TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
THRU: Adam Lindsay, Assistant City Manager
FROM: Sheila Thomas-Ambat, Public Services Director
Kimberly Leonard, CLGBO, CLGFO, CPA, MPA,
Budget & Evaluation Director
DATE: February 10, 2025
RE:
Title
Acceptance of Grant Award, and Adoption of Capital Project Ordinance and Capital Project Ordinance Amendment to Appropriate funding for Person & Russell Street Flood Mitigation Project
end
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
Council District(s)
2
b
Relationship To Strategic Plan:
Goal 1: Safe and Secure Community
Goal 3: High Quality Built Environment
Goal 4: Desirable Place to Live, Work, and Recreate
Executive Summary:
The City has been awarded a FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant for the Person & Russell Street Flood Mitigation Project. The total Phase 1 project amount is $3,986,220. This includes a federal share of $2,657,480, sub-recipient management cost (federal) of $189,820 and a local match of $1,138,920. Council is asked to authorize the acceptance of the grant award and to adopt Capital Project Ordinance Amendment (CPOA) 2025-42 to transfer the appropriation of $1,138,920 of revenue bond funds from Capital Project Ordinance 2025-20, FY25 Stormwater Improvement Plans and Projects, to Capital Project Ordinance 2025-40 for the needed local grant match for the Person & Russell Street Flood Mitigation Project. Council is also asked to adopt Capital Project Ordinance (CPO) 2025-40 to appropriate this funding to the Person & Russell Street Flood Mitigation Project.
Background:
The City of Fayetteville’s Stormwater Division applied for and received a FEMA BRIC grant for the Person & Russell Street Flood Mitigation Project. The grant will cover Phase 1 of the project, which includes a detailed survey, design, and pre-construction cost. Upon completion of the Phase 1 deliverables outlined in the grant agreement, Phase 2 ($17,575,005) for construction will be approved under an additional Grant Agreement.
Issues/Analysis:
The project is located in the eastern edge of the City of Fayetteville and includes the Person St. Bridge located on Person St. between South Kennedy St. and B St., the Russell St. Bridge located on Russell St. between Wayde St. and Old Wilmington Rd, and 4,000 linear feet of stream enhancement work starting from Blounts Creek at South Cool Spring St. to downstream of Person St.
The primary project benefitting area includes residential and non-residential areas of seven census tracts. The majority of the residential population benefiting from the bridge replacements and potential greenway expansions is part of the vulnerable community groups and in addition, 576 structures will see reduced impacts from 100-year storms and lesser events. The project not only serves to protect vulnerable residents, nearby public housing, elderly, and disabled residents as well as other historically marginalized communities, but will connect nearby neighborhoods to existing and planned public space. The project will also provide additional community-wide benefits for 15,500 daily users of the Russell and Person Street bridges, plus avoid loss of service on other local roads. Additional benefits from reduced roadway flooding and impacts to the CSX rail line will also convey beyond the project’s direct benefitting area to users of these transportation corridors including along Person St, Russell St, Campbell Ave, Robeson St, Raeford Rd, Whitfield St, and Gillespie St. Further benefits will convey to the Cape Fear River Basin downstream of the project through water quality improvements provided by nature-based and green infrastructure elements of the project.
Of the aforementioned 576 structures impacted, 450 structures, including 384 residential structures, are within tracts 2 and 38; Census Tracts designated as disadvantaged according to the Federal Government’s Justice-40 criteria. Of those same 576 structures, 501 structures, including 314 residential structures are located within Census Tracts 2, 6, 17.01, and 38 all with CDC Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) scores above 0.80, all but one of which is above 0.93. An additional structure located in Census Tract 21 with an SVI score of 0.71 will also benefit. Looking closely at Census Tracts 2 and 38, where most of the project benefits will be realized, further supports the benefits to vulnerable community members.
Budget Impact:
There is no impact to the General Fund fund balance.
Options:
1) Authorize the acceptance of the grant award, adopt Capital Project Ordinance Amendment 2025-42 to transfer funding to the Person and Russell Street Flood Mitigation Project, and adopt Capital Project Ordinance 2025-40 to appropriate funding for the Person and Russell Street Flood Mitigation Project.
2) Do not authorize the acceptance of the grant award, and do not adopt Capital Project Ordinance Amendment 2025-42 or Capital Project Ordinance 2025-40 and provide further direction to staff.
Recommended Action:
Staff recommends that Council move to authorize the acceptance of the grant award, adopt Capital Project Ordinance 2025-42 to transfer funding to the Person and Russell Street Flood Mitigation Project, and adopt Capital Project Ordinance 2025-40 to appropriate funding for the Person and Russell Street Flood Mitigation Project.
Attachments:
EMA-2022-BR-001-0036
CPO 2025-40
CPOA 2025-42