Barrington will receive a grant as part of the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank’s Municipal Resilience Program.

The grant, which totals $249,521, will be used to make improvements at the town’s municipal tree nursery, and also for shoreline adaptation and resilience projects. The shoreline work will take place in a number of locations in town, including at Woodbine Avenue, Adams Avenue, Watson Avenue, Clark Road, and Water Way. 

At those locations, the town will remove invasive plants and excess asphalt, and install new inlet structures, infiltration basins, and native plantings. The projects will “enhance visitor experience through restoring pedestrian public shoreline access…” New educational signs will also be placed at the sites.

At the municipal tree nursery, fencing will be placed to protect growing trees from deer. Tree species will be selected for resilience to climate change impacts. 

The projects, which will address flooding, water quality, and high temperatures, will be supported by community engagement efforts regarding stormwater, green infrastructure, and tree planting.

“The Infrastructure Bank stands by our commitment to Rhode Island’s municipalities to accelerate investment in critical infrastructure and nature-based solutions that will better prepare communities for a changing climate” said Jeffrey R. Diehl, CEO of Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank. “The Bank’s Municipal Resilience Program directly supports cities and towns to identify and fund priority resilience projects, with a particular focus on nature-based solutions and those benefitting disadvantaged communities. We look forward to building on the success of the first three rounds of the program and strengthening relationships with our municipal partners statewide to proactively address climate change.”