HAVERHILL — The $44,000 question has turned into one closer to $300,000.
Mayor James Fiorentini has been trying to convince city councilors to spend $44,000 to study the condition of the flood wall that protects downtown from the Merrimack River.
Fiorentini said he met this week with federal officials who told him the wall's condition is "minimally acceptable." He said that will force the city to not only do the study, but make an estimated $200,000 to $300,000 worth of improvements to the concrete structure built after the flood of 1936 put downtown under water.
With Haverhill's tight budget, councilors have been concerned about where to find the $44,000 for the study. Now the city faces spending about $250,000 more than that.
The mayor said he will seek help from the federal government to cover the cost, but that for now, Haverhill must begin the study.
"While we can, and will, seek congressional assistance, we need to get started on this project now," Fiorentini said.
Tuesday night the council will consider paying for the study.
Nearly a month ago, some councilors said they were fearful of spending the $44,000 for the study because it might saddle the city with costly repairs. But without the study, federal officials said flood insurance for downtown properties would greatly increase.
Fiorentini met with officials of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as well as representatives of U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, D-Lowell, and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., Wednesday in an attempt to win an extension of the May 2011 deadline for having the concrete wall inspected and improved. The mayor told the federal officials the city faces serious financial problems.
"FEMA responded that it is a national policy that no extensions are to be granted under any circumstances whatsoever," he said.
Fiorentini said the Army Corps of Engineers recently inspected the flood wall and gave it the "minimally acceptable" status. But the federal officials said that condition is not sufficient, he said.
If the wall is not certified by FEMA, the mayor said, the flood insurance for downtown businesses will skyrocket, the mayor said.
As for the Corps of Engineers' requirements, if the improvements are not made, then that agency will not fund repairs to the wall in the event of an emergency, such as a flood, he said.
Fiorentini said the Army Corps of Engineers will probably require the city to add 2 or 3 feet of flashboards to the flood wall so that its height will be well above a 100-year flood. That will cost $200,000 to $300,000, the mayor said.
The wall used to have flashboards, but they were removed more than two decades ago, he said.
Fiorentini asked the City Council several weeks ago to approve the borrowing of $44,000 to pay for the required initial study. The council balked, however.
Fiorentini and the City Council's Natural Resources and Public Property Committee agreed on a solution to pay for the study this week. Rather than borrowing the money, they want it to come from a combined sewer overflow account in the Wastewater Department.
The full City Council is expected to act on the plan Tuesday night.
The wall extends for 2,200 feet along the Merrimack River between the Basiliere and Comeau bridges. It has an average height of 18 feet, according to public works Director Michael Stankovich, and is about 3 feet wide.
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