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City of Hastings to Host Flood Mitigation Open House March 5
The City of Hastings invites the community to attend a public open house as part of its effort to improve flooding conditions in the city.
The open house will be held at the Hastings Municipal Airport, 3300 W. 12th Street, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 5. All members of the public are invited to participate in the meeting. No formal presentation will be made, and attendees may drop in anytime.
The purpose of the meeting is to seek public input on flooding events they have experienced in the city. Specifically, the City is assessing flooding conditions and mitigation efforts at three pre-identified locations:
1. Central Hastings (Keystone Ave. to S Burlington Ave.; W 2nd St. to W B St.)
2. Pawnee Creek (south of Hastings Municipal Airport)
3. Lake Hastings dam.
The project team will be on hand to answer attendee’s questions and record feedback. This project is part of an effort to obtain Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) BRIC (Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities) grant funds that would support the review of existing infrastructure, assess threats of flooding, develop mitigation activities to address flooding, screen alternatives to select preferred alternatives, and develop a funding plan for implementation.
BRIC is a FEMA program that supports states, local communities, tribes and territories as they undertake hazard mitigation and flood risk reduction projects, reducing the threats they face from disasters and natural hazards, including extreme flooding events (FEMA.gov 2024).
The City of Hastings received federal grant dollars in summer 2023 which allowed them to begin the first phase of this project – Existing Conditions Review. As part of this phase, project team members analyzed past flooding events, 100- and 500-year floodplain maps and data, and potential flood mitigation improvements to these sites. Public feedback is an important part of Phase One for this project, and no final alternatives or improvements will be recommended until input is collected from the community.
Following phase one public feedback and the open house meeting, the project team will then transition into final design and development. Any final design of projects will not take place until the community and property owners located in or near the three sites have had an opportunity to review flooding conditions and potential improvements with City staff.
Visit here for more information about this project.
Published Date: 02/26/2024