Grassley Ltr @ federal fundingUnited States Senate
CHARLES E. GRASSLEY
WASHINGTON, DC 20510-1501
March 31, 2003
320 6TH STREET
SIOUX CITY, IA 51101-12,~t
(712} 233-1860
WATERLOO, IA 50701-5497
{339) 232-6657
DAVENPORT, IA 52801-1419
The Honorable Terrance Duggan
City Hall
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001-4864
Dear Mayor Duggan:
This is in further response to your communication regarding the
availability of federal funds for the City of Dubuque. The
Federal Emergency Management Agency and the General Services
Administration have responded to my inquiry on your behalf.
Enclosed please find copies of the replies.
I hope that this information proves to be helpful to you. Please
feel free to contact my office if I may be of further service.
Please keep in touch.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Grassley
United States Senator
CEG/pn
Enclosure
CHAIRMAN,
FINANCE
Committee Assignments:
BUDGET
JUDICIARY
PRINTED ON RECYCLED pAPER
CHAIRMAN,
INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS
CONTROL CAUCUS
The Honorable Charles E. Grassley
United States Senator
206 Federal Building
101 1st Street S.E.
Cedar Rapids, IA .52401-122-7
GSA, Office of the Regional Administrator
Heartland Region, Kansas City
Dear Senator Grassley:
The January 23, 2003, letter from Mr. Michael Milligan, Dubuque City Manager, reached us
February 26, 2003, encouraging the General Services Administration (GSA) to properly
maintain the Dubuque Post Office Building. In our February 11, 2003, letter to you regarding
the Post Office Building, we mentioned our GSA staff had met on January 28, 2003, with
Dubuque civic officials, one of whom was Mr. Milligan as well as Mayor Terry Duggan, and
others.
I'm delighted to report that we, in collaboration with the City of Dubuque and Dubuque Initiatives
are working together to find a way for this underutilized Federal Building to be conveyed for
preservation and public purpose to the local community. We plan to convey the building while
retaining occupancy rights for the U.S. Post Office to assure there is no disruption of their
operation. The Social Security Administration will leave the building, and a number of county
and other local Government occupants will make productive use of the building restoring it to
the active role it once played in downtown Dubuque. Other Federal offices, which wish to lease
space in the building, will be welcomed. Those whose mission may be better accomplished in
another location will relocate.
I participated in a well-attended public meeting February 11, 2003, and met with Mary Day of
your staff. That meeting and subsequent meetings with tenants will help us lead the way to
redeploying the building in a manner consistent with Dubuque development and preservation
interests. I believe we are cooperatively developing an approach, which will result in better use
for the building as well as creating a more active historic centerpiece for the town square.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on (816) 926-720t.
Sincerely,
Bradley M. Scott
Regional Administrator (6A)
cc:The Honorable Charles E. Grassley
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510-'i5C}1
U.S, General Services Administration.
1500 E. Banister Raad
Kansas Cib7, MO 64131
bradl~,~oott~gsa,gov
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Washington D.C. 20472
02HA.R21 PH 2:'56
The Honorable Charles E. Grassley
United States Senate
washington, DC 20510-1502
Dear Senator Grassley:
Thank you for your February 4, 2003, letter to Michelle White at the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), on behalf of Mayor Terrance Duggan of Dubuque, Iowa.
Mayor Duggan wrote to you requesting assistance for a commercial acquisition project in
Dubuque. Due to the nature of your letter, it was referred to my office. I apologize for
the delayed response.
FEMA offers two mitigation grant programs to assist states and local communities to
implement long-term hazard mitigation measures. Both programs achieve the same
purpose of protecting communities from natural disasters, but have different periods of
availability. The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) provides funds to states and
local communities after a disaster declaration to protect public or private property
through various mitigation measures such as acquiring structures from hazard-prone
areas, retrofitting structures, constructing saferooms, or developing mitigation plans. The
Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program provides funds on an annual basis to states
and local communities for projects that reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of flood
damage to buildings, homes, and other structures insurable under the National Flood
Insurance Program.
These mitigation grant programs are administered by the State of Iowa through the Iowa
Emergency Management Division. The State sets mitigation priorities and selects project
applications that are developed and submitted by local jurisdictions. Funding for these
programs is limited; therefore, States and local commtmities must make difficult
decisions as to the most effective use of grant funds. After its eligibility review, the State
then forwards applications consistent with State mitigation planning objectives to FEMA
for funding. FEMA awards HMGP funds to the State, who in turn, will disburse those
funds to its communities.
The state of Iowa has established the following as their three highest priorities for the
HMGP:
1. Voluntary acquisition/demolition of residential structures, structural
relocation of residential structures or the elevation of residential
structures.
2. Voluntary acquisition/demolition or relocation of non-residential
structures.
3. Mitigation of critical facilities.
The city of Dubuque applied to the Iowa Emergency Management Division (IEMD) for
federal assistance through FEMA's HMGP to acquire five residential structures and one
commercial structure all located within the 100-year floodplain. The application was
received by FEMA on January 21, 2003. To date, two of the five residential structures
submitted by the city are currently not eligible for funding because they fail to meet the
benefit cost analysis conducted by the IEMD. However, it is our understanding that the
state has requested additional information to ensure that their determination on the
ineligibility of those structures is accurate. It is possible that these two residential
structures could later qualify for acquisition.
Additionally, it is FEMA's understanding that should one or more of the owners of those
residential structures recommended by IEMD decline to participate in the voluntary
HMGP, the commercial property that Mayor Duggan supports for acquisition could be a
future consideration for acquisition by IEMD. However, it should be noted that the
voluntary acquisition of substantially damaged residential structures is the state's top
priority. Because it may be some time before all of the information associated with this
project is received, evaluated and a final decision reached, Mayor Duggan may wish to
maintain contact with Dennis Harper, the Iowa State Hazard Mitigation Officer.
It is important to remember that the application submitted by the city of Dubuque is one
of many projects submitted statewide currently under consideration for HMGP funding
by the state of Iowa. The amount of projects submitted for fanding often outweighs the
amount of HMGP funds allowable by law. States are faced with determining which
projects will eliminate the health and safety risk to the occupants, eliminate future cost to
the city and provide the maximum amount of protection against future losses.
To get more information on the HMGP and FMA priorities for the State of Iowa, I
encourage Mayor Duggan to contact Dennis Harper, State Hazard Mitigation Officer, at
the Iowa Emergency Management Division. Mr. Harper can be reached by telephone at
(515) 281-3231.
I hope this information is helpful to you. Should you have any further questions, please
have a member of your staff contact our Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs
Division at (202) 646-4500.
Sincerely,
Anthony S. Lowe
Administrator
Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration
cc: Dennis Harper, Iowa Emergency Management Division
FEMA Region VII, Federal Insttmnce and Mitigation Division