Council hears flood-resiliency update; Berlin Street bridge removal and FEMA buyouts draw attention

Barre City Councilors on June 3 received a multi-part update on flood-resiliency planning, including progress on the city’s November 2024 plan, a scientific recommendation to pursue removal of the Berlin Street bridge, and a status report on Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) buyouts.

Councilor Guston presented a point-by-point status of the flood-resiliency plan’s 21 projects, categorizing nine as completed or substantially completed and seven as substantially underway. He said the city will keep several completed items on a “check-in” list to ensure final steps are finished. Among the completed items he listed were a citywide inundation model (report pending), stormwater-system analysis (report pending), and the removal of a railroad trestle that had been a debris hazard.

Guston said the consultant team and river scientists recommended applying for a Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) award to remove the Berlin Street bridge because the bridge’s low elevation and geometry catch debris and exacerbate flooding. He and staff stressed the council had only authorized applying for grant funding; the council would hold public hearings and make a policy decision before any removal work proceeds.

Estrella Castro, a city staff presenter, reported on FEMA buyouts: the city had received 67 buyout applications, advanced 27 applications with city approval, and 24 of those had already been approved by FEMA. She said applications are at varying stages — appraisals, offers and closings — and reminded the council that FEMA’s buyout rules require purchased properties remain open space and cannot be redeveloped. Castro said the city prioritized clustered properties where buyouts would create mitigation value rather than buyouts that would remove single houses without measurable downstream benefits.

Nut graf: The update combined near-term technical work — inundation modeling and stormwater analysis — with two politically sensitive topics: possible bridge removal and FEMA buyouts. Staff emphasized that grant applications and scientific recommendations do not substitute for public hearings and council votes; several residents and councilors asked for wider public engagement if bridge removal is pursued.

Discussion and concerns: Residents and some councilors asked about debris-control measures that could provide more immediate mitigation than bridge removal, and about the timeline and options if a bridge removal grant is awarded. Staff said questions about property ownership, potential Army Corps of Engineers involvement and traffic impacts would be answered in later design and permitting steps. Councilor Guston proposed developing a North End master plan and adding green infrastructure and riverbed-maintenance study items to the flood plan.

FEMA buyouts: Castro’s report included maps showing where buyouts were pursued and where the city declined to pursue applications because individual buyouts would not add mitigation value to nearby properties. She said landslide-related buyouts were among the earliest to move, and that several buyout offers had reached appraisal stage. Castro also confirmed that property owners who accept FEMA offers must convey the land to the city or a public entity as open space and cannot redevelop those lots.

Ending: Councilors directed staff to continue public outreach, to present the inundation and stormwater reports when available, and to return with design- and traffic-impact information if and when a hazard-mitigation grant award for the Berlin Street bridge is possible. Councilors also asked city staff to pursue debris-control and other shorter-term mitigation steps while larger design work proceeds.