DPW has Updated the Rocky Ripple Local Flood Damage Reduction Project

Apologies if you get this twice, the category on the first notice was not set correctly.
DPW has posted updates on 6/21/23 to the Rocky Ripple Local Flood Flood Damage Reduction Project. Please make sure to read both the upper part of the page and lower sections as they have added information in multipe locations. We as a town board have just learnt of these updates and have not had a chance to discuss these further. But we wanted to get the updates out to everyone as soon as possible.

Some of the highlights of the updates are:

  • Anticipated construction Fall 2025.
  • TIMELINE

    Spring 2024 – Floodworks Design completion

    Spring 2024 – CLOMR Submittal

    Spring 2025 – Estimated CLOMR Approval

    Late Spring/Summer 2025 – Construction Procurement and Land Acquisition Commences (Land Acquisition will not proceed without ILA)

    Fall 2025 – Anticipated Construction Start

  • Land Acquisition
UPDATE

Appraisals of real estate interests required for the Rocky Ripple Project are under way and are scheduled to be completed in July 2023. The field efforts and resident meetings have been completed; therefore, the field staking provided for these services can be removed. Residents are invited to remove the stakes themselves and dispose of them if they wish. If it is preferred that the project team remove the stakes, please notify Harrison Rice ([email protected]).

Appraisals will not be shared with property owners until such time that formal offers are made. Prior to offers being made, DPW will work with the appraisers to determine updates that may be needed to the appraisals to reflect current market conditions

  • The addition of going through with a CLOMR
    A Conditional Letter of Map Revision, or CLOMR, is FEMA’s comment on a proposed project that would affect the hydrologic or hydraulic characteristics of a flooding source. An example is how new floodworks construction affects a river. A CLOMR does not serve to revise the existing FIRM. Rather, a CLOMR outlines the parameters under which a proposed floodworks project, if built as proposed, will be recognized by FEMA. Accordingly, building permits cannot be issued based on a CLOMR, and the requirement for flood insurance cannot be terminated based on a CLOMR.
    • Status

      DPW’s primary goal with the Rocky Ripple Flood Damage Risk Reduction Project (the “Rocky Ripple Project”) is to design and construct floodworks which meet the federal requirements for FEMA accreditation; thereby, reducing the risk of riverine flooding for protected properties. In 2023, the Rocky Ripple Project design effort has partially focused on assisting the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) with the Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) process with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the nearby Indy North Flood Damage Risk Reduction Project (the “Indy North Project”). As the local sponsor for the Indy North Project, DPW is supporting USACE with responses to FEMA’s comments on the LOMR for the area protected by the Indy North Project. Because the floodworks being designed for the Rocky Ripple Project will connect with the Indy North Project floodworks, DPW believes it is prudent to work through the LOMR process for the Indy North Project so that any expectations of FEMA and lessons learned can be applied to the design of the Rocky Ripple Project. Assuming no additional comments are received from FEMA on the Indy North Project, DPW anticipates that the process could be completed by the end of 2023, at which time design for the Rocky Ripple Project can be advanced.

      After completion of design, DPW will apply to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and to FEMA for a Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) for the Rocky Ripple Project. The CLOMR process is an important quality assurance element for a proposed floodworks project intended for FEMA accreditation and eventual LOMR on a more expedited basis. Based on discussions with FEMA and FEMA’s comments on the Indy North Project, DPW has determined that early IDNR and FEMA review of the Rocky Ripple Project is warranted and advisable given that a LOMR will be needed to accredit any floodworks constructed, accreditation is necessary for an ultimate revision of the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) for the Rocky Ripple area. Further Information regarding the CLOMR process is included below.

      Megan Hulland       Mandy Redmond     Randy Sanders