Escambia County Considers $1 Million FEMA Drainage Project In Century Town Limits

April 3, 2023

Escambia County is set to award a contract worth nearly $1 million for a drainage project in the town of Century, and it is expected that most of the cost will be covered by FEMA. If not, the county will be on the hook for nearly three-quarters of a million dollars.

During Hurricane Sally in 2020, flooding “supercharged” the existing drainage system in Century, overtopping Front Street at flooding yards on Front Street and Jefferson Avenue, according to the county. An existing 18-inch concrete pipe cracked, and an existing six-inch cast iron pipe became plugged with debris.

The Front Street Drainage Repairs FEMA Project is designed to replace and improve a failing stormwater drainage outfall system located on private property by routing around it. Improvements consist of a new stormwater system, roadway improvements, concrete curbs, valley gutters, and ditch-bottom inlets.

The lowest and responsible bid received for the project was $993,312.98, to Chavers Construction.

FEMA obligated $242,809.60 for this project in November 2021. The current approved amount makes it a large FEMA project, which allows for the current obligated amount to be adjusted to cover all documented costs incurred (actual costs).

According to Escambia County, it is anticipated that $943,647.33 (95%) of the entire cost, will be reimbursed by FEMA and the State of Florida, and Escambia County would be responsible for the remaining 5% of the entire cost, or $49,665.65.

But if FEMA determines the additional costs to be ineligible, Escambia County would be responsible for the remaining amount of $750,503.38.

Escambia County will consider awarding the contract at a regular meeting on Thursday. If approved, construction is expected to begin in May 2023 with a completion by February 2024.

Pictured: This map, provided by Escambia County, shows a proposed FEMA drainage improvement project in Century. Image for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

8 Responses to “Escambia County Considers $1 Million FEMA Drainage Project In Century Town Limits”

  1. Wow on April 5th, 2023 10:07 am

    So we can’t fix bridges, clean up the streets, funds run out but y’all can do this? I swear I think a drug dealer can run Century better, all that’s there anyways

  2. Yellarhammer on April 4th, 2023 7:28 pm

    Maybe they can figure out how they can drain out the corruption and stop all the taxpayer grants they get.

  3. sam on April 4th, 2023 3:55 pm

    what a waste of taxpayer money. most of the houses that drain goes by will be rotted and a pile of old lumber in a few years.

  4. Ten Mile Road Neighbor on April 4th, 2023 8:46 am

    The County needs to careful about relying on future FEMA money to pay for this type of project. This requires the approval of Public Assistance Funds by FEMA and the documentation that is required to obtain those funds is very rigorous and many times NOT approved. There are numerous arbitrations at the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals that have not gone well for the entity seeking FEMA dollars for storm/disaster recovery dollars. The website to see some of these is:

    https://www.cbca.gov/decisions/fema.html

    Please do your homework before you obligate funds that you may never recoup.

  5. BIG JOHN on April 3rd, 2023 4:20 pm

    WHAT A RAT HOLE TO PUT MONEY INTO (CENTURY)

  6. Just listening on April 3rd, 2023 10:57 am

    This is almost maddening. This mainly benefits two pieces of property. the owners of the old Century Hotel and the old Alger office building and maybe some of front street. I question the route. Why not go north on Jefferson Ave. straight to the same ditch it’s routed to in the diagram. Like I said only benefiting two properties. But someone is going to get the money. It might as well be Century…. Just saying!

  7. So yards flooded??? on April 3rd, 2023 10:22 am

    So, the mitigated problem is flooded yards from a 100 year flood event? No structures flooded? (Is there more to this than what is mentioned in this article?)

    If the dwellings and any businesses affected are above the base flood elevation, or BFE, what is the mitigative problem here that deserve federal and state attention?

    What efforts have been made by residents and businesses to obtain a policy under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)? What Community Rating System (CRS) level is Century, or is it even a participant in the CRS? What mitigative actions does the Town of Century take to prevent flooding? (Note: The County’s CRS rating does not count because Century is its own responsible entity under the NFIP.)

    Notice that FEMA, the State of Florida, and Escambia are the named financial participants, Century is not. If the Town is not going to participate financially, why is this community even incorporated?

    Another reason why this community simply needs to unincorporate.

  8. joy on April 3rd, 2023 7:18 am

    talk about wasting money-this town has FOREVER had no idea how to make a city prosper !!! Why hasn’t escambia county taken it over and stop wasting millions year after year—

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News