City Council Meeting Date: September 15, 2020
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: David Bennett Public Works Director/City Engineer
Title
Consider Resolution for Advance Assistance from MN Homeland Security and Emergency Management for Downtown Flood Study.
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council approves the attached Resolution for Advance Assistance from MN Homeland Security and Emergency Management for Downtown Flood Study.
Summary Report:
The City, over the last 10 years, has had numerous flooding events of the Cannon River causing damages to properties and public infrastructure. The City continues to get requests from adjacent businesses requesting improvements to mitigate future flooding events.
As part of the City's 2018 utility rate study, a capital project was included in the storm fund in 2023 for west river wall flood improvements. This proposed advanced assistance project with MN Homeland Security and Emergency Management would help study which of the Downtown Flood Improvement Options are available.
Funding the study through the Advanced Assistance program will allow the City to determine if the proposed improvement projects are eligible for FEMA assistance. The Advanced Assistance will pay 75% of the study cost, and the other 25% is local funding.
There are three phases to the project study, only Phase 1 is being requested to be authorized at this time:
Phase 1 - Study and Identify Downtown Flood Improvement Options and identify costs for the improvements.
Phase 2 - Complete FEMA Benefit Cost Analysis
Phase 3 - Identify Eligible Project and Prepare Plans for construction.
There are five properties north of the Fourth Street Bridge along the Riverwalk, three properties south of the Fifth Street Bridge, and three City park properties (Ames Park, Riverside Park, and Babcock Park) included in the Study (Attachment 2).
Staff solicited proposals from five consulting firms that have experience with flood im...
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