Bell Center, county in dispute with federal emergency management
By Ted Pennekamp
The village of Bell Center and Crawford County are in a dispute with FEMA over funding for the costs of damage to the bridge over the Kickapoo River on Sand Creek Road during the 2016 Kickapoo River flood.
“The village and ourselves feel that at least the cost of the damaged section of pilings on the west end of the bridge should be covered through FEMA,” said County Highway Commissioner Dennis Pelock in an email to a representative of U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin. The estimated cost of the damage to the pilings is $368,000.
Pelock said the county and the village are seeking the FEMA funding even though the bridge is eligible for replacement funding through the Wisconsin DOT STP Bridge Program.
In a response letter, FEMA representatives said FEMA will not pay for the cost of the portion of the bridge that was damaged in the 2016 flood because, “It did not meet the requirements for proceeding with an eligible project.”
FEMA says an applicant must demonstrate that damage was caused directly by the declared incident. FEMA does not provide funding for repair or damage caused by deterioration, deferred maintenance, or the applicant’s failure to take measures to protect a facility from further damage. FEMA says it denied the village’s and county’s request based upon information gathered on Dec. 17, 2018, by the FEMA site inspection team.
According to a FEMA report, the bank at the bridge site is beginning to slump. The channel has widespread minor damage. There is minor stream bed movement evident. Debris is restricting the channel slightly. The bridge foundations have been determined to be stable for the assessed or calculated scour condition. The bridge’s deck condition is considered poor and the substructure condition is considered serious.
FEMA recommends replacement of the bridge or other structures because of substandard load carrying capacity or substantial bridge roadway geometry.
Pelock sent emails to representatives of U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin and U.S. Representative Ron Kind asking for Baldwin’s and Kind’s help in this dispute.
In addition to the dispute over the bridge on Sand Creek Road, Crawford County is currently seeking funding from the Wisconsin Division of Emergency Management for one or both of two proposed new bridges over the Kickapoo River. One proposed bridge would span the Kickapoo on County B in the town of Clayton between Highway 27 and Highway 131. The other would be at County S in the town of Haney between Highway 27 and Highway 131.
A bridge on County B would cost an estimated $4.6 million. A bridge on County S would cost $6.6 million. If the grant is received, approximately 75 percent of the cost of the bridge project would be paid for through state and federal funds. The remaining 25 percent would be split by the county and the municipalities.
