Belle Isle Projects Update

Every two weeks the Monona city council receives department reports. These reports are now available on the city's web site under the city council's agenda.

Here is an update from the city engineer on the Belle Isle Projects.

City of Monona
DEPARTMENT PROJECT PROGRESS REPORT
PUBLIC WORKS/ENGINEERING
April 17, 2008

BELLE ISLE PROJECTS

The City has secured a FEMA planning grant in the amount of $47,560 through the Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Program. FEMA will provide 75% of the funds or $35,669.94 and 25% or $11,890.06 will be the required local match. This planning grant is to be used to develop a flood proofing alternative analysis for the Belle Isle area. In December 2004, the City Council, with hearing input from the Belle Isle residents, supported the original grant application and in February 2005 committing the necessary funds for the local match from the Storm Water Utility. Tasks to be completed include obtaining a digital terrain model at one-foot interval, identifying structures with basements and structures with electrical equipment that would be damaged by floodwaters. Once the magnitude of potential damage from flooding is identified, a report is generated that identifies high-risk areas, prioritized floodproofing alternatives, cost estimates and future recommendations. Once this report is reviewed by the public, Dane County and FEMA and all review comments have been addressed, the report will be incorporated into the Dane County All Hazard Mitigation Plan (AHMP).

The channel dredging project is still in the permit acquisition stage. The City has applied for a Chapter 30 permit from WDNR. There have been several iterations of review between the WDNR and the City’s consultant, Nahn and Associates, concerning the permit application. A sticking point at this time is the use of Oneida Park as a site for a dewatering basin or dredge disposal. The park has been identified as a possible location of a multi-component archaeological site with burials. We are pursuing this and will employ the services of a cultural resource management (CRM) firm to evaluate the project's potential to adversely impact the site(s) and better define site limits and character relative to the area(s) to be impacted by project-related activities. Hopefully this evaluation will clear the site of such designation.

Regarding the Lift Station project, the FEMA consultant has revised the Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) document for the project. The subject of this revision is the existence of an eagle’s nest in the area of the proposed project. The protection measure identified by the WDNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agency is a seasonal restriction on project construction between February 1 and May 31 (or, May 1, if the DNR determines the nest is inactive as of that date). This time period encompasses the most sensitive period for nesting bald eagles. The Draft EA has been revised and was sent to FEMA for review/approval.