Council asks staff to pursue resilience grants as larger rockets increase launch impacts
Loading...
Summary
Council directed staff to research federal and state grant programs and report back on opportunities to fund infrastructure upgrades and resilience measures tied to launch-related vibrational impacts, including potential support for residents and the option of hiring grant-writing or lobbying support.
On Feb. 17 the Cape Canaveral City Council discussed a proposal to pursue state and federal grants to strengthen local infrastructure against vibrational impacts from larger rocket launches and agreed staff should research eligible programs.
Council members cited programs created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the PROTECT program as possible sources of funding for stormwater, water-treatment and transportation resilience projects, though City Manager Touchberry said some competitive programs may be limited or no longer available. "We have taken a preliminary look at those, and we've determined that the BRIDGE/Protect program has been canceled or is not available in the same form," Touchberry said, and added staff will maintain a master tracking list of grant opportunities.
Members discussed the potential need for a dedicated grant writer or a consolidated grant office to pursue diverse funding; one council member noted grant work could be a full-time task and said the citys past decentralized approach might be consolidated into a single position if justified by potential awards.
Council also signaled willingness to pursue lobbying or appropriations support in Tallahassee or Washington if legislative solutions were needed, and directed the city manager to engage regional partners, the Economic Development Council and potentially federal representatives as appropriate. The city manager said staff would return with a short plan and prioritized list of opportunities for council review.
