Title
Resolution to Amend the Fiscal Year 2022 Council Approved Budget and Accept and Appropriate the Honor Park Resilience Park, Mill Point Living Shoreline, and Downtown Hampton, Phoebus, and Buckroe Water Plan Grants Awarded by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
Purpose
PURPOSE/BACKGROUND:
Discussion:
The Community Flood Preparedness Fund (CFPF) is a new funding source established by the Commonwealth of Virginia to provide support for regions and localities across Virginia to reduce the impacts of flooding, including flooding driven by climate change. The City of Hampton has been awarded grants for three projects in Downtown Hampton, Phoebus, and Buckroe, which are areas at risk of flooding impacts from a variety of sources, including storm surge, precipitation-driven flooding, tidal nuisance flooding, and longer-term impacts of sea level rise.
The three projects include:
(1) The Honor Park Resilience Park ("the Park"), which will mitigate the impacts of flooding by creating a park design that integrates features to manage stormwater during rain events and reduce the amount of runoff generated from the site. Memorials to Hampton's Police Officers and Firefighters, as well as those who served in the World Wars and Korean War, will remain in place. The Park will continue to commemorate and memorialize the brave sacrifices of these men and women with solemnity and dignity.
(2) The Mill Point Living Shoreline, which will transform the existing hardened shoreline of the Hampton River between Mill Point Park and Lincoln Street by restoring natural shoreline habitat. The project will improve water quality by better filtering stormwater runoff and groundwater, and will also increase adaptability to the impacts of sea level rise on this shoreline.
(3) The Downtown Hampton, Phoebus, and Buckroe Water Plan, which will be Hampton's second watershed-level resilience plan, and will identify assets and challenges, and strategies and projects to improve resilience in these areas.
Funding provided by the CFPF for Honor Park Resilience Park and Mill Point Living Shoreline will support moving from conceptual to preliminary designs of the projects and verify project feasibility. Funding provided by the CFPF for the Downtown Hampton, Phoebus, and Buckroe Water Plan will support work to complete the Water Planning effort, including developing strategies for resilience, conceptual project design, and community engagement.
Impact:
The implementation of these projects aligns with the strategies identified in the Resilient Hampton plan Living with Water Hampton: A Holistic Approach to Addressing Sea Level Rise and Resiliency. These projects embrace council's strategic priority of living with water by integrating interventions that connect citizens to water while mitigating flooding impacts and enhancing the natural environment. The projects will also support the City of Hampton to reach its pollution reduction targets for the Chesapeake Bay.
Recommendation:
Rec
Approve.
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Hampton has been awarded three grants for three separate projects through the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation's Community Flood Preparedness Fund ("CFPF Grant");
WHEREAS, the first project is the "Honor Park Resilience Park," which will mitigate the impacts of flooding by creating a park design that integrates features to manage stormwater during rain events and reduce the amount of runoff generated from the site;
WHEREAS, the Honor Park Resilience Park CFPF Grant is in the amount of $147,994 with an accompanying required local cash match of $36,999, for a combined total project budget of $184,993;
WHEREAS, the second project is the "Mill Point Living Shoreline," which will transform the existing hardened shoreline of the Hampton River between Mill Point Park and Lincoln Street by restoring a natural shoreline habitat;
WHEREAS, the Mill Point Living Shoreline CFPF Grant is in the amount of $126,498 with an accompanying required local cash match of $31,625, for a combined total project budget of $158,123;
WHEREAS, the third project is the "Downtown Hampton, Phoebus, and Buckroe Water Plan," which will create the City of Hampton's second watershed-level resilience plan and will identify assets, challenges, strategies, and projects to improve resilience in these areas;
WHEREAS, the Downtown Hampton, Phoebus, and Buckroe Water Plan CFPF Grant is in the amount of up to $158,681, with an accompanying required local cash match of up to $85,444, for a combined total project budget of up to $244,125;
WHEREAS, the exact amount of the grant award and local cash match for the Downtown Hampton, Phoebus, and Buckroe Water Plan CFPF Grant is still being negotiated with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, and may be reduced, but will not exceed the amounts set forth herein;
WHEREAS, the CFPF Grants for the above-described projects will be used by the Department of Public Works and the Community Development Department to plan and design interventions to create solutions for resilience; and
WHEREAS, all three CFPF Grant awards cover the period of January 26, 2022 through January 25, 2025.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Hampton, Virginia hereby amends the Fiscal Year 2022 Council Approved Budget to:
(1) accept and appropriate the Honor Park Resilience Park CFPF Grant in the amount of $147,994; the Mill Point Living Shoreline CFPF Grant in the amount of $126,498; and the Downtown Hampton, Phoebus, and Buckroe Water Plan CFPF Grant up to the amount of $158,861, or such other amounts as may be received under such CFPF Grants as awarded by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation in accordance with the grant agreement; and
(2) approve the transfer of the following amounts from the Department of Public Works' Stormwater Management Fund to the Grant Fund: $36,999 for the Honor Park Resilience Park CFPF Grant; $31,625 for the Mill Point Living Shoreline CFPF Grant; and up to $85,444 for the Downtown Hampton, Phoebus, and Buckroe Water Plan CFPF Grant.
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 relevant grant agreements upon approval by the City Attorney.