BERLIN – A $75,000 grant is expected to help the town move forward with stormwater improvements in the area of Graham Avenue and Grice Street.
The town received a $75,000 grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust to construct a submerged gravel wetland on Graham Avenue. Berlin partnered with the Maryland Coastal Bays Program to apply for the grant.
“Partnerships continue to keep us cool,” Mayor Gee Williams said. “We look forward to working with Maryland Coastal Bays to address flooding around Graham Avenue and Grice Street.”
The grant will provide funding for the construction of a submerged gravel wetland but will also cover the cost of public outreach and community engagement regarding stormwater.
“We’ll be working with Maryland Coastal Bays to reach out to the community to help them understand the importance of stormwater,” Town Administrator Laura Allen said.
Allen said a submerged gravel wetland, similar to one on Flower Street, would now be able to be constructed on town-owned property on Graham Avenue. The site was previously one of the town’s substations.
“There’s a very natural flow that occurs around this property,” Allen said. “We think it’s going to be a great location.”
She said much of the site analysis had already taken place and that easements wouldn’t be required since the town owned the property.
The submerged gravel wetland is expected to improve drainage in the neighborhood and enhance the quality of the water making its way into the coastal bays.
“It creates capacity and it provides for filtration,” Allen said.
The project is expected to be complete by September of 2019.
