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Dean Park residents press council for flood‑elevation help and housing support
Summary
Residents urged the council to back Dean Park elevation projects and to pursue funding and partnerships to prevent neighborhood decline after repeated floods; staff warned a resolution might not meet state timing requirements for the grant application.
Community members addressed the council during non‑agenda public comments, urging support for elevation and flood‑mitigation work in Dean Park and reminding officials that prior floods had caused abandonment and property decline. Donna Elswick thanked Councilmember Watkins Brown for bringing forward a resolution and said residents had already contacted FEMA and needed council backing to move grant work forward.
Jessica McElwey, representing staff, said most council members had previously submitted letters of support for an application submitted nearly two years earlier and cautioned that a new resolution might not be processed by the state's deadline unless walked on immediately. Council members discussed the timeline and agreed to pursue supportive steps while avoiding duplication of existing submissions.
Speakers framed elevation as a way to preserve property values and the city's tax base and urged coordinated action with state and federal programs.
