On Friday, June 13th 2008, the City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, experienced a flood that far exceeded the 500-year floodplain. This flood proceeded to engulf approximately ten square miles of the city. Floodwaters reached, inundated, and damaged most downtown businesses and public buildings, as well as residential structures.One of the most profoundly affected buildings in the area was City Hall, which is located in the middle of Cedar River, on May’s Island. In total, fifty City buildings were damaged by the floodwaters. As a result, several thousand residents were without homes, and between six and seven thousand jobs were estimated to have been lost.
As a result of this flooding, Family Environmental was contracted by the City of Cedar Rapids in August 2008 to perform Phase I and Phase II ESAs and National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPS) air monitoring during demolition. Our president and CEO, Bernard Hurley, drove up to meet with city officials and personally inspect areas damaged by floodwaters. Upon inspection, it was apparent that the demolition of the buildings would be necessary, due in part to the fact that many of the structures had been weakened by flood waters, but mainly due to the growth of highly toxic black mold that had begun within the buildings. Thus, Family Environmental began preliminary hazardous material evaluations and the Phase I ESAs, to determine the locations of the contamination. Family Environmental then worked with the City to ensure that all hazardous material would be removed in accordance with Federal, State and local guidelines. In response to the magnitude of this project, Family Environmental opened a new office in the City of Cedar Rapids, to house its technicians and project managers and ensure that the project would be completed on time and under budget. The staff worked quickly and efficiently to open this office, and have ensured that the project continues to run smoothly and without avail. A sense of community building has developed within the office, as many of the workers live in and around the Cedar Rapids metro area. They feel a sense of pride in the work that they are accomplishing and are able to see the support that they are bringing to an otherwise devastated community.
To date, Family Environmental is responsible for the Environmental Air Assessments completed at the City Hall/VA building, the GTC Bus Terminal, the Montessori and several Parkades. Other buildings contracted to Family Environmental include the Paramount Theater, the Central Fire Station, the Forestry Building, the Hall of Fame, the Animal Shelter, the Ushers Ferry Land Office and Snoble House, and 10 Skywalks throughout the city. Family Environmental has also completed air monitoring on 71 homes that were demolished as Asbestos Containing Material (ACM), and are currently under contract to begin air monitoring on another 70 homes scheduled for ACM demolition.In addition to the Phase I, Hazardous Material Assessments and Oversight projects that are currently being performed, Family Environmental was contracted by the City of Cedar Rapids in September 2009 to undertake “DEMOLITION PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES” relating to the City’s Flood Recovery efforts. From this contract, Family Environmental was tasked with fulfilling project management and documentation services for the City.
Accordingly, Family Environmental provided highly trained technical professionals to design and oversee the environmental remediation and demolition activities. Family Environmental also coordinated with the City of Cedar Rapids and FEMA to produce correct reporting procedures and documents under FEMA 404 Hazard Mitigation Program, using the FEMA 403 Spreadsheet, the FEMA 325 Public Disaster Assistance Debris Management Guide, and the FEMA 19 Point Checklist. Family Environmental has utilized its online database/Share Point capabilities to keep track of the City’s documentation. Utilizing Microsoft SharePoint and various IT resources, they have created a web-based site to host all documents, data, records and other information as it pertains to the Demolition Project Management Services contract. Hosted on Family Environmental’s Share Point server, which is based in the newly established Cedar Rapids office, this website is highly confidential, thus allowing dissemination of information between the City and Family Environmental, while protecting the interests of the project. Ultimately, this SharePoint capability has provided a transparent system for our clients, one which simplifies an otherwise complex and intricate project, by utilizing Family Environmental’s consultant and IT resources to track and maintain all information of the Demolition Project and Management Services contract, and therefore, limit the amount of work imposed on the City. Thus, Family Environmental is completing documentation that is required for flood-affected structures and other natural disaster incidents, in order to produce comprehensive parcel documentation and resolution.
To date, Family Enviro
nmental continues to provide the City of Cedar Rapids with a seamless and comprehensive process to accurately manage the assessment, remediation and demolition of approximately 1,150 severely flood-affected residential structures and 100 commercial structures in a speedy, accurate and accountable manner.
