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Columbia County authorizes FEMA BRIC application for courthouse generator and seeks state marine board reimbursement grant
Summary
The county authorized General Services to apply for FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant funding to buy a generator for the courthouse and annex and to apply for a state Marine Board maintenance reimbursement grant for boat ramps.
Columbia County commissioners on March 19 authorized General Services to apply for a FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant to purchase an emergency generator for the courthouse and county annex and also approved applying for a State Marine Board maintenance assistance reimbursement grant for local boat ramp work.
Melissa Enright of General Services told commissioners the BRIC application is a reapplication after the county narrowly missed funding last year and that FEMA allowed reapplication. The proposed generator would be roughly 200 kilowatts and configured to power both buildings: one panel designated for critical services (state courts, public health, finance) and a secondary panel with a transfer switch to power additional areas as needed. Enright said the generator would run approximately 72 hours on tanked fuel and that the county lacks any existing emergency generator at these facilities.
Enright estimated the grant request would be about $500,000 and said the county’s required match would be about $50,000 if the application is successful. She said the county must bring electrical panels up to code before installation, which could increase the total project cost, and that there is a roughly 24-week lead time to obtain the generator. FEMA had placed a short hold on the application window, and Enright expected additional direction the next week.
Enright also requested approval to apply for the Oregon State Marine Board maintenance assistance reimbursement grant for Beaver Boat Ramp and JJ Collins Island (reimbursement historically about $18,000 over two years with in-kind match). The board approved both requests. Commissioners and staff discussed fiscal risk: the county may not be able to carry match costs depending on final budget decisions, and staff noted turning down awarded grants later could affect future competitiveness.
The motions authorized Melissa Enright to submit the BRIC application and to apply for the Marine Board reimbursement grant; County Counsel agreed to review the applications prior to final submission.
