JAY — Jay is already carrying out many of the steps recommended in Maine’s new statewide infrastructure resilience plan, work that began after severe flooding damaged multiple roads, Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere told the Select Board Oct. 27.

The plan comes from the Maine Infrastructure Rebuilding and Resilience Commission, a group established in 2024 to study how communities can better prepare for stronger and more frequent storms. LaFreniere served on the 24-member commission, which included local officials, engineers and emergency management representatives.

“I was asked to participate after Jay was impacted by three FEMA-declared storms in 2023 that caused devastating damage to our roads and infrastructure,” LaFreniere said.

Some of the most significant failures occurred on roads such as Macomber Hill, Begin Road and Hutchinson Road, where intense runoff overtopped drainage systems and washed out sections of pavement.

A major focus of the recovery effort has been the replacement of culverts. When a culvert is undersized or damaged, stormwater can pool and overrun the roadway, undermining the roadbed and leading to washouts.

LaFreniere said sizing culverts correctly is one of the most important steps towns can take to reduce future flood damage.

“It’s about looking at your infrastructure and seeing where the vulnerabilities are,” she said. “We have to make sure what we put back is going to withstand what we’re seeing now, because storms are more intense.”

Jay’s work to improve buildings and infrastructure began before the 2023 storms. The town joined the state’s Community Resilience Partnership in 2022 and has since completed several projects aimed at long-term sustainability. Those efforts have included installing energy-efficient lighting in all municipal buildings, insulating the Town Office and Police Department roof, updating heating systems in several facilities, and renovating the Public Works garage. The town is also in the engineering phase for two major culvert replacements.

Funding for these efforts has come through Community Resilience Partnership grants, Efficiency Maine and American Rescue Plan Act funds.

LaFreniere said the statewide commission’s report organizes its recommendations into three broad areas. The first focuses on strengthening infrastructure and reducing disaster risk by identifying vulnerable roads and drainage systems, improving local risk assessments, and increasing the resilience of energy systems.

The second emphasizes emergency coordination, communication during storms and clearing barriers that slow rebuilding after disasters. The third highlights long-term planning, including the need for better data to inform community decisions and strategies to secure ongoing funding.

“A lot of what the report outlines are things Jay is already doing,” LaFreniere said. “The intent was that someone should be able to pick up the document and say, ‘What should a community do?’ It was written to be practical.”

She said the storms of 2023 were a reminder that planning cannot wait until damage is already done.

“The work of the commission underscores why we need to keep resiliency in the forefront when we make decisions about infrastructure and future projects,” she said.

LaFreniere also noted that Jay is financially stable enough to take a steady approach to this work.

“We are in a good position, the town of Jay has a healthy undesignated fund,” she said.

She explained that thoughtful planning helps prevent sharp increases in local taxes when emergencies occur. For Jay, she said, the effort is both recovery and preparation.

“This is part of making sure we’re prepared,” LaFreniere said. “So that the next time something happens, we’re ready.”

The commission released its long-term statewide resilience plan in May 2025.