Covered Bridge action results in $3.44M
BUTTE CREEK CANYON » Butte County will be getting $3.44 million from the federal government due to a complicated action taken in October involving the Honey Run Covered Bridge.
The bridge belonged to the county when it was destroyed by the Camp Fire onNov. 8, 2018, although it wasmaintained and operated by the Honey Run Covered Bridge Association.
Since it was county property, it might have been eligible for rebuilding funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
However the countywould have had to come up with the $5.8million needed to rebuild the bridge, then hope for reimbursement, according to information presented to the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 29, 2019. It was money the county didn’t have.
In addition, the Covered Bridge Association wanted to take possession of the bridge property and rebuild it with private donations, which would lower the cost to about $2.6 million and get the work done more quickly.
Those factors played right into an obscure provision of the federal disaster assistance law. It allows up to 90 percent of the money that would be used for rebuilding public infrastructure to be used instead on an “alternative project.”
To do so requires the government entity owning the infrastructure to declare it is not in the public interest to rebuild it.
The supervisors did that during the meeting in October 2019.
They also approved Public Works Director Dennis Schmidt’s alternative project, which would be buying roadwork equipment, something specifically allowed under the federal law.
Rep. Doug LaMalfa ( RRichvale), sent out a press release earlier this week that FEMA had finally approved the county’s alternative project, and allocated $3.441,268.50 for it.
The money will not be going to replace the bridge. The Covered Bridge Association has taken on that project, and has raised about $1 million of the amount needed.
Thus far it has replaced the caretakers home, and hired a caretaker. The foundations for the new bridge abutments were poured last week.
More money is needed. Donations can be made by check to the association at P.O. Box 5201, Chico, CA, 95927, or through the website www. hrcoveredbridge.org. Any questions can be directed to info@ hrcoveredbridge.org.