Chehaw Park and Zoo gets FEMA funds for Hurricane Michael cleanup
File Photo
By Tom Seegmueller
[email protected]
ALBANY – Tommy Gregors, acting as the executive director of Chehaw Park and Zoo, presented the Albany City Commission with a check for $279,000 at the commission’s most recent work session.
The transfer of these funds was a result of a partnership between the Chehaw Park Authority and the city of Albany in response to cleanup efforts related to Hurricane Michael.
“This is the reason it is good for us to have good relationships with the city and county,” Gregors said. “By partnering with the city, we were able to have a smoother cleanup process and be good stewards in the interest of the taxpayer.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) provided the Chehaw Park Authority reimbursement for these emergency response efforts. The agencies divide these efforts into three categories:
♦ Emergency response, which includes equipment such as generators, saws and other equipment related to immediate post-disaster needs;
♦ Debris cleanup, which involved getting all fallen trees, limbs and other debris collected and eventually removed from the park;
♦ Repairs, which involves the replacement of damaged exhibits and physical property.
The complete invoice for the emergency response and debris cleanup at Chehaw following Hurricane Michael totaled $372,000. The reimbursement for this project is split, with FEMA covering 75% and GEMA picking up the remaining 25%. The check presented to the City Commission for $279,000 represents FEMA’s share of this project.
Final funding for the repair phase of this project will be determined as Chehaw works to include these projects into their evolving Master Plan so that they are used in the most cost-effective manner. This is better than simply rebuilding what existed but might not fit the goals and objectives of Chehaw’s evolving plan, park officials say.
Although the destruction at Chehaw was massive, the combined efforts of the city of Albany and Chehaw prove the old adage “Every cloud has a silver lining” to literally and figuratively be true.
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