Town of Agawam to Hold Public Engagement Events for Hazard Mitigation Plan

12 Feb 2015

Agawam residents are invited to provide comments on the update of the Town of Agawam Hazard Mitigation Plan at Tuesday, February 24 and Tuesday, March 3 at 10 a.m. at the Agawam Department of Public Works, 1000 Suffield Street. The plan is being produced by the Town with assistance from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). All members of the public are welcome to attend these events.

The first meeting will include an introduction to the planning process, a summary of existing mitigation initiatives, and a discussion of strategies for addressing natural hazards in Agawam. The second meeting will include an overview of the planning process, summary of existing mitigation initiatives, and detail on recommended strategies for addressing natural hazards going forward. Municipal officials and PVPC staff will be available to answer questions and listen to comments on the draft plan, which is posted at http://www.agawam.ma.us/. A paper copy of the plan will also be available at the Agawam Department of Public Works. For those unable to attend the meetings, written comments can be submitted by March 3 to pgambarini@pvpc.org.

This planning effort is being undertaken to help the Town of Agawam assess the risks faced from natural hazards, identify action steps that can be taken to prevent damage to property and loss of life, and prioritize funding for mitigation efforts. A mitigation action is any action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from hazards.

For more information, please contact Michael Albro , Agawam Assistant Town Engineer, at  (413) 821-0628 or malbro@agawam.ma.us or Chet Nicora, Agawam Emergency Management Director, at (413) 786-0400, ext. 8925 or emdirector@agawam.ma.us.