Town Seeks State Grant For Shellfish Upweller

CHATHAM – Plans are well underway for the new multipurpose shorefront project at 90 Bridge St., and the town is now seeking state funds to help defray the cost of the project’s centerpiece: a new upweller system for growing seed shellfish.

 Shellfish Constable Renee Gagne told a meeting of the shellfish advisory committee last month that the town was applying for a Food Security Infrastructure Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. If approved, the grant could cover the entire cost of the upweller’s components, including tanks and silos, a pumping system and related plumbing and a generator to provide backup power. The grant application was for around $800,000, and Gagne said she’s optimistic it will be approved.

 The goal of the grant program is to ensure that the public has equitable access to food, with a special focus on food that is produced locally, state officials say. The program also seeks to ensure that farmers, fishermen and other local food producers are better connected to a strong, resilient food system to safeguard against future supply chain disruptions. The upweller is a good match for the grant because it helps local families with food security, boosts the economy, helps with climate resiliency and provides equitable access to the resource, officials say.

 “We feel that we check a lot of the boxes that this grant asks for,” Gagne told the committee. The grant awards amounts of up to $1 million, and requires a local match of 20 percent. “We have that. We were approved at town meeting,” she said. Voters have already authorized full funding for the estimated $11 million project, which includes a new pier with floating docks for recreational and commercial boaters and space for the renovated historic Coast Guard boathouse, which will house the new upweller. The current upweller at Old Mill Boat Yard is outdated and undersized and is prone to contamination from any spills at the adjacent town boat ramp.

 “This investment will ensure the continuity and future growth of Chatham’s well-established and carefully managed shellfish propagation program, which plays a vital role in sustaining the local economy, supporting working waterfronts and promoting environmental stewardship,” the town’s grant application reads.

 “Chatham is the top wild quahog producer in the state, and that’s no accident,” Natural Resources Director Greg Berman said. “It’s the result of decades of investment in shellfish propagation and careful stewardship of our natural resources. This grant would help us modernize and expand our upweller to continue leading the way in sustainable, local seafood production.

 Chatham’s commercial and recreational shellfish industries support working families, fuel the local economy and provide access to fresh, local food, Berman said.

 “We’ve got the track record, the technical expertise, and a shovel-ready plan that makes us a strong candidate for this grant,” he said. 

 Applying for the grant has another benefit, Gagne told the committee.

 “It would be very, very helpful and would go a long way with the public to show that we’ve done our due diligence in certainly looking for outside funding to support this project,” she said.