Title
Resolution to Amend the Fiscal Year 2025 Council Approved Budget to Accept and Appropriate the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant Program Award for the Aberdeen Gardens Community Resilience Implementation Strategy [Grant No. (FAIN) 953A0079]
Purpose
PURPOSE/BACKGROUND:
The City of Hampton (the “City”) has been awarded funding by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA”) Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant Program, through the Community Change Grant Program, for the Aberdeen Gardens Community Resilience Implementation Strategy [Grant No. (FAIN) 953A0079] (the “Project”) in response to a grant application that the City previously submitted. The Project will support community resilience in the Aberdeen Gardens neighborhood through infrastructure and connectivity improvements, green infrastructure, community engagement, workforce development initiatives, the installation of community garden amenities, and the establishment of a community resilience center. The grant award is $20,006,400 with no local match.
Discussion:
In support of the City's efforts to help reduce flooding impacts to our residents and build community resilience, the City applied for and was awarded competitive EPA Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant Program funding in the amount of $20,006,400 (the “EPA Award”). Of this amount, the City will serve as the pass-through entity to provide a subaward in the amount of $2,078,601 to Wetlands Watch. The City and Wetlands Watch are parties to a Statutory Partnership Agreement, dated July 31, 2024, which established the framework for the two entities to collaborate in connection with seeking, obtaining, receiving, administering, and implementing the EPA Award to advance the Project; and staff is coordinating with Wetlands Watch on the drafting and execution of a subaward agreement to further detail the use and management of the subaward. The Project will support resilience in the Aberdeen Gardens neighborhood through infrastructure and connectivity improvements, green infrastructure, community engagement, workforce development initiatives, the installation of community garden amenities, and the establishment of a community resilience center, among other activities. Please note the award amount is slightly higher (approximately $8,000) than the initial amount requested in the City’s application due to EPA requested changes related to an increase in the indirect percentage.
Despite significant focus on mitigating flooding, and other climate-induced risks, in the Newmarket Creek watershed in general flooding is expected to remain a threat to citizens in Aberdeen Gardens. The disadvantaged population of Aberdeen Gardens faces significant climate-related challenges, including frequent flooding and heatwaves exacerbated by outdated infrastructure and environmental vulnerabilities. The neighborhood is particularly susceptible to these climate impacts due to its socio-economic status, which limits resources for adaptation and resilience. Aging infrastructure and exposure to localized pollution further compound these risks, disproportionately affecting residents who already face economic hardships. These environmental stressors not only threaten daily living conditions but also impact long-term health and safety, underscoring the urgent need for targeted climate adaptation
and mitigation strategies.
The Project is the culmination of years of community engagement and planning by the City of Hampton and Wetlands Watch. Wetlands Watch’s “Aberdeen Gardens Community Action Plan (2023)” and the City’s Aberdeen Gardens Watershed Study (2024) identified and explored the feasibility of many of the tasks in the Project. The City of Hampton and Wetlands Watch convened a Joint Committee of residents and representatives of neighborhood organizations to prioritize the tasks included in the Project.
The Project will support the installation of residential-scale stormwater solutions, provide environmental education and recreation opportunities, retrofit and up-size inadequate stormwater infrastructure, restore portions of Aberdeen Creek, establish a community garden, install air quality monitoring systems, complete a neighborhood bike-pedestrian connectivity plan, promote tree planting, and support the establishment of a community resilience hub.
Impact:
The City has been awarded total funds in the amount of $20,006,400. Of this amount, the City will serve as the pass-through entity to provide a subaward in the amount of $2,078,601 to Wetlands Watch. There is no local match.
Recommendation:
Rec
Recommend that City Council accept and appropriate this Environmental and Climate Justice Grant Block Program from the EPA.
Body
WHEREAS, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) has awarded Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant funding to the Aberdeen Gardens Community Resilience Implementation Strategy [Grant No. (FAIN) 953A0079] (the “Project”) in the amount of $20,006,400 (the "EPA Award");
WHEREAS, of this EPA Award, the City shall serve as the pass-through entity to provide a subaward in the amount of $2,078,601 to Wetlands Watch;
WHEREAS, the EPA Award does not require a local match;
WHEREAS, the EPA Award be used by the Resilience Division, the Office of Emergency Management, and Wetlands Watch to support community resilience in the Aberdeen Gardens neighborhood through infrastructure and connectivity improvements, green infrastructure, community engagement, workforce development initiatives, the installation of community garden amenities, and the establishment of a community resilience center;
WHEREAS, the EPA Award is for the period of March 1, 2025 through February 29, 2028;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Hampton hereby amends its Fiscal Year 2025 Council Approved Budget to accept and appropriate the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant Program Award [Grant No. (FAIN) 953A0079] in the total amount of $20,006,400, and any related supplemental funding by the EPA to the Grant Fund;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council authorizes the City Manager, or her authorized designee, to take any and all actions necessary to implement this EPA Award and to carry out the purposes of this Resolution, including, but not limited to, the execution of the subaward agreement with Wetlands Watch, subject to approval by the City Attorney.