Mayoral administrations in Johnston and Cranston are welcoming the news that the neighboring communities will join the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank’s Municipal Resilience Program (MRP).

“Enrolling Johnston in the Municipal Resilience Program was something I ran on last summer,” said Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena Jr. “The MRP allows us to work with leaders around the state to combat the effects of the severe weather we’ve seen in recent years.”

Earlier this week, the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank announced three municipalities — the City of Cranston and towns of Johnston and West Warwick — have been selected to participate in the MRP.

“Cranston and Johnston join West Warwick, who was accepted earlier this year, as the three newest participants to be welcomed into the MRP through the Bank’s new rolling MRP participation application process,” according to a press release from the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank. “Communities participating in the MRP complete a workshop process designed to identify priority projects and strategies to improve the municipality’s resilience to natural and climate-related hazards. Communities completing the MRP process are then eligible for action grants to implement resilient infrastructure solutions.”

The program may help Johnston prepare for future catastrophic events.

“Here in Johnston, that seems to primarily be flooding,” Polisena explained. “The MRP will help us identify ways we can mitigate flooding throughout the town. Perhaps most importantly, enrolling in the MRP allows us to apply for grant funding for these projects. I’m glad Mayor Hopkins and I have both enrolled in the program.”

Following Johnston and Cranston’s selections, 35 out 39 Ocean State municipalities have now signed up for the MRP.

“With help from the Nature Conservancy, 33 have completed Community Resilience Building workshops and developed prioritized lists of actionable resilience plans and projects,” according to the bank. “Municipalities are then eligible to submit applications for MRP Action Grants with a 25% local match requirement. To date, the Bank has awarded more than $7 million in MRP Action Grants to 16 municipalities across the state. In 2022, Rhode Island voters approved the Question 3 Green Bond, including $16 million for MRP Action Grants.”

Mayor Ken Hopkins learned a lesson from recent storms.

“Cranston is excited to work collaboratively with fellow municipalities in RI Infrastructure Bank’s Municipal Resilience Program,” Hopkins said earlier this week. “The urban flash-flooding events of this summer are a perfect example of hazards facing our city that have been greatly exacerbated by climate change. By participating in RMP, Cranston will be better equipped to identify and address challenges of today, and tomorrow, as soon as possible.”

The MRP process is intended to help Cranston, Johnston, and West Warwick “identify resilience priorities and qualify for grant funding to implement infrastructure solutions.”

“As we have seen with recent extreme rainfall and flooding events, Rhode Island’s infrastructure needs to be made more resilient to the impacts of climate change,” said Jeffrey R. Diehl, CEO of Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank. “That is what the Bank’s Municipal Resilience Program is all about, helping our municipal partners identify key resilience challenges, plan solutions, and qualify for grant funding to implement resilient infrastructure solutions. We look forward to working with Cranston, Johnston, and West Warwick as they participate in the Municipal Resilience Program process.”

The Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank considers itself “Rhode Island’s central hub for financing infrastructure improvements for municipalities, businesses, and homeowners.”

“Rhode Island’s cities and towns are already feeling the impacts of climate change — from increased damage from storms to rising sea levels,” said Sue AnderBois, The Nature Conservancy’s Climate and Energy Program Manager. “The Nature Conservancy is proud to partner with the Infrastructure Bank to bring these resilience planning workshops to Cranston, Johnston, and West Warwick.”