By Joanie Morris
news@salisburypost.com
KANNAPOLIS ó Residents of Dakota Street and baseball fans using Stadium Drive shouldn’t have to wait much longer to find out when their detours will end.
Kannapolis officials applied for federal and state disaster relief assistance to make repairs in both places and learned before Christmas the city may receive more than $1 million.
Downpours caused by Tropical Storm Faye in August washed out a culvert on Dakota Street and damaged the bridge on Stadium Drive.
Of the $1.7 million the city requested to make those and other repairs, officials received word they could potentially see as much as $1.3 million in public assistance.
Eddie Smith, assistant city manager, said the city is waiting for a breakdown of exactly what has been approved.
A project list was not immediately available, but Smith said the Dakota Street and Stadium Drive repairs total almost $1.1 million alone.
“Those are two of the bigger ticket items right there,” said Smith. “We already knew the replacement cost of Dakota Street because we had already applied for a FEMA grant to increase the culvert size.”
Before learning if the city would be approved for the FEMA funding, Smith said, Tropical Storm Faye washed the street out.
“Prior to Tropical Storm Faye, we had received an earmark from FEMA to improve the Dakota Street culvert,” added Smith. During the process, Faye wiped the street out. “Then that triggered the ability to apply for public assistance funding through the state of North Carolina.
“Hence, we had two applications submitted to state and federal agencies for financial assistance related to Dakota Street,” Smith said.
He said any delay in repairing Dakota Street has been the result of waiting to hear from those state and federal agencies on funding.
In order to receive public assistance funding to repair the culvert due to Tropical Storm Faye, Smith said rules dictate that a structure can only be replaced as it was originally designed before the storm event. However, “we had intended through the FEMA grant process to improve the culvert at Dakota Street.
“What we’re doing now, is we have a request in to the state asking them if we can contribute additional funds to improve the culvert to a more superior design that we had originally conveyed in the FEMA grant,” Smith said.
There is citizen frustration with Dakota Street still being in disrepair. However, Smith said any delay is a calculated process to try and save taxpayer money at a city level.
However, once funding is approved, the project can begin.
“We’ve already started the design process on the culvert,” said Smith. “I haven’t heard the length of the project. We didn’t know if we were going to be putting in the culvert as it was pre-storm, or with increased, superior construction.”
As for the bridge on Stadium Drive, Smith said city officials are already working on the project with Rowan County.
“The city and Rowan County have already begun the process of designing the repairs of that bridge,” said Smith. What was once thought a small-ticket repair has turned out to be much more. “It’s more like closer to $300,000 (to repair). The foundation under the piers have been undermined. That’s a rough estimate.”
He said the projects are at different stages in the repair process. If the city receives $1.3 million, the additional funds would go to repairing other structures damaged by Tropical Storm Faye.