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County to get help paying for flood repairs
new deh more county flood pic 1
Flooding last spring caused some damage to roads and bridges in Barton County, but the county will receive federal help to pay for the repairs. - photo by Tribune file photo

 The Barton County Commission Monday morning approved an agreement for emergency federal-aid for a road repair projects resulting from flooding last spring.

Road and Bridge Director Dale Phillips said much of the state, including central Kansas, saw damage from the storms that raked the region in May through June. Barton County experienced damages on some roads and bridges as well and on June 15, 2015, the County Commission declared a state of local disaster and was included in a Federal Disaster Declaration on July 20, 2015. 

However, Phillips said some of the damaged infrastructure was originally constructed with federal aid funds. As such, it cannot be submitted for public assistance money under the declaration.  

Consequently a separate damage assessment was made through the Kansas Department of Transportation for assistance. Barton County applied for those funds and has now received an agreement from KDOT for the approved emergency relief repair.  

This is what the commission signed off on Monday. It will now go back to federal officials through KDOT, Phillips said.

The total costs of the projects was $133,635, Phillips said. But, the feds will pick up 80 percent of that, or $90,974.

“This is helpful for our budget so we can replace some of those supplies,” he said. “We can utilize that money within our budget for 2016.”

“It think its a good thing that we can recoup some of these funds,” Commission Chairman Don Davis said.

It is a good deal for the county, Phillips said. A similar situation arose a few years ago, but assistance was denied.

This time KDOT worked well with county, he said.

These repairs are permanent ones. The county also received funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a result of the disaster declaration that covered at least part of the cost for emergency repairs made following the flooding.