The towns of Kennebunk and Kennebunkport discussed collaborative ideas to address climate change at a joint meeting last week.

This year, both towns adopted Climate Action Plans and have formed, or are in the process of forming, committees to help implement policies surrounding climate change.

Kennebunk adopted 22 strategies with over 70 actions within those strategies, and Kennebunkport adopted nine strategies with 24 sub-strategies.

Kennebunk and Kennebunk have agreed to work together to address coastal resilience efforts. Dan King / Post

Regionally, the Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission is working to implement policies to address climate change. Locally, municipal staff or board members can help implement policies.

Karina Graeter, sustainability director for the Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission, said towns should be looking at working together to address local zoning updates, electrify fleets, Capital Improvement Policy changes, and infrastructure resilience projects.

“You don’t have to go alone in implementing those plans,” Graeter said.

Graeter also encouraged the towns to increase opportunities for walking and biking between towns, and work on solar, electric vehicle and energy upgrades.

The two towns agreed that addressing coastal resilience efforts for Lower Village and Dock Square is important to work on collaboratively.

In January, major winter storms flooded the downtown areas and wreaked havoc on oceanfront properties.

A large section of seawall was damaged by the January storms. Dan King / Post

“We flood out, and Kennebunk floods out in Lower Village,” Kennebunkport Board of Selectmen member Allen Daggett said. “It was terrible in January.”

Daggett suggested hiring an engineering firm to find possible solutions to the severe flooding, which Daggett said could be things like a flood gate.

“We need to start taking care of some of these problems,” Daggett said.

Over the next month or two, Kennebunk plans to appoint members to the Climate Action Committee.

The towns will continue to work together to address climate change problems.