involved in the fiscal year 2025 budget.

“I’d just note that I am pleased to see us moving ahead with the next step in lining up funding for this project,” said council chair Jeremy Gabrielson. “I think it makes a lot of sense for us to move forward this project and also to make sure that we are thinking about and lining our ducks up to deal with the other crossings in town. Most notably, on the other side of the marsh where there is a narrower area that is also going to be affected by sea level rise that gets you from Colonial Village to the dump, and where we are going to need to spend some money to make that resilient in the long term. More than 250,000 dollars.”