NYRCR MONTGOMERY COUNTY NY RISING COUNTYWIDE RESILIENCY PLAN July 2014 NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program This page intentionally left blank Montgomery County NYRCR Planning Committee Name Position Group/Organization Dustin Swanger Co-Chair Fulton-Montgomery Community College Denis Wilson Co-Chair Fulmont Community Action Agency Ann Black Member Fulmont Community Action Agency Paul Clayburn Member Montgomery County Department of Public Works American Red Cross, Northeastern New York Region, Angelika Klapputh Member Albany, NY Michael McMahon Member Montgomery County Department of Social Services Corey Nellis Member Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District Matt Ossenfort Member Montgomery County Executive Office Frederick Quist Member United Way of Montgomery County Nancy Ryan Member Fort Plain Reformed Church Jeffery Smith Member Montgomery County Emergency Management Office PREPARED BY This document was developed by the NYRCR Montgomery County Planning Committee as part of the NY Rising Community Reconstruction (NYRCR) Program and is supported by the NYS Department of State. The document was prepared by the following Consultant Team: AKRF, Inc.; Nagle, Tatich, Cranston LLC d/b/a Elan.3.Consulting (E.3); MJ Engineering and Land Surveying, PC; and CDM Smith, Inc. i This page intentionally left blank Foreword Introduction Flooding from severe summer storms in 2013 inflicted damages in five upstate counties, bringing home the reality that it no longer takes a hurricane or tropical storm for raging flood waters to wreak havoc in our communities. Those summer storms – as well as Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene, and Tropical Storm Lee – signal that we need to rebuild our com- munities in a way that will mitigate against future risks and build increased resilience. To meet these pressing needs, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo led the charge to develop an innovative, community-driven program. The NY Rising Commu- nity Reconstruction (NYRCR) Program provides the State’s most impacted communities with the technical taken in the five upstate counties of Niagara, Madison, expertise needed to develop reconstruction strategies Herkimer, Oneida and Montgomery was tailored to to build more resilient communities. meet their particular circumstances. In each, a county- wide NYRCR Planning Committee was formed in consultation with local leaders that included members Program Overview representing county planning, economic develop- ment, human service organizations, soil and water The NYRCR Program is a planning and implementa- services, emergency services, highway services, local tion process established to provide rebuilding and governments, educational institutions, business and resiliency assistance to communities heavily damaged other organizations. by Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, Superstorm Sandy, and the severe summer storms of 2013. The approach in these five counties was two-pronged, Drawing on lessons learned from past recovery efforts, focusing first on identification of remaining recovery the NYRCR Program is a unique combination of bot- needs, and then on developing countywide long-term tom-up community participation and State-provided resiliency strategies and actions. Planning Committee technical expertise. This powerful combination recog- meetings were held, during which Planning Commit- nizes that community members are best positioned to tee members worked with the State’s NYRCR Program assess the needs and opportunities of the places team to identify storm damage, recognize recovery where they live and work. Up to $3 million was com- efforts in the immediate aftermath of the storms, and mitted by the Governor for each of the five counties. develop a list of projects still needed to recover from the storms. These reports, published in early April While part of the larger NYRCR effort involving over included descriptions of recovery projects and their 100 communities in 20 other counties, the approach estimated costs and project benefits. Foreword iii MONTGOMERY COUNTY NY RISING Countrywide Resiliency Plan The Planning Committees then looked more closely at The program has leveraged the Regional Economic where storm damages occurred; what assets are at Development Council’s State Agency Review Teams risk; and how the risk to those assets can be reduced (SARTs), composed of representatives from State or eliminated. They describe in this plan the strategies agencies and authorities, for feedback on projects they will use to avoid future damages a list of actions proposed by NYRCR communities. The SARTs review to implement those strategies. projects with an eye toward regulatory and permitting needs, policy objectives, and preexisting agency In Herkimer, Oneida, and Montgomery Counties, con- funding sources. The NYRCR Program is continuing sultants were retained by the NYS Department of to work with the SARTs to streamline the permitting Transportation in consultation with the NYS Depart- process and ensure shovels are in the ground as ment of Environmental Conservation to assess 13 quickly as possible. watersheds that ultimately empty into the Mohawk River. The completed engineering assessment pro- vided the Counties with a better understanding of the The NYRCR Countywide way water moves across the landscape, enabling the Resiliency Plan NYRCR Planning Committees to better understand critical areas subject to flood risk. The counties and Each NYRCR Planning Committee began the plan- communities along these creeks were provided rec- ning process by assessing storm damage and ommendations on how to address problems incre- describing recovery needs. Next, the Planning Com- mentally and begin to mitigate severe flooding. Each mittee identified critical assets in the community and NYRCR County Planning Committee has incorporated assessed the assets’ exposure to risk. On the basis of recommendations into their plan and proposed proj- this work, the Planning Committee described resil- ects, making sure short term recovery actions are iency needs and opportunities. The Planning Commit- compatible with the actions needed to implement tee then developed a series of reconstruction and long-term resiliency recommendations. resiliency strategies, and identified projects and implementation actions to help fulfill those strategies. All Planning Committee meetings were open to the public, and public engagement events attracted com- While developing projects for inclusion in this NYRCR munity members who provided feedback on propos- Plan, Planning Committees took into account cost als. Throughout the planning process, Planning Com- estimates, cost-benefit analyses, the effectiveness of mittees were supported by planners from New York each project in reducing risk to populations and criti- State Department of State and consultants from plan- cal assets, and potential funding sources. The list of ning firms that specialize in engineering, flood mitiga- projects presents a long-term approach to becoming tion solutions, green infrastructure, and more. more resilient that reflects a need for some actions to be staged before others can be taken, and recognizes To ensure tangible progress on the county’s NYRCR that the availability of funds for implementing projects Countywide Resiliency Plan, the plan includes an will change over time. Inclusion of a project or action implementation schedule that identifies each strategy; in this NYRCR Plan does not guarantee that a particu- actions to be taken to implement the strategy; poten- lar project or action will be eligible for funding or that tial funding sources; target dates; and responsible it will be implemented. In addition, implementation of parties. the projects and actions found in this NYRCR Plan are subject to applicable Federal, State, and local laws and regulations. iv Foreword MONTGOMERY COUNTY NY RISING Countrywide Resiliency Plan On the pages that follow, you will see the results of months of thoughtful, diligent work by NYRCR Plan- ning Committees, passionately committed to realizing brighter, more resilient futures for their communities. In the months and years to follow, many of the proj- ects and actions outlined in this NYRCR Plan will become a reality helping New York not only to rebuild, but also to build back better. This NYRCR Countywide Resiliency Plan is an important step toward rebuilding a more resilient community. Foreword v This page intentionally left blank Table of Contents Section I. Community Overview .................................................................... I-1 A. Planning Area ................................................................................. I-1 B. Description of Summer 2013 Storm Damage and Locations Prone to Frequent Flooding ............................................... I-3 C. Critical Issues ................................................................................. I-7 D. Vision............................................................................................ I-11 E. Relationship to Regional Plans .................................................... I-12 Section II: Assessment of Risk and Needs .................................................... II-1 A. Assessment of Needs and Opportunities ..................................... II-1 B. Description of Community Assets ................................................ II-7 C. Assessment of Risk to Assets and Systems .............................. II-33 Section III: Reconstruction and Resiliency Strategies .................................. III-1 Section