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City manager updates council on multiple projects; grant to buy four flood-prone homes on tonight’s agenda
Summary
City Manager John briefed the Diamondhead City Council on dredging, paving and drainage work and asked the council to consider a hazard-mitigation buyout grant that would purchase four repetitively flooded homes for conversion to perpetual green space; FEMA cost-share details discussed.
Diamondhead City Manager John told the council on June 3 that crews are making steady progress across several public-works projects and that a hazard-mitigation property-acquisition grant to buy four flood-prone homes is on the council’s agenda for approval.
John said the Cali Pocono Pond dredging project has been underway for 157 days with a current target completion of July 17, and crews have worked some Saturdays to recover weather-related delays. He reported the final ramp and multimodal-lane work on Coney Drive — including a new bridge at the overpass — has an updated completion date of June 27.
On smaller projects, John said engineers have finished surveying for the proposed dog park and are preparing updated drawings; the city’s 2025 paving program is scheduled to begin June 23 and run about 90 days; and unit-price drainage work on Makiki Drive has reached roughly half-completion with visible improvements after recent rains.
John also described design work and survey expansions on Kapapa Way, Cocoa Court and Kiki Street to address drainage issues, and said engineers submitted about 95% of drawings for the Jordan River boardwalk and are resolving electrical design items with NDEQ before advertising for bids.
On grants, John said one of two hazard-mitigation property-acquisition grants has been approved and is before the council. "This would purchase four homes in Diamondhead that have had repetitive flood losses," John said, adding that, if the council approves, staff would negotiate buyouts with property owners and remove the structures so the lots become perpetual green space.
Councilman Connerlin asked how funding would be divided. John said the typical FEMA structure is 90% federal and 10% local. He explained that the buyout program as administered here anticipates homeowners receiving the nonfederal share as part of the transaction and that the city may pay costs up front and seek reimbursement. John said he would verify details with the consultant and confirm the homeowner contribution and reimbursement process.
The council did not take final action on the buyout in the city-manager report segment; the agenda included the grant approval item for council consideration later in the meeting.
