Moscow City Council and Mayor Bill Lambert addressed flood mitigation, FEMA assistance and recycling at the Feb. 3 meeting.
The meeting began with a public comment period followed by approval of the Subrecipient Agreement for the FEMA Advance Assistance Paradise Creek Flood Hazard Mitigation Study Project.
Big ticket items:
- Flood hazard mitigation grant
- Community Development Director Bill Belknap said the city applied for a flood hazard mitigation grant in 2017 to study how to reduce the risk of property damage from flooding events.
The advanced assistance program is intended to be a preliminary study to assess how flooding events occur and how we respond to them, without moving directly into construction funding.
- The city was recently awarded $295,000 in grant funding to assist in this effort, with the total estimated study cost at $393,600.
- Once the study is completed — identifying ways to reduce flooding — it can be utilized by the city and funding for a solution can be pursued.
- All Hazard Mitigation Plan
- Somewhat related to the last item, Latah County is updating the 2011 All Hazard Mitigation Plan, which assesses a wide variety of both natural and manmade hazards in the area.
- Identifying potential hazards in the plan helps the city to receive current grant programs for fire and emergency services as well as potential grant funding for projects that have yet to be identified.
- Belknap said one of the actions is to reduce inflow and infiltration during high flooding events where groundwater and surface water can potentially enter the sanitary sewer system and overwhelm the treatment plant.
- Plastic film drop-off
- The City of Moscow recently held their second plastic film drop-off at Moscow Recycling Center. Plastic materials that are no longer accepted in single stream recycling will be accepted on the first Saturday of each month.
- City Councilor Brandy Sullivan said at least 411 citizens came to drop off their plastic last Saturday.
Moscow City Council meetings begin at 7 p.m. the first and third Mondays of every month in the City Hall Council Chambers.