Title
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING APPLICATION TO THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY FOR AN ADVANCE ASSISTANCE HAZARD MITIGATION GRANT OF UP TO $375,000 FOR COASTAL INFRASTRUCTURE ASSESSMENT.
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CITY PROPOSAL:
RESOLVED, that the proper city officials are hereby authorized to submit an application to the United States Department of Homeland Security for an Advance Assistance Hazard Mitigation grant of up to $375,000 for coastal infrastructure assessment.
FURTHER RESOLVED, the city of Duluth has the legal authority to apply for the money, and financial, technical and managerial capacity to ensure proper planning and maintenance of the project.
FURTHER RESOLVED, the city will provide the required twenty-five percent match through the Disaster Recovery Fund.
FURTHER RESOLVED, the Duluth city council names the fiscal agent for this project as Wayne Parson, City of Duluth Chief Financial Officer, 411 West First Street, Duluth, MN 55802.
Statement of Purpose
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: This resolution authorizes application to the US Department of Homeland Security for an Advance Assistance Hazard Mitigation grant of up to $375,000 for coastal infrastructure assessment.
The Hazard Mitigation Advance Assistance Grant Program assists local governments to assess the long term vulnerability of coastal infrastructure to storm damage, develop cost-effective mitigation remedies for vulnerable assets, and prepare competitive project implementation grant applications for qualifying projects. Funds secured by the grant would support a request for proposal process to retain an interdisciplinary team of independent scientists and engineers to work in partnership with St. Louis County and the City of Duluth to:
1) Predict how climate change trends in Western Lake Superior will interact with the geography, geology, and natural systems of the coastline of Lake Superior and the adjoining St. Louis River Estuary.
2) Identify critical public assets on the coastline that are likely vulnerable to harm from climate trends.
3) Assess the functional and financial consequences to those assets over time if no action is taken.
4) Provide a report inclusive of a FEMA cost-benefit analysis with selection and recommendations of specific mitigation remedies for vulnerable assets.
The report will facilitate preparation and submission of a competitive project implementation applications to the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and the FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program.
The 25% match of up to $125,000 will be split between the City of Duluth and St. Louis County. It is anticipated that most of the total will be provided in the form of in-kind contributions of staff time.