Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Medford Water Commission says FEMA BRIC grant canceled; city will scale back near-term water capital plan
Summary
Medford Water Commission General Manager Brad Taylor told the city council that a federal BRIC grant intended to fund transmission, pumping and storage projects has been canceled, forcing the utility to cut its one-year capital plan and extend project timelines.
Medford Water Commission General Manager Brad Taylor told the Medford City Council on Wednesday that a federal BRIC (Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities) grant award to the commission has been canceled, forcing the water utility to scale back near-term capital work and stretch project timelines.
Taylor said the BRIC award had been for $34,800,000 toward approximately $60,000,000 of projects aimed at strengthening transmission, pumping and storage between the Duff Water Treatment Plant on the Rogue River and the Capitol Hill Reservoir. “These projects serve future growth of the water system and they also strengthen our core infrastructure,” Taylor told council. “Even though this BRIC grant has been canceled, we are still moving forward on these projects, but the timelines to complete these projects will be extended.”
Staff said the city’s one-year capital plan will be reduced by roughly 30% — from about $43,500,000 to $30,500,000 — and the 10-year capital plan will shrink about 18% from $226,200,000 to $186,100,000. Taylor said the commission plans to reconvene in September to reassess the 10-year financial plan and consider other funding strategies to address the reductions and project delays.
Taylor listed the projects affected: two large-diameter transmission mains, a pumping expansion at the Martin Pump Station (which moves water between two pressure zones), another transmission main near the Conrad Pump Station on Crater Lake Avenue, and work at the Capitol Hill Reservoir. He said the reservoir project remains a priority and staff have reshuffled projects to keep it moving, though with some delay.
Councilors asked whether the federal program was canceled nationally. Taylor and another staff member said FEMA suspended the BRIC program nationally, not just Medford’s grant. “The BRIC program as a whole was shut down… it’s affecting grants nationwide,” a staff member said.
What happens next: The Medford Water Commission will revisit its 10-year financial plan in September and evaluate alternate funding and scheduling. The loss of BRIC funding reduces near-term capital spending and will extend delivery timelines on several system-capacity projects.
(Reporting based on Medford Water Commission presentation to city council at the April 16 meeting.)
