ANNAPOLIS, MD — The United States Naval Support Activity (NSA), the City of Annapolis, and Anne Arundel County, Maryland have partnered to conduct a community resilience review to ensure continued function and ensure mission preparedness of the Annapolis-based United States Naval Academy. The cooperative partnership has selected leading global design firm Stantec to conduct the review.

The project will include the identification and development of strategies to enhance resilience in response to extreme weather events and environmental changes associated with sea-level rise and climate change, including specific transportation and evacuation strategies. The review is intended to protect and preserve military readiness and support continued community and economic development. The Department of Defense is funding the study through a joint grant request submitted by the City of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, and NSA.

Charged with delivering base operating support services to tenant commands, NSA Annapolis sits on 7.2 square miles of land, which includes 17 miles of waterfront on the Chesapeake Bay and Severn River and is the home to the United States Naval Academy. The academy is bordered by the City of Annapolis and uses city and county road networks for ingress and egress from academy grounds. These shared assets present shared challenges, but also shared opportunities. Opportunities to leverage resources and partner on resilience planning will result from the review.

The completed review will include an action plan with recommended resilience actions and prioritized projects with a focus on shared critical infrastructure and programs. These may include energy, water and wastewater, stormwater conveyance, transportation and evacuation, communication networks, health services, community housing, schools, and daycare centers.

"Climate change impacts, natural disasters, and extreme weather events coupled with man-made threats have amplified in recent years, driving communities across the country to address their vulnerabilities," said Cyrena Eitler, Strategic Planning Advisor and Project Manager at Stantec. "We look forward to working with the City of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, the State of Maryland, and NSA Annapolis to create a plan that will support both the community and the military's mission for years to come."

The review is expected to be completed by June 2022.

This year, Stantec was named the fifth most sustainable company in the world and the first in North America by Corporate Knights. Stantec is the only engineering and design firm to earn an A- rating from CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) for its climate change leadership in the last three years.