FEMA funds for sites that can't be saved can be redirected to other projects

FEMA has said its job is to help with flood recovery, not to make the community “whole,” but a little-discussed disaster-recovery program may well expand the healing.

Here's the deal: The Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay the city to build alternative, or improved, projects if a flooded city facility cannot be brought back to life.

“For all the crummy things that have happened to our community, I think this is the silver lining in the dark cloud of flood recovery,” said Greg Eyerly, the city's flood-recovery director.

Gigantic case in point is the flood-and-fire-damaged Sinclair meatpacking site, for which the city may receive between $20 million and $45 million for use on an alternative project somewhere else in the city.

Other flood-hit facilities slated for demolition that could generate funds for alternative projects: hydroelectric plant at the base of the 5-in-1 dam, the city's animal shelter, the First Street SE parking ramp, the city's forestry-operation buildings near Czech Village and the Time Check Recreation Center.

Smaller projects on the list include the city-owned, former Quality Chef site on Third Street SE in New Bohemia, the damage value of which is still under review, and nine hard-hit, historically insignificant buildings in Ushers Ferry Historical Village.

On the list, too, is flood-damaged sanitary sewer line in areas that may not be rebuilt.

Eyerly said the FEMA program is broad-shouldered enough to give the city a “second chance” on some city buildings that were “lightly used and obsolete.”

The Sinclair plant, he said, had been largely a city eyesore, with the millions of dollars needed to demolish it the only thing keeping it from the wrecking ball.

Still, the Sinclair plant was a functioning facility at the time of the flood - home to several small businesses and also used as a warehouse. In FEMA's eyes, the Sinclair plant is like any other warehouse and small-business hit by a flood, Eyerly said.

Not only can't the bulk of the Sinclair buildings be saved, but FEMA has agreed to pay for the plant's demolition because the agency has deemed it an imminent threat to public safety. The demolition contract awarded last week was for $7.7 million.

Eyerly said FEMA allows some flexibility in how the city can use the money in this program. The city will get 81 percent of the damage value for an alternative project and 100 percent of the damage value if it builds an improved project of a similar kind.

Steve Hershner, utilities environmental manager, notes that the City Council will decide which alternative or improved projects benefit from FEMA funds.

Nonetheless, Hershner reports that the utilities department has looked at using the money attached to the damaged hydroelectric plant to pay for a couple of wind turbines at the city's Northwest Water Plant.

Julie Sina, parks and recreation director, hopes that money available from Ushers Ferry damage stays in the village to build a reception hall and meeting space.

The City Council already has directed about $60,000 in alternative-project funds to the proposed Cedar Rapids City Market that otherwise would have gone to fix up the Roundhouse at Czech Village.

Mayor Ron Corbett said money attached to the Quality Chef buildings also may be directed to the City Market, which could be located on the Quality Chef site. Beyond that, he said, the City Council will solicit ideas from the community on how best to use other FEMA funds in the program.

“That's FEMA's whole concept,” the mayor said. “You don't have to rebuild exactly what you had before the flood. You can get something better, and that's the benefit of the flexibility of the alternative projects.”