Oct 1, 2022
The City of Williamsport’s levee recertification project could be the recipient of up to $8 million in funding being pursued by a Washington, D.C. consulting firm that is working closely with members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.
Keller Partners and Co., an economic development consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. working on behalf of the city and Lycoming County on the levee funding, continues to seek funding sources for necessary repairs to the levee and the overall certification and accreditation process.
Thomas Keller, president and CEO of Keller Partners and Co., along with his colleague, Andrew J. Garfinkel, managing director of grants, loans and contracts, had a quarterly report for Williamsport City Council on Thursday night.
“We’re making good progress on behalf of the city. We think by the end of this year we’re going to have a fantastic return investment for the city,” Keller said.
Keller had three items to report. The first was the levee risk assessment.
“The good news is that it is supposed to be started in the next couple of weeks by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,” he said.
This assessment came out of a community meeting last year with council, Mayor Derek Slaughter, county commissioners, the Williamsport Municipal Water Authority, as well as the Federal Emergency Management agency, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management agency the Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District and local federal legislators including U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton.
“Now we’ve gotten to this point,” Keller said. “It is exciting because the whole purpose behind this is to bring the levee into compliance and to certify and eventually have it accredited.”
“If this risk assessment is done, it will potentially save millions of dollars,” Keller said.
Keller became particularly animated on the next item of discussion and that was funding the levee improvements through Congress and a House Appropriations bill, which passed the House Appropriations Committee.
“It is potentially up to $8 million dedicated for the levee,” he said.
If that bill makes its way to President Joe Biden’s desk it is possible that in the first quarter or the second quarter of the new year that a certain amount of the funding could be used toward the levee project.
“I really want to thank Congressman (Fred) Keller (R-Kreamer) for taking the lead here, devoting all of his community project funding specifically for the levee,” Keller said.
I also want to thank Senator Casey for efforts to see that $3 million dollars goes to the levee,” he added.
Slaughter had meetings in Washington on May 9 and 10 and met with the Congressional Delegation.
“I thought they were excellent, and this is something that he will continue to do,” Keller said.
“We’re going to continue to engage the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to follow along with this risk assessment and it’s important to report to the Congressional delegations about the progress that’s being made regarding the risk assessment,” Keller said.
“We are going to mobilize the Congressional delegations to do what they can to push this $8 million dollars through the appropriations process.
“Hopefully, we’ll get the president’s signature after Dec. 16,” he added.
“We need to prepare the Congressional request for next year,” Keller said.
Without certification those protected by the second largest levee in the Baltimore Army Corps District would face flood insurance premiums. The levee protects an estimated $4 billion in combined real estate assets.
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