Londonderry to advance phased North Village flood‑mitigation application under Hazard Mitigation Grant Program

WRC planners told the Londonderry Select Board they recommend advancing a phased Hazard Mitigation Grant Program application for a North Village flood‑mitigation study that would fund preliminary analysis, a benefit‑cost analysis (BCA) and, if successful, move into final design and construction.

"Our kind of recommendation for continuing a project under the River kind of scope of work...would be to put together what's called an application for a phased project where you initially start off with additional analysis and engineering during phase one of a project complete a BCA and then based on the deliverables from that phase move into the second phase of the project which would be the final design implementation," Megan (WRC) said. The board heard the pitch from WRC staff Alissa and Megan, who said the North Village concept focuses on downstream properties near the dam and along Utley Brook, with possible measures including flood‑plain benching, removal of historic fill, and riparian planting.

The recommendation followed a staff review of three candidate projects the town previously discussed. WRC said the Cobble Ridge bridge replacement was not viable after landowners rejected an alternate access plan; Barker Road culvert replacement scored well on benefit‑cost but may be a less competitive fit for Hazard Mitigation funding. WRC offered to help the town prepare application materials, including a phased scope and outreach plan, and cautioned that FEMA review timelines mean the town might not hear about final funding decisions until 2026.

Advancing a phased application will require town staff time to assemble records and participate in outreach. WRC noted that Phase 1 would emphasize coordination with property owners and preliminary engineering to make a stronger, competitive submission to Vermont Emergency Management and FEMA.