Small Town News

County seeking federal grants to fund channel

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Wharton County, with assistance from the county's drainage consultants Halff and Associates, will be looking to pry some money loose from the federal government to help fund the East Mustang Creek Channelization Project.

In introducing the topic, Precinct 3 Commissioner Philip Miller admitted he thought that funds for the project had dried up, but then learned there is still $30 million in remaining FEMA funds from the Hurricane Ike Recovery allocations and an additional $800 million in ORCA funds that have not been designated for use.

Miller then requested the commissioners approve spending $23,000 from the budget with Halff for the preparation of grant applications to help fund the work.

"I understand it is a gamble," Miller said. "But I think it is a worthwhile gamble."

Halff Representative Eric Scheibe said $10,000 of those fees would go toward the collection of additional environmental study information necessary to complete the FEMA application and $10,000 for preparing the application itself. The remaining $3,000 would be to develop additional demographic information on Louise for that application. He added he had a meeting scheduled with ORCA officials to determine the viability of any application and it would not be prepared, and the money not spent, if there was only a limited chance it would be approved.

He added that the work would be billed at an hourly rate and would not exceed the designated amounts.

In another action involving Halff, the commissioners approved contracting with the company for inspection services called for in the recently adopted drainage ordinance, which was prepared by the consulting company. Scheibe said the fees called for in the ordinance are estimates of what it would cost the company to do the work. The commissioners also approved amending its contract for additional engineering services related to the San Bernard Clearing Project. Precinct 2 Commissioner Chris King said there was temporary funding available to do the first half mile of the downstream project in the county's Texas Water Development Board grant even before the county learns if it is going to receive a FEMA grant to fund the remainder of the proposed work. He said that doing the first half mile would give the county a better understanding of the actual costs.

Scheibe said the county would have to pay for half of the $8,000 expense as its match, which King said would come from his precinct budget, with the TWDB grant covering the other $4,000. The engineer added that would leave $17,600 in the grant fund that is essentially use-it or lose-it funding that must be spent before mid-November.

"We've worked up roughly five projects the county can consider," he said. "But it is a 50 cents on the dollar match." Among those projects are work on the Baugh mann Slough that would tie in with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineering projects for flood relief in the city of Wharton and the construction of a ring levy around the old New gulf Sulphur plant to prevent future flooding and contamination.



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© 2009 East Bernard Express East Bernard, Texas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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