The Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program, a unit of Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management, has to move from its current location, and so we are seeking to lease office space. This solicitation differs from a similar request made in late in 2018 in that it eliminates certain space requirements like a transaction window and water quality sample processing room and reduces the space needed.

Our search area includes the Towns of Fairhaven, Marion, Mattapoisett, and Wareham. The Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance is conducting a solicitation on our behalf, and invites proposals to lease approximately 1,300 usable square feet of office space in the above-referenced search area for a term of ten years. Proposals must be submitted to:

Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance
Office of Leasing and State Office Planning
One Ashburton Place
14^th Floor – Room 1411
Boston, Massachusetts 02108

Proposals must be submitted by the deadline of May 1, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. Proposals will be opened at that time.

The Bid RFP can be downloaded from commbuys.com. This link contains the phone number and email address of the DCAMM contact.  You may also email leasing.dcamm@state.ma.us or call 857-204-1355 to request a copy of the RFP, referencing Project Number 201921000.1, or call 857-204-1800. This public notice is available at masspublicnotices.org.

Please keep in mind that submission requirements include a floor plan that shows how the space will be built out to meet the bid specifications, and the costs of any needed modifications or remodeling need to be incorporated into the proposed rent.  The bid specifications include a minimum of one private office within the floor plan, but if the existing space is already further partitioned with additional rooms, that can be acceptable if other requirements are met.  Read the bid RFP at this link: commbuys.com.  Late proposals will not be considered.

The Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program (NEP) has been working with Buzzards Bay communities since the 1990s to map stormwater catch basins and discharge pipes. In 2016, the NEP collaborated with the non-profit Buzzards Bay Action Committee (BBAC) to form the Buzzards Bay Stormwater Collaborative, beginning a more systematic effort to map underground stormwater networks and monitor stormwater discharges. The initiative, funded by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Healthy Communities grant to the BBAC, consisted of five participating municipal public works departments (Dartmouth, Acushnet,Fairhaven, Mattapoisett, and Wareham) working with staff from the BBAC and NEP.

The Buzzards Bay Stormwater Collaborative is expanding in February 2019 thanks to a new partnership with the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA). This new initiative, which is funded by a $160,000 award from the Buzzards Bay NEP using EPA Southeast New England Program grant funds, will add three additional municipalities (Westport, Marion, and Bourne) to the collaborative. Under the agreement, MMA will provide staff support and co-op students who will work with Buzzards Bay municipalities and the Buzzards Bay NEP. Students participating in MMA’s Environmental Monitoring program—including four part-time work-study students during the school year, five full time co-op students during the summer, and a full time coordinator—will join the team. In addition to funding, the Buzzards Bay NEP is providing supervision to the students, water quality test kits for the project, and contracts with local laboratories to test stormwater for bacteria and other contaminants that cannot be measured using field test kits. Professor Bill Hubbard, who is the instructor of two MMA Environmental Monitoring courses, is coordinating the effort for the Academy.

“Buzzards Bay municipalities are enthusiastic for this support,” said Joe Costa, Executive Director of the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program. “Mapping stormwater networks and monitoring discharges is a requirement for a new U.S. EPA stormwater permit that municipalities must comply with beginning in June 2019, and this partnership will help give these communities the expertise and staff support to get their work done.”

Francis J. Veale, Jr. Chair, Marine Science, Safety and Environmental Protection Department at MMA noted, “Students at Massachusetts Maritime Academy will be working with municipalities and the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program to analyze real world environmental issues. This partnership will further the regional knowledge of ecological risks for the Buzzards Bay watershed, while giving our students hands-on experience preparing them for their future careers.” William A. Hubbard, a Marine Ecologist in the Department further noted, “These internships are just what our students need to bolster their applied science skills. They will take pride in the contribution they make to bettering the ecological conditions of our Buzzards Bay estuary.” Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

For more information on past monitoring efforts, data reports, and maps visit http://stormwater.buzzardsbay.org/.

October 2019 update:

On October 11, Restore America’s Estuaries and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $1.2 million in funding to six local partnerships in Massachusetts through the Southeast New England Program (SNEP) Watershed Grants. Among the grants, The Massachusetts Maritime Academy received $176,581 to continue and expand the Buzzards Bay Stormwater Collaborative. The project will be integrated into a new MMA curriculum and students will work to support communities in stormwater compliance.

For more information, see the SNEP grant announcement.

Buzzards Bay and the Cape Cod Canal are part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, an important shipping route for maritime commerce. Millions of tons of cargo pass through Buzzards Bay and the Cape Cod Canal annually, and hundreds of thousands of tons of goods leave or arrive in New Bedford as well. Our new waterborne commerce statistics page summarizes tonnage of various commodities shipped in and out of Buzzards Bay, and some of the commodities may surprise you.  We also provide helpful links where you can find more information.