‘Seems like it's happening more' – Groton getting ahead of flooding to protect businesses in Mystic and Groton

The town of Groton is tackling flooding, a frequent problem for Groton and Mystic.

They are taking the resiliency approach, ensuring businesses in the downtown corridor stay viable well into the future.

A small team is leading the charge.

“Just saving businesses and showing what they can do,” Amealia Maynard, a recent UConn graduate and fellow with the town of Groton, said.

She is working on the flooding project with a direct goal of assisting businesses with their resiliency, and she started with gathering resources and information.

“Google is this huge world, so taking all that information, making it digestible so businesses owners can get to the root of what should I do,” said Maynard.

She took relevant information to Groton and Mystic and created a flooding tool kit full of suggestions, resources and information for vulnerable businesses to lean on.

Thursday was phase 2, the offering of that information.

Maynard, along with Megan Granato, manager of sustainability and resiliency for Groton, were out pounding pavement all morning and visiting businesses in the downtown area to tell them about the tool kit.

“They have needs, they have ideas, and they have thoughts that maybe we haven’t thought about, so we will continue to build that tool kit based on their suggestions,” said Granato.

This was also a chance for businesses to weigh in with their thoughts about what the town is doing, or could do.

“I feel like when we talk about flood preparations, climate change, how it's getting worse, sea-level rise, the business community gets left out of the conversation,” Maynard said.

One of the businesses was Finer Line Gallery and Framers of the Lost Art located on the corner of West Main Street and Pearl Street.

The owner said when flooding happened during Superstorm Sandy, water came up all the way to her front step but luckily never breached her business, so her questions came from a place of experience.

“They were out on an information-seeking mission,” Donna Williston, the owner of the gallery, said.

She’s been in her spot on the corner downtown for nearly 40 years, so she is no stranger to a flooded street.

“Seems like it’s happening more,” she said.

According to the town, it is and will continue to be a problem as the climate continues to change.

Williston had the chance to ask questions, like where to locate sandbags if there is a flooding threat, resources if a business floods, and she also had the chance to offer suggestions.

“It would be nice. Maybe they could have some go-to numbers that the town works with,” she suggested to the group.

Maynard was happy to gather suggestions. She plans to continue the work, updating the tool kit and even plans to make a second trip downtown.

“I am going to put together what I learned, what we could improve on and I hope these conversations continue,” she said.

Granato seemed proud of the work Maynard was doing and recognized how important it will be as the climate continues to change.

“They are the heart of Mystic and it is so crucial to the whole area's economy that the businesses continue to thrive here,” said Granato.