Title
Resolution to Amend the Fiscal Year 2025 Council Approved Budget to Accept and Appropriate the National Fish and Wildlife Federation’s (NFWF) National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) Award for the Project Titled Developing Nature-Based Solutions to Build Resilience in the Back River Estuary [Grant ID No. 0318.25.084439]
Purpose
PURPOSE/BACKGROUND:
The City of Hampton (the “City”) has been awarded funding by the National Fish and Wildlife’s (“NFWF”) National Coastal Resilience Fund Grant Program, for the Project Titled Developing Nature-based Solutions to Build Resilience in the Back River Estuary [Grant ID No. 0318.25.084439] (the “Project”) in response to a grant application that the City previously submitted. The Project will support the development of preliminary designs for at least three nature-based solutions to enhance the resilience of the Grandview Nature Preserve wetlands and Back River estuary to mitigate flooding challenges. The grant award is $845,000 with a $142,000 local in-kind match; for a combined total project budget of $987,800.
Discussion:
The Department of Defense’s (DOD) Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program is a key tool for safeguarding DOD missions by increasing military installation resilience through nature-based solutions. To accelerate coastal resilience projects outside installations and ranges, the REPI Program established a partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) in 2020. This partnership expands opportunities for DOD to conserve wildlife habitats, protect at-risk species, and reduce risks from extreme weather events across coastal installations.
Through the REPI-NFWF partnership, the REPI Program contributes funding annually to NFWF’s National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) to enable projects that preserve natural environments in support of military mission capabilities. NCRF projects that receive REPI funding restore, increase, and strengthen coastal habitats to benefit communities, species, and the military alike.
The City has a robust partnership with Joint Base Langley Eustis (JBLE-Langley) to pursue community resilience through off-installation projects and programs that support mission readiness. This partnership is highlighted in the “Hampton-Langley Air Force Base Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) Addendum: Resiliency and Adaptation,” endorsed in 2018. The JLUS Addendum emphasizes the need for coordination between the City and JBLE for sea level rise adaptation and ecological restoration. In 2022 and 2023, JBLE-Langley worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineering With Nature (EWN) Program to investigate suitable locations to pilot nature-based solutions (NBS), both on- and off-installation, that improve resilience of infrastructure, facilities, and habitat. The City participated in this EWN investigation and identified several project locations in the community that would support JBLE-Langley’s coastal resiliency challenges. As a culmination of this work, the City and JBLE-Langley partnered together to submit the Project to NFWF under the REPI Program funding.
The Project includes site assessment, vulnerability analysis, and community engagement to develop a suite of preliminary NBS designs in the Back River estuary. These designs are intended to address coastal hazards, improve resilience, and deliver multiple community benefits. The anticipated designs will likely include (1) Thin Layer Placement of dredged sediment; (2) living oyster breakwater structures; (3) expanding existing submerged aquatic vegetation beds through planting or seeding; and (4) potential exploration of sand motors/development of ephemeral islands.
Impact:
The implementation of the Project aligns with the strategies identified in the Resilient Hampton plans and the “Hampton-Langley Air Force Base Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) Addendum: Resiliency and Adaptation.” The Project embraces Council's strategic priority of living with water by enhancing Hampton’s natural infrastructure to reduce risk and damages from coastal storms, while supporting the continued mission-readiness of JBLE-Langley.
Recommendation:
Rec
Recommend that City Council accept and appropriate this National Coastal Resilience Fund grant award from the NFWF.
Body
WHEREAS, the National Fish and Wildlife Federation (“NFWF”) has awarded National Coastal Resilience Fund funding to the Project titled Developing Nature-Based Solutions to Build Resilience in the Back River Estuary [Grant ID No. 0318.25.084439] (the “Project”) in the amount of $ 845,000.00 (the "NFWF Award");
WHEREAS, the Award requires a local in-kind match of $142,800, for a combined total project budget of $987,800;
WHEREAS, the Award will be used by the Community Development Department to develop a holistic series of nature-based solutions such as thin-layer placement for marsh enhancement, oyster reefs, submerged aquatic vegetation bed restoration, and ephemeral islands in the Back River Estuary to enhance coastal resilience; and
WHEREAS, the award is for a performance period from December 1, 2024 to December 1, 2026.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Hampton, Virginia hereby amends the Fiscal Year 2025 Council Approved Budget to:
(1) accept and appropriate to the Grants Fund the NFWF Award in the amount of $845,000 and any supplemental funding, awarded by the NFWF in accordance with the grant agreement; and
(2) approve the required local in-kind match of $142,800 from existing resources, including $42,800 from the Community Development Department operating budget for the purpose of funding the salaries and fringe benefits of four (4) permanent full-time positions contributing over 900 hours toward project implementation and $100,000 from the Fox Hill, Grandview, and Harris Creek Water Plan CFPF Grant for the purpose of leveraging overlapping community engagement efforts.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council authorizes the City Manager, or her designee, to take any and all actions necessary to implement this grant award, including execution of the grant agreement, upon approval by the City Attorney.