Saturday, March 2, 2013

Part-time recovery position created to address flooding

BY THOMAS LESKIN (STAFF WRITERTLESKIN@REPUBLICANHERALD.COM)Published: February 20, 2013

A recent proactive effort with the creation of a part-time recovery plan coordinator position plans to reduce the impact of future flooding in Schuylkill County.

William E. Reichert, president of Schuylkill Headwaters Association, recently accepted the new part-time position of manager of the Pine Grove Area/Upper Swatara Long-Term Recovery Strategy.

State Rep. Mike Tobash, R-125, helped coordinate the efforts of the Schuylkill Economic Development Corp., Schuylkill County Industrial Development Authority, Schuylkill County commissioners and the Schuylkill Conservation District, which created the position now responsible for managing projects that affect the entire Pine Grove/Upper Swatara watershed area.

The effort was based on an idea from a Federal Emergency Management Agency report.

"Basically, I'm taking the work that had been done by the folks when FEMA was here for Tropical Storm Lee to try to ensure that all of that effort and time and energy continues to move forward," Reichert said Tuesday. "You can spend a lot of time and effort to make a plan then put it on a bookshelf and nothing happens."

http://republicanherald.com/news/part-time-recovery-position-created-to-address-flooding-1.1447218

West Pittston Tomorrow - new website for recovery

http://www.wptomorrow.com/

NON PROFIT ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Articles of Incorporation for West Pittston Tomorrow, a Pennsylvania Nonprofit Corporation, have been filed and approved by the Department of State of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on November 13, 2012, pursuant to the revisions of the Nonprofit Corporation Law of 1988, as amended supplemented. The purpose for which it is organized is to provide a non-partisan, non-sectarian and non-commercial organization to initiate, encourage, assist, and sponsor activities within the Borough of West Pittston for the benefit, betterment, advancement, and general civic improvement of the community.
The first meeting of the corporation will be held on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 7 p.m. at the West Pittston Borough Building for the purpose of adopting by-laws and election of officers and board of directors. Details can be found at www.wptomorrow.com.

West Pittston receives $120K flood recovery grant

WEST PITTSTON - Luzerne County has awarded the borough a grant for $120,000 for flood recovery repair in low income areas.

Council cannot make official plans yet until the county actually disburses the money, but they plan to use the money toward paving and curb repairs on Fremont Street, Jenkins Street and part of Luzerne Avenue.

The borough is still waiting on Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to be distributed by the county. While the county received the money, they are still searching for a projects coordinator to oversee distribution and use of that money.

Borough Engineer Tom Reilly selected areas in need, where streets were under water and flood damage was significant.

Jim Brozena, former executive director of the Flood Protection Authority, has applied and submitted a proposal to handle the buying of flood-damaged properties and demolition of structures on these properties.

After retiring from his former position, Brozena started his own business and has been reaching out to municipalities to handle the buyout process.

The borough is looking to work with him; however, council will vote on whether to accept Brozena's proposal and hire him at Tuesday's council meeting. If the borough hires Brozena, he will be paid with federal money.

No parking on Exeter, Wyoming avenues

Currently, the state mandates no parking on Exeter and Wyoming Avenue; however, the borough needs to purchase and place no parking signs before notifying the public. The borough will not enforce the state mandate until the signs are in place.

The West Pittston Street Department is responsible for completing this project.

Library grant: All or nothing

The Pennsylvania Department of Education awarded the borough and West Pittston Library a $500,000 Keystone Recreation, Parks and Conservation fund grant for development over an 18-month period as it recovers from the flood damage sustained in September 2011.

The grant is contingent upon the library matching the awarded amount. If the library is unable to match the amount, the grant is declined. Library officials are confident they can raise the money needed.
More...
http://citizensvoice.com/news/west-pittston-receives-120k-flood-recovery-grant-1.1451109

Wilmington committee seeks mission statement approval

Wednesday February 13, 2013

WILMINGTON -- The Long Term Community Recovery Steering Committee met on Monday, Feb. 11 to discuss its mission statement, which it hopes to get approved by the Selectboard on Feb. 20.

The mission statement reads, "The Long Term Community Recovery Steering Committee will be the support and entry point for recovery project volunteers to access town approval. Acting as a central clearing house, the LTCRS Committee will communicate the progress of existing and future recovery projects and regularly post reports. The LTCRS Committee will provide clear and functional ideas to assist our Selectboard in the coordination of a cohesive recovery plan. The LTCRS Committee will also guide our current volunteer efforts to deliver a solid starting point for professional planners."

"It should be a slam dunk at this point," said Town Manager Scott Murphy.
The committee was formed around November. It has been a topic at Selectboard meetings as to just what the committee will be responsible for.

After Tropical Storm Irene, when FEMA came to assist with projects, it had come to the attention of the Selectboard that, "there was no group guiding them ... asking about (project) statuses," said Murphy.

On Monday, Mary Wright was named chairwoman of the committee, which approved the selection by unanimous vote.
"If there's a drive for these committees to become official, let's become official," said Wright.

The LTCRS committee will meet on the second Monday in March with reports from different groups in town. The information will be about projects that groups currently are working on. It will focus on projects' progress, hold-ups, frustrations and goals for the near future, members agreed.
"Once we get a charge, we should make a list of goals," said Wright. "There's still a lot of loose ends all over the place."
One thing the LTCRS committee agreed upon was the need to clarify some things about the downtown designation, Wilmington Works. Residents have been confused about this, too.
"As they get going, (the downtown designation group) will take a lot of the efforts and it will be under their wing," said Murphy. "That process is starting now, but is taking a long time."
Once Wilmington Works' application is accepted by the Vermont Downtown Program group, the LTCRS committee may not need to be as concerned with projects in the downtown designation, which will focus on the area known as the Historic Review District Village.
The area's coverage will go from School Street to the Old Red Mill Inn and includes restaurant and bar, Apres Vous, as well as the Pettee Memorial Library.
The downtown designation group to be formed will range from nine to 11 members. It will be a board of advisors and will include at least two people designated by the Wilmington Selectboard, two from the Wilmington Fund, one from the Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce, two business owners and two property owners. There will also be a program director.
The downtown designation group may take over various projects from different committees that have been formed.
"It's entirely possible these committees will morph into a Wilmington Works sub-group," said Murphy.
Members of the LTCRS committee discussed how frequently it should meet in the future.
"I think we only need to meet every month," said Murphy. "Unless something comes up."
Most of the committee thought that 5 p.m. on Mondays would work best for all involved, when it comes to scheduled, warned meetings.
By meeting on the second Monday of every month, the committee would get the chance to hear the Selectboard on the first Wednesday of the month and discuss goals with the board. Then it could get back to the board on the third Wednesday of the month, when the Selectboard meets again.
Wright has experience with working on the Wilmington Beautification Committee, of which she is still a member.
On Monday night, Wright mentioned her concern over informing the public on the roles each committee and board are responsible for.
"Somehow, being able to disseminate information to the general public, some kind of organization dissemination, ‘This is who's working on this. This is who's working on that.' I think that's the type of things people are looking for in this town," she said.
Chris Mays can be reached at 802-254-2311, ext. 273, or cmays@reformer.com. Follow Chris on Twitter @CMaysReformer.
More...
http://www.reformer.com/localnews/ci_22578281/wilmington-committee-seeks-mission-statement-approval

Leahy and Shumlin-announce-1-million-for-affordable-housing-project-renovation-of-waterbury-state-office-complex-building

WATERBURY – U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy and Gov. Peter Shumlin today announced a $950,000 award from the Agency of Commerce and Community Development to redevelop Ladd Hall in Waterbury into 27 new homes. The project is made possible by a recent agreement by the state to transfer ownership of the building and include affordable housing in the redevelopment of the State Office Complex. Joining them was Regional Administrator Barbara Fields from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The funding comes from the $21.6 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Disaster Recovery funds ACCD received from HUD to help the state recover from Tropical Storm Irene. The money is awarded to the Central Vermont Community Land Trust and Housing Vermont to spearhead the project. - See more at: http://vtdigger.org/2013/02/17/leahy-shumlin-announce-1-million-for-affordable-housing-project-renovation-of-waterbury-state-office-complex-building/#sthash.xJWGplad.dpuf

More...
http://vtdigger.org/2013/02/17/leahy-shumlin-announce-1-million-for-affordable-housing-project-renovation-of-waterbury-state-office-complex-building/

Reflections on a great recovery - Waterbury VT

It was a great pleasure and honor, to participate in ReBuild Waterbury’s closure ceremony recently, marking the completion of this community’s commitment to helping Irene survivors return to safe, permanent housing. What the Waterbury/Duxbury community has accomplished is amazing. In the immediate response to the destruction of Tropical Storm Irene, thousands of volunteers were put to work feeding, sheltering, clothing and lifting the spirits of those affected. And as dark and painful as those memories of late August were to many, so too was the bright light of hope and healing that shone through the helping hands that provided so much to those impacted in our community.
More....
http://www.stowetoday.com/waterbury_record/opinion/article_76070c30-7137-11e2-83f3-001a4bcf887a.html

Feds to offer buyouts on 646 N.Y. homes hit by Irene, Lee

Feb 6, 2013 | Written by Joseph Spector, Albany Bureau Chief

ALBANY — The federal government has given approval for 646 homes to be bought out after tropical storms Irene and Lee, and more money could be going to help recovering upstate areas.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing that $400 million in federal aid should be designated to buy out residents whose homes were flattened after Superstorm Sandy on Oct. 29 hit New York City and its suburbs.

A part of the money will also go to recovery efforts for the Southern Tier and the Hudson Valley, which were hit by Irene and Lee a year earlier, Cuomo’s office said.

The specifics of Cuomo’s program have not yet been released. The state Office of Emergency Management said 646 applications have been sent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for buyouts and approved after Lee and Irene, which hit in August and September 2011, totaling $55 million.

More....

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20130206/NEWS01/302060049/Andrew-Cuomo-Irene-Lee-Sandy

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Hackleburg School on Way to Recovery

HACKLEBURG, Ala. (WHNT) – Feb 22, 2013
As the two-year anniversary approaches of the deadly tornado outbreak of April 2011, life is still not back to normal for some towns.
Dozens of singlewide trailers all in a row, now make up Hackleburg High School.
“It`s a nice facility but it’s nothing you really want to stay in for a long period of time,” said Hackleburg Police Chief, Kenny Hallmark.
It’s a stark contrast from the school that once sat just across the street.
The tornado that ripped through the area on April 27th, 2011, demolished that building.
“At first I didn`t think it would bother them that much, I figured it would affect the community, or the people who had been in school more than it did the kids, but now it`s starting to affect the kids,” said Hallmark.
While the school`s under construction, there`s still no where for student athletes to play their games. Students must travel for every event, which some people say is also taking a toll on the school community.
“That`s something this town is built on is the pride of their school and athletic teams and its beginning to weigh on them,” said Hallmark.
Finally, heavy equipment sets, ready to run. When the weather cooperates, dirt is getting moved for the town’s new school complex.
“It’s kinda picked the spirits up , once the building starts going up, I think that will help the spirits also for the people in town, but its been a long time coming,” said Hallmark.
While the wet ground has delayed progress crews expect to have the school built from ground up in the next year and a half.
Bids for the sports complex went out Friday. All other construction bids have been approved.

VIDEO... http://whnt.com/2013/02/22/hackleburg-school-on-way-to-recovery/

Senator Sessions Tours Rebult Hackleburg Wrangler Plant

Feb 20th 2013' HACKLEBURG, AL (WBRC) -
Another business is on the road to recovery in the Marion County town of Hackleburg.

Wednesday, Senator Jeff Sessions toured the VF Jeanswear Wrangler distribution center, which was wiped out in the April 27 tornadoes. The plant sits on a hill, and on April 27, 2011 it became a field of twisted metal and jeans in only a matter of seconds.

Before the tornado, the Wrangler plant was by far the town's biggest employer with 150 employees. Without it, Hackleburg faced a bleak future.

The state contributed $31 million to bring the plant back, and Hackleburg added $200,000 to that amount. When the new plant reopens in May, it will employ 200 people.

"They made a commitment to come here. They were assisted by all the local governments, and it was really important to me. I really felt and I know a lot of us felt that it was important that this plant come back here, psychologically and economically," Sen. Sessions said.

A total of 18 people were killed in the Hackleburg tornado, including one person who died inside the plant.

Copyright 2013 WBRC. All rights reserved.

FOR VIDEO....
http://www.wsfa.com/story/21290580/sen-sessions-tours-rebuilt-wrangler-plant-in-hackleburg