City of Savannah faces loss of $30 million grant after federal program cut
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced last Friday an end to its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program in an announcement that hits Savannah.
The city of Savannah received a $30 million BRIC grant in fall of 2024 for drainage improvements along the Springfield Canal, a project aimed at mitigating decades of flooding in some of Savannah's historically Black neighborhoods west of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. FEMA said in a release Friday the program's cancellation cut a 'wasteful' and 'politicized' initiative.
The city has not yet received an official grant cancellation letter from FEMA, but said in a statement city staff is 'reviewing the implications of this notice' and arranging meetings with its federal elected officials to discuss the grant's status. That statement from the city was first reported by the Savannah Agenda.
"Savannah will still prioritize the stormwater infrastructure needs of our neighborhoods and our communities, but it's our expectation that the federal government will do the right thing," said Savannah Mayor Van Johnson at his Tuesday press conference, "that they will honor their word and their commitment to our citizens, and that they will deliver the grant as promised."
BRIC grant background: Head of FEMA praises Savannah canal project, environmental justice focus in visit to city
The BRIC grant program was created by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a piece of legislation championed by former President Joe Biden's administration. FEMA's announcement said approximately $882 million from the law would be returned to the U.S. Treasury or be reapportioned by congress next fiscal year.
The law allocated $1 billion to the BRIC program over five years, and $133 million had already been allocated, according to the press release. Grant funds not yet distributed to awarded entities will be "immediately returned either to the Disaster Relief Fund or the U.S. Treasury," according to the FEMA release.
The program's end is meant to align with President Donald Trump's executive orders, including one administered March 25 titled "Protecting America's Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse."
"The BRIC program was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program. It was more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters," said a FEMA spokesperson in the press release.
For Savannah, the grant support was slated to come in phases. Phase one was to consist of $2.8 million from the program, with a $1 million local match, for design work.
The city incurred $110,720 in administrative costs for early phase one work, but the city has not yet executed its engineering services for project design.
Savannah City Council approved a $4.8 million contract in early February for engineering services, and City Manager Jay Melder said at the time the city needed more clarity on potential funding freezes before executing the contract.
Drainage funding: As Savannah Council considers stormwater fee program, city to seek public input
The city has not yet executed that contract as of publication time. Total costs for the planned Springfield Canal improvements are slated at $45 million, with the city providing a $15 million match to the $30 million BRIC Grant.
Losing the grant would put a hole in the project's funding, Johnson said. "We don't have a place to organically get $30 million."
The city of Savannah received multiple grants funded through Biden-era policies in recent years, including a $10 million Safe Streets for All Grant for safety improvements to the 37th Street corridor, and another $1.9 million for a Reconnecting Neighborhoods and Communities Grant aimed planning community redevelopment if the Interstate 16 Flyover were to be taken down.
Johnson said throughout his experience in local government, new presidential administrations had honored the commitments of ones prior. But now, the game has "totally seemed to change," causing concern about the security of Savannah's various federal grants moving forward.
"We're scared to death, period," Johnson said.
Evan Lasseter is the city of Savannah and Chatham County government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@savannahnow.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah faces federal grant cut after FEMA program cancelled
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