As reported by Adam Jacobs
Ratified change of Town Meeting Day to May 14th
Ratify town council support for flood omnibus bill
Agency of Natural Resources Report:
- What did we learn from 2023?
- Protect flood plain functions
- Restore flood plain functions
Watershed of Barre City is just shy of 100 square miles
We all live downstream
First people were 300 feet above walking on the Lake Winooski. Being on a lake itself is part of the shaping of the city.
Barre City has 2nd highest number of buildings in the high risk flood area. (1-Bennington, 3-Montpelier)
342 in high-risk zone. 11% in all.
Been flooding since glacier lake disappeared….1927 was huge.
2016—updated flood insurance map
Global Average Surface Temperature has now hit 1.5 (100,000 years)
Affecting sea temperatures…Florida reaching over 100 degrees which affected the flood
Change in precipitation patterns, lower rainfalls to higher intensity rainfalls.
2011: central and southern Vermont
2023, up the entire spine of Northern Appalachian
Helpful, comprehensive, not up to date, can’t predict future
ERAF (Emergency Relief and Assistance Fund) Rates…steps to reduce flood damage, the state picks up more money
BC is missing Road and Bridge Standards
…missing Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
…missing River Corridor Protection Plan
What happened? What should we prepare for?
Precipitation Data
Flood Insurance Rate Map and Update with pluvial flooding
Community Records
Vermont Geological Suvery–Landslides
Protect Flood plains, room for rivers and ocean temperatures
Slow down the delivery and depth of excessive water
Restore floodplain functions
Adapt—Bounce Forward
Promote future growth for a safe, affordable, thriving community
Deploy funding tools for flood safe residents and workplaces
Improve built infrastructure, including bridges
Improve storm drainage and problems with sediment accumulation
FLOODPLAIN: Store and move floodwater, ice, debris
Keep water clean (trapping sediments, nutrients)
Enrich soil
Protect the room needed by the river, protect functions, no adverse affects
Thoughts on North End Rebuild
Sketch to just put something forward
The pond is a lovely idea
Need to consider storm-front impacts
Storm water pond—could include surface water as a recreational, aesthetic feature
Where can the community get money for substantial damage?
Flood Insurance—Access to anyone in community for overland flow and damage caused by that
Accessible, not cheap, and driven by repeated old buildings
IA—rare, massive flood events and disasters, up to 40,000 odd dollars for things that can’t be insured, including displacement
Funding through SBA, for loans for a low interest rate, for something already in a disaster situation
Other corporations put out loans with low-interest rates
FEMA sources—FEMA mititagtion program, Vermont Emergency Management—Buyout or acquisition stage, elevation projects, but complex and expensive, make numbers add up at FEMA level
Flood Resiliency Community Fund, to supplement FEMA fund, to deal with cliffhangers, not fit in neatly with flood situations, exhausted, legislature look at ways to refund it
Private foundation money.
Community Development Block Grant, Disaster Recovery Fund through HUD, needs a special act through Congress, $$$ has not shown up, very flexible money, can shift things around without acquisiton project
Omnibus Flood Bill, collapse of Grand List (tax revenue) but also Ludlow, Cabot, Hardwick, a bunch of other communities, suffered immeasurably from the flood in July. Budget Act—wait for governor—to see if certain communities that have been inordinately impacted, and whether or not there is some recognition of that extraordinary need, core logic of 723 bill.
CITY MANAGER REPORT: CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT NEEDS
End-of-useful life assets: roof, boilers, HVAC
Heavy equipment: plows, dump trucks
Revenue-generating assets: Auditorium HVAC, BOR roof
Modernize old infrastructure: water and sewar mains and facilities
Flood Impacts: flood recovery projects are primarily capital, further stretching resources and staff bandwidth
Have accomplished many capital projects: paving, pool house roof replacement, Garfield playground structure, Granite City Apartments, Rotary Park, Fire and EMS thermal imaging, cruiser, ambulance, trailer, two plow trucks, DPW trucks, message boards.
