FAIRHOPE – Federal grants could help Fairhope provide backup power to lift stations that could prevent sewage overflows during future storms, city officials said.
The city is seeking two Hazard Mitigation Grants for a total of almost $2 million, Jessica Walker, community development director, said Monday, March 22.
One grant would be for $750,000 to add generators to 10 sewerage lift stations and three water pumps.
Obviously, this will significantly reduce SSOs (sanitary sewer overflows) in the event of storms and loss of power to the lift stations and water pumping stations,” Walker told City Council members.
She said the city has been adding generators to provide backup power during storms when demand increases and electricity needed by the pumps fails. The grant would allow more generators to be put in place.
“I do know that in the resource sewer project that we’re working on, we will be putting generators on lift stations, but that doesn’t cover all of them and that’s not the whole project,” Walker said. “We have a significant number that need that backup.”
Walker said the second grant is for a safe room for city employees to use during hurricanes and other emergencies.
“Just as important is the second one, which is $1.2 million cost for safe room for city first responder, public utilities, public works and also integral people in the city to help us get back up on our feet following a disaster,” Walker said.
The safe room would be on Pecan Street near the Public Works Department barn.
“After Sally, a lot of employees had significant challenges getting to us so we could get started on reopening the city and securing the city,” Walker said. “We see a great need for this to keep our people safe and keep our city running as we can.”
Walker said officials from around Baldwin County submitted grant applications to the Emergency Management Agency on March 18. She said the county is eligible for about $14.6 million in grants, but that total could increase as more damage reports from Hurricane Sally are processed.
The grants require that the cities receiving the money pay 25 percent of the costs.
