The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Florida Division of Emergency Management have received the following application for Federal grant funding. Final notice is hereby given of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) consideration to provide funding in the form of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Funds will be provided in accordance with Section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, Public Law 93-288, as amended.
Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), federal actions must be reviewed and evaluated for feasible alternatives and for social, economic, historic, environmental, legal, and safety considerations. Under Executive Order (EO) 11988 and EO 11990 FEMA is required to consider alternatives to and to provide public notice of any proposed actions in or affecting floodplains or wetlands. EO 12898 also requires FEMA to provide the opportunity for public participation in the planning process and to consider potential impacts to minority or low-income populations.
Funding for the proposed project will be conditional upon compliance with all applicable federal, tribal, state and local laws, regulations, floodplain standards, permit requirements and conditions.
Applicant:
City of Homestead
Project Title:
HMGP-4564-(029)- City of Homestead, City Hall, Other
Location of Proposed Work:
The area affected by this project consists of homes in the following locations:
Homestead City Hall
100 Civic Court
Homestead, FL 33030-6024
Proposed Work and Purpose:
The mitigation project will upgrade the existing electrical connection from the emergency generator to the City Hall facility’s electrical system. This upgrade will allow the entire building to be powered during an emergency. In 2018, the City tasked an electrical engineer to complete an assessment of the generator and its connection to the existing electrical system. The detailed assessment determined that several upgrades to the connections would allow the entire facility to operate while using the existing 750 kVA Cat emergency generator. The generator for City Hall is located in a concrete block building constructed in accordance with the HVHZ requirements of the Florida Building Code. It also meets the requirements of a rated enclosure and it should be confirmed that we are aware and the existing enclosure is in compliance. The proposed scope of work was identified in the report and the City had engineering plans completed based on these recommendations.
Project Alternatives:
In planning for the proposed project, alternatives were considered to ensure that effectiveness and cost efficiency were being maximized. The alternatives to the project that have been and will be considered are 1) the no action alternative and 2) The leasing of a portable generator and transfer equipment that could directly power operations at the site. These alternatives to the proposed project are not viable because under Alternative 1) and Alternative 2) would not meet the goal of full functionality of the facility and would limit operations below what could be achieved with the proposed project. In addition, leasing or purchasing the portable generator poses storage and availability problems as the City would be dependent on a leasing company to provide and maintain the generator. This could be addressed with a lease that covered the Hurricane season, but the cost effectiveness of this option did not provide the long-term benefit cost of the proposed project.
Comment Period:
Comments are solicited from the public; local, state or federal agencies; and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of the proposed project. The comments should be made in writing and addressed to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Bureau of Mitigation, 2555 Shumard Oak Blvd., Tallahassee, FL 32399-2100. These are due within 15 days of this notice. The State will forward comments to applicable regulatory agencies as needed. Interested persons may submit comments, obtain more detailed information about the proposed action, or request a copy of the findings by contacting:
Jerry Estrada/City Manager (305) (224-4436)
City of Homestead jestrada@cityofhomestead.com
Kayla Born, State Lead Environmental Specialist (850) 815-4582
Florida Division of Emergency Management Kayla.Born@em.myflorida.com