Fairfield’s Board of Selectmen agreed to back an application by the Greater Bridgeport Regional Council for a $1.6 million grant for infrastructure improvements. Most of the money will go toward preparations for flooding and other natural disasters.
The GBRC plans to apply for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Rating System. The federal program judges towns on their public awareness campaigns, storm preparation plans, mapping and flood damage prevention systems. If towns score high enough on FEMA’s scale, homeowners will get a discount as high as 45 percent on annual flood insurance premiums.
“Here’s a chance for us to join in a regional initiative, save the town money in terms of our implementing the program, and importantly because of that, save each of our homeowners in the flood zone dollars each year on their flood insurance,” First Selectman Michael Tetreau said.
The council also plans to charter new maps for its towns, which will overlay road conditions, flood zones and other factors updated in real time. The mapping system would also include information other projects, such as a system for tracking brownfield and open space development in the GBRC’s towns.
Fairfield and the other towns in the area will also get tablet computers that are able to access this database from the road. Fairfield’s police, fire and public works departments would use the maps to respond more quickly during emergencies like Sandy.
The GBRC also hopes to make a “Living Shoreline Plan,” which would study the coastline in Fairfield, Bridgeport and Stratford to see what can be done to cut down on coastal flooding in the future. The grant would not pay for the actual construction, but would cover the cost of planning and feasibility studies for potential improvements.
The GBRC also includes Bridgeport, Easton, Trumbull, Stratford and Monroe. Each town can decide whether it wants to join in the agency’s programs.
Along with Fairfield, Trumbull has also agreed to the application. Council Director Brian Bidolli said he plans to make the same pitch to the other four towns later this month, but even without their approval Fairfield is still in the running for the program.
“It’s not a top-down approach, this is completely voluntary,” Bidolli said. “It’s not a mandate, it’s not required, and it’s us making an offer to the town to be a part of it and hopefully save the town money.”
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