York seawall project finances keep stirring concern

 

By Dan Bancroft

news@seacoastonline.com

Rich Beauchesne/file

YORK, Maine — The Board of Selectmen engaged in another round of discussion Monday night regarding the town's controversial seawall project.

The board had asked Department of Public Works Director Dean Lessard for updated financial information about the project, as concerns build over whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency will come through with expected reimbursements.

Town officials say FEMA's reimbursement approval practices have changed in the past few years, raising questions about how much federal money, if any, will ultimately be made available for the five-phase seawall reconstruction project that resulted from devastating storms in 2017 and 2018.

Lessard filed updated financial records Sunday night, revealing slightly lower project costs than previously reported. Town Manager Steve Burns delivered the update to the board members Monday, with a cover memo urging the board consider the matter despite the late update.

“This matter is time sensitive because it impacts the warrant article about the FEMA reconciliation,” Burns wrote in his memo.

While the revised numbers revealed a slightly lower total project cost and a lower potential liability for the FEMA receivables accounts, the board remained concerned about how the project will be funded if the entire costalls upon the town.

Deborah McDermott/file

FEMA dealt another blow to the expected reimbursements just within the past two weeks, according to Lessard. The agency notified DPW informally that, because it considers the sidewalks part of the road and not the seawall, the agency will not approve funding for sidewalk repairs. This is despite the fact that the sidewalk is built on top of the seawall, said Lessard. As a result, the amount of the estimated FEMA share for completed and projected work will likely be reduced.

York DPW originally proposed to complete the seawall and sidewalk repair work in five sections and phases, according to Lessard’s report.

Phase 1, which addressed about 810 feet of work along Long Beach Avenue around the Bath House, began in February 2018 and was completed by the end of April 2020, at an actual total cost of about $685,000, according to the report.

Based on past experience with FEMA and its state counterpart, the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), all but about $270,000 was expected to be reimbursed.

Phase 2 was completed in September 2020, according to Lessard’s report. This section involved about 2,550 feet of repairs along Long Beach Avenue, at an actual total cost of nearly $1.8 million.

The town’s expected share of this project, assuming FEMA and MEMA reimbursement, was estimated to be about $459,000.

Phase 3, which Lessard described as 1,450 feet along Long Beach Avenue south of the Longs Sands Beach Bath House, is currently under construction.

FEMA has yet to approve any project reimbursement.

FONTE: Seacoastonline