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A month ago, the federal Office of Management and Budget released a memo that put a widespread freeze on all federal assistance. Confusion, panic ensued and multiple lawsuits were filed to stop the funding freeze. The memo was rescinded later by the White House; however, it maintained spending pauses on foreign aid; diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which put billions of dollars toward clean energy funding, according to national news outlets. 

Confusion created by the memo branched outside the nation’s capital and into Beaufort County – Washington Park, specifically. 

In the spring of 2023, the Town of Washington Park was selected to participate in a Resilient Coastal Communities Program (RCCP) project that would identify and implement solutions for community hazards which are: flooding, sea level rise, storm surge, drought wildfire and coastal erosion. 

Six solutions were reviewed and ranked by priority. The first priority was to build a living shoreline along an estimated 2,500 ft. of public shoreline in Washington Park to reduce erosion, a RCCP report from 2023 shows. This was selected to advance to an engineering and design phase which is being conducted now. The type of living shoreline that could be implemented has yet to be determined, according to Washington Park Town Clerk, April Alligood. 

The second priority was to develop a stormwater action plan that would upgrade the current stormwater system through improved and expanded infrastructure. The town is looking at the Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap, an initiative by the EPA, which provides technical assistance to rural communities that have failing septic systems, or they do not have existing wastewater infrastructure. This service is provided at no cost to communities. With help from the EPA, Washington Park plans to develop an engineering report that will identify infrastructure needs in addition to producing a feasibility study on a town sewer system with the consideration of tying into the City of Washington’s wastewater treatment plant. 

“Given some system failures currently present in the community, it is important for the Town to consider and explore viable options now to protect and plan for the future sustainability of the community.” Alligood wrote in an email to the Daily News. 

A town sewer system was projected to serve 150 homes in Washington Park, according to the 2023 RCCP report. 

Improving flood mitigation, stormwater infrastructure and sewer systems all come with a price tag. With federal funding sources being turned on, turned off then turned on again, it can be confusing for municipalities to know if they will receive money needed for improvement projects. 

Construction of a living shoreline hinges on available grant funding supported by state and federal dollars. “RCCP is funded from state and federal funding, so whether the living shoreline is constructed will depend on whether sufficient state and/or federal funding is available,” Alligood wrote. 

RCCP receives funding through the North Carolina General Assembly and the U.S. National Fish and Wildlife Federation.

In regard to the stormwater action plan, Mid-East Commission is assisting the Town of Washington Park with applying for a Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant, also known as a BRIC grant which is funded by FEMA or the Federal Emergency Management Agency. If received, the grant would help the town further develop a stormwater action plan that could prevent future storm and/or flooding damage. To date, the Town of Washington Park has not spent money on a stormwater action plan. They have paid the Mid-East Commission $2,900 for assistance with the BRIC grant application. 

The BRIC grant application is due on April 9. “At this time, the Town does not know when a final decision on awards will be made; it will depend on whether federal funding is available,” Alligood wrote. 

Two weeks ago, NBC News reported that a “senior official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency instructed subordinates to freeze funding for a wide array of grant programs Monday, just hours after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration — for the second time — to stop such pauses.” 

“In an email with the subject line ‘URGENT: Holds on awards,’ Stacey Street, the director of the agency’s Office of Grant Administration, told her team to freeze funding for grant programs going back several years, including those focused on emergency preparedness, homeland security, firefighting, protecting churches from terrorism and tribal security,” NBC News reporter, Jonathan Allen, wrote. 

An update on the status of grants funded by FEMA has not been made since Feb. 11. 

“…These projects are seen as priorities in helping the Town be more resilient in responding to various hazards.  The Town views these projects as proactive, initial steps to assess where we are now, set a plan where we want to be, then establish the best way to get there. Having these studies and engineering reports will prepare the Town to be in the best position to address concerns for residents, not only in the immediate, but to establish long-range plans for the next 20 to 50 years for the residents and sustainability of Washington Park,” Alligood wrote responding to questions on how constructing a living shoreline and developing a stormwater action plan benefit Washington Park residents and about possible impacts the town could face if neither a living shoreline nor stormwater action plan are completed.