Thank you Mayor Lundberg for the clarification!
Dear Gloucester Daily Times Editor,
It is my understanding that some of the information in the Gloucester Daily Times article “First steps taken in nature-based resiliency plan at Good Harbor Beach” has sparked confusion among residents, and I want to make sure that everyone has the full picture.
Residents may have seen a social media post referencing the article and incorrectly stating that the City is positioned to accept or reject a grant that would affect our ownership and management of Good Harbor Beach. Nothing could be further from the truth.
What the article actually references is a grant that the organization TownGreen has already received, not one the City received. The City is not poised to receive any funding associated with TownGreen’s work for this project.
TownGreen’s grant is a technical assistance grant that will provide the City with a design proposal to improve the health of Good Harbor Beach. To be clear, when TownGreen was applying for this grant, they asked the City to provide them with a letter of support. The City had conversations with TownGreen where TownGreen understood that they would be providing the City with a plan in an advisory role only, and that there is no obligation on the City’s part to follow the plan or implement any of the proposed conservation methods. Based on that understanding, the City did provide a letter of support.
I want to make it clear that the statement in the social media post “Mayor Lundberg controls whether Gloucester accepts this grant money.” is factually incorrect – there is no grant money. Moreover, the City has no plans to pursue any funds or assistance beyond resiliency planning and design documents.
The social media post and GDT article also reference wildlife, which I would like to make sure is
corrected. The grant TownGreen received has nothing to do with the seabirds, native or otherwise – the focus is on dune restoration, salt marsh rehabilitation, culvert improvements, and flood mitigation to help maintain and improve the health of Good Harbor. None of the research or design work being done by TownGreen would impact ownership or jurisdiction of the beach.
One statement made in the social media post rings true, that many of us grew up on Good Harbor and that the beach belongs to the people of Gloucester. I agree, and urge everyone to understand that any conservation efforts that are done are thoughtfully considered with the ultimate goal of making sure that our future generations can also enjoy Good Harbor Beach.
The City has been in touch with the GDT, and would like to thank those of you who have reached out to us with concerns. Unfortunately not everything you see on social media is true, but we are here to set the record straight. If you do have questions about information like this in the future, please know that we are here to help. You can always call City Hall directly to hear straight from the source what is going on.
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Mayor Paul Lundberg
City of Gloucester
