Page 67 - Middleborough 2024 Town Report

REPORT OF THE
PLANNING BOARD
and DEPARTMENT OF
PLANNING & COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT
• Celebrate Middleborough _________________________
Our 1st New Year’s Eve Celebration – This was a
collaborative efort on so many levels – Select Board, Town
Manager, DPW, Parks, Facilities, Police, Fire, Planning &
Community Development, Friends of the Library, Rockland
Trust, REXA Industries and several business merchants.
The festivities included a noise parade with the best noise
makers, bon fire, fireworks, s’mores, Christmas music, etc.
A wonderful time was had by all and the weather was
perfect! The planning for 2025 has already begun with
more activities to ofer the community.
• The Department received a Community One Stop for
Growth grant in the amount of $100,000 for a Workforce
Development/Urban Agenda project which is an
exploratory program which introduced a cohort of young
adults to diferent industries and training programs
through an eight-week, paid internship and concurrent
work readiness nighttime trainings. We had eight (8) young
adults take part in this program. The program was a
success! A special thank you to Josh Porter, the town’s
Mental Health Director.
• Finalized the update to 2016 Housing Production Plan
(HPP) through a $25,000 Housing Choice/Community One
Stop for Growth grant. Our regional planning agency,
SRPEDD, was chosen as the town’s consultant to assist in the
writing of the updated plan. Thank you to the following
members of our working group: Stephen Adelman –
Veterans’ Agent; Holly Begley – Council on Aging Director;
Leeann Bradley – Director of Planning and Community
Development; Ercilia Furtado – community resident; Julie
Mather – Middleborough Housing Authority Director; and,
Sandy Smiley – community resident. Through surveys and
interviews with residents and stakeholders, the main
concern with housing is that we do our best to provide
afordable housing to seniors, public safety workers and
veterans; encourage the construction of smaller dwellings
for first time homebuyers and those wishing to downsize, as
well as discouraging the construction of large multi-family
apartment complexes. Keeping the small-town, rural feel
of the town is paramount to the town’s residents.
• The update to the 2015 Hazard Mitigation Plan was
finalized and approved by FEMA on April 12, 2024. This plan
is in efect until April 11, 2029. With this approval, the Town
of Middleborough is eligible to apply to the Massachusetts
Emergency Management Agency for mitigation grants
administered by FEMA.
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