GIRARD Flooding repairs involve meetings
The meetings allow officials to learn about the reimbursement process for flood repairs.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- It took only a matter of hours for heavy summer rains and floodwaters to cause millions of dollars' worth of damage to the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys, but local officials are learning the cleanup efforts could continue well into next year.
Representatives from Girard, Hubbard, McDonald, Liberty, Niles and Trumbull County met Tuesday with Andrew D. Elder, a disaster services consultant with the Ohio Department of Public Safety, to review the status of repairs and replacements of infrastructure throughout the county.
"It's a part of the process," explained Elder. "It's a general review meeting to discuss the large projects."
The large and the small
Large projects, he said, are classified as such by the state when the price tag for repairs runs $53,000 or more. Small projects are funded immediately, andlarger ones are paid for by the municipalities. The cities, townships and counties are then reimbursed with federal and state grants in phases throughout construction, Elder said.
The meetings, which are conducted periodically until all projects are complete, are a chance to officials to better understand the process of how the repairs are funded.
"It's a pass-through grant," Elder said, referring to money awarded to local municipalities earlier this year by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "It's federal money, distributed by the state, which also matches 12.5 percent."
In all, he said, large projects approved by FEMA are getting reimbursed 87.5 percent of the total cost.
Once a project is completed, state officials will inspect the work and submit a final claim back to FEMA, Elder said. After final approval of the work, FEMA releases the final payment to the local government.
Factors such as the scope of the project and the length of construction time determine when the final payment from FEMA comes, Elder added.
"Some could take weeks or months; others could take years," he said.
slshaulis@vindy.com