July 3, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The City of Central is happy to announce the awarding of a BRIC grant through the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). As a city that suffered great losses from the 2016 flood, we have worked hard to do our part to mitigate future disasters. The grant will be used to do three major flood control projects in the City, and the description of each will be below. Congressman Garret Graves has been instrumental in pushing FEMA on our behalf, and his tireless dedication to the mission of mitigating future disasters in the City of Central mean so much to me and this administration. I really hate to lose someone that has championed anything I have asked of him. I want to thank the City Council for supporting the vision that we have presented them, and I want to thank them for their support in spending resources on planning and grant writing because it is precisely what gave us the edge to be awarded this. This council just passed substantial legislation that I presented them with for the protection of our fragile watersheds, and what we allow to be constructed in them.
We submitted multiple grant requests through multiple avenues, and funding, through competitive processes. We were awarded $39.8 million dollars towards a total project cost of $53 million dollars. This will give us the opportunity to achieve meaningful improvements along 3 of our local watersheds. I want to thank our team at CSRS engineering for their work, and especially Stokka Brown, the team lead on these projects. CSRS has been a part of our recovery from the flood, and the technology they have created from data of the flood have been a big part of how we changed our development requirements, as it relates to flood control, and new development. Attached to this statement is the notice from FEMA, as well as the application language for the three projects.
I also want to thank our state delegation. Representative Lauren Ventrella and Senator Rick Edmonds were hard at work this session for the City of Central. Senator Edmonds was able to secure a project that I requested that will connect Huntley Subdivision to Wax Rd behind Central Square subdivision. This is necessary because the widening of Sullivan Rd will not have a light protected intersection at the current location. These improvements will help address the infrastructure needs of our Mainstreet corridor and will help bring the Mainstreet 2030 vision to life.
As always, my cell number is 225-413-6473.
Wade Evans
Mayor
City of Central
#oneheartatatime
#wearecentral
FEMA ANNOUNCEMENT: On July 2, 2024, FEMA announced the selections for the Fiscal Year 2023 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant cycle. This funding opportunity for $1 billion was open from Oct. 16, 2023 – Feb. 29, 2024. For this grant cycle announcement, FEMA received a record-number of applications from states, tribal nations, territories and local communities. In total, 1,284 sub-applications were submitted requesting more than $5.664 billion in federal cost share. This is five times more than the funding available. FEMA Selects 28 sub-applications for this Eligible Project Type Flood risk reduction projects are designed to eliminate or reduce the frequency, extent, and water depth of floods. Flood sources for these projects could be coastal, riverine, rainfall events, or a combination of those. These projects may require environmental assessments and the construction of flood control structures. Projects can include green space, flood storage systems, channels or berms, or other flood prevention projects that reduce flooding impacts on homes and communities.
GRANT APPLICATION LANGUAGE:
DRAUGHN CREEK
The proposed Draughan Creek Regional Detention Basin is a flood risk reduction project for the Draughan Creek Watershed which incorporates floodwater storage coupled with nature-based solutions. The proposed storage facility is a 28.3-acre dry detention basin with a storage volume of over 2 million cubic feet. It is located along the main branch of the Draughan Creek channel network, near the intersection of Wax Road and Durmast Drive in Central, Louisiana. To ensure that the proposed improvements are in compliance with available regulations and guidance, the City has completed a Hydrologic and Hydraulic (H&H) analysis to aid in project design. This study was done to evaluate the existing hydraulic behavior of the Draughan Creek watershed and to determine a proposed design that would provide adequate flood relief for affected areas. The sizing, placement, and volume of the proposed mitigation measures were validated and finalized based on the results of the completed H & H Report.
SHOE CREEK
The proposed channel improvements along Shoe Creek in Central, Louisiana are designed to address flood risk reduction in the Shoe Creek watershed area. The improvements supporting these activities include widening of the downstream 0.99 miles with a proposed 30’ bottom width, 2:1 side slope (see channel section 1); widening of 1.4 mile stretch south of Lovett Road with a proposed 20’ bottom width, 2:1 side slope (see channel section 2); widening of a 2.2 mile stretch between Hooper Road (LA State Hwy 408) & Lovett Road with a proposed 15' bottom width, 2:1 side slope (see channel section 3); and, widening of a 0.75 mile stretch north of Hooper Road (LA State HWY 408) with a proposed 15’ bottom width, 2:1 side slope (see channel section 4). This green infrastructure project will add riparian zones along the channel banks, incorporate bioengineered bank stability measures, implement strategic regrading of the channel bed to create a more gradual and uniform slope to improve flow efficiency and reduce the risk of erosion & scouring, and incorporate natural stream design principles to create a more diverse and ecologically beneficial channel morphology. Once completed, the project will reduce water levels in the 100-year event by up to 5 inches across more than 500 acres, as a significant buffer against a 100-year flood. The impact of this project will be most deeply felt by the residents of the 119 structures which will receive flood mitigation benefits according to flood and damage model results. Of these, 106 are residential structures, representing families and communities who have borne the brunt of past floods.
BEAVER BAYOU/CREEK
The proposed Beaver Bayou Culvert Improvements & Regional Detention Basin is a flood risk reduction project for the Beaver Bayou Watershed which incorporates floodwater storage coupled with nature-based solutions and structure improvements. The project includes culvert upgrades to 6 existing crossings: 2 on Devall Road, 3 on Hooper Road, and 1 on Wax Road. The proposed storage facility is a 93-acre dry detention basin with a storage volume in excess of 20 million cubic feet and is located along the main branch of the Beaver Bayou channel network, near the Beaver Bayou and Hooper Road crossing in Central, Louisiana. Additional project scope details are included in Attachment 03 Beaver Bayou Methodology Technical Report.pdf uploaded to this application section.