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West Columbia outlines FEMA-driven timeline for Riverwalk repairs
Summary
City staff told council the Riverwalk remains closed while FEMA review continues; a damage inventory due Feb. 15 must be approved before the city can bid repair work.
City of West Columbia staff updated the City Council on plans to repair the one-mile Riverwalk damaged by flooding and explained the next steps in seeking FEMA public-assistance funding.
Tara Greenwood, a City staff member who presented the update, said the city submitted a preliminary damage report to Lexington County Emergency Management on Oct. 4 after flooding from Hurricane Helene and that the county made an emergency declaration for public assistance on Oct. 5. Greenwood said the city met repeatedly with FEMA and its program-delivery manager, and that the next documented step is a FEMA damage inventory that is due Feb. 15.
The nut graf: Greenwood told council the city cannot put construction repairs out to bid until FEMA reviews and approves the damage inventory, and that approval is the critical condition for moving from assessment to procurement.
Greenwood summarized the timeline and recent steps: “We had an applicant briefing from emergency management and FEMA on October. On November 26 we had our first email contact with our FEMA program delivery manager. Then we had an FEMA exploratory call on December 5. And December 17, we had a FEMA recovery scoping meeting,” Greenwood said. She added staff has held weekly coordination calls since December and that a mitigation on-site walkthrough occurred Jan. 27.
Greenwood said the city completed initial cleanup so staff could inventory damage, but that the damage includes “severe undermining” in places that will require removing and replacing boardwalk, replacing rip-rap and fill, and some concrete and board repairs. “There has been some severe undermining that’s happened,” Greenwood said. “Out of an abundance of caution ... we have to stay on top of putting safety first.”
Council members asked whether any section could be reopened before April for events. A council member asked specifically about opening the stretch between Casey and the Riverwalk for a chamber 5K; Greenwood replied staff will “do our due diligence and work hard,” but could make no promises about that earlier opening.
Greenwood confirmed mitigation funding is a separate FEMA program from the public-assistance repair funding, saying mitigation grants would be considered only if FEMA deems parts of the Riverwalk eligible. “There’s a mitigation grant that’s also available which is considered separate from this repair work,” Greenwood said.
Greenwood told council that once FEMA approves the damage inventory, city staff will put the repairs out to bid for construction services and will return to council when bids are received. “When we get our bids in, when we have to bid this out for construction services, then it will come back to council,” she said.
Ending: Greenwood said staff will provide the council with the damage-inventory timeline by email and post public updates on the city website and social media. She also said staff will provide updates to the council throughout the FEMA review and bidding process.
