REPEATED FLOODING AND STORMS
HAVE POUNDED BAYFIELD COUNTY
ROADS IN PARTICULAR, AND HOW A
NEW BILL BEFORE THE U.S. SENATE
MAY PAVE THE WAY FOR MORE THAN
TEMPORARY FIXES.
THE "REBUILDING STRONGER
INFRASTRUCTURE ACT" IS
CO-SPONSORED BY WISCONSIN
DEMOCRATIC SENATOR TAMMY BALDWIN
AND REPUBLICAN SENATOR MIKE
BRAUN OF INDIANA.
THE BILL WOULD CHANGE THE WAY
FEDERAL EMERGENCY FUNDS ARE
DISPERSED.
CURRENTLY, THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY
EMERGENCY RELIEF PROGRAM
PROVIDES MONEY TO CITIES AND
COUNTIES TO REBUILD DAMAGED
INFRASTRUCTURE.
HOWEVER, THE FUNDS ARE
RESTRICTED TO REBUILDING TO
ORIGINAL SPECIFICATIONS.
BALDWIN AND BRAUN ARGUE THAT
ESPECIALLY WITH THE HIGHER
FREQUENCY OF STORMS BECAUSE OF
CLIMATE CHANGE PATTERNS, THIS
RESTRICTION SIMPLY SETS UP
STRUCTURES TO GET WASHED OUT
AGAIN.
THE LEGISLATION WOULD FUND
IMPROVING STRUCTURES TO
WITHSTAND STORM DAMAGE INSTEAD
OF JUST REPLACING THEM AS IS.
LAST MONTH IN A BIPARTISAN VOTE,
THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON
ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
PASSED LARGER INFRASTRUCTURE
LEGISLATION THAT INCLUDES THE
BALDWIN/BRAUN BILL.
IT NOW HEADS TO THE FULL SENATE.
NORTHERN WISCONSIN OFFICIALS
GATHERED WITH SENATOR BALDWIN
FOR A RECENT PUBLIC ROUNDTABLE
ON THE NEW BILL.
BAYFIELD COUNTY HIGHWAY
COMMISSIONER PAUL JOHANIK WAS
AMONG THEM.
HE JOINS US NOW OUT OF ASH
LARND.
THANKASHLAND.THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> BEFORE WE GET TO THIS
PROPOSED LEGISLATION, FIRST TELL
US WHAT YOUR COUNTY HAS DEALT
WITH IN TERMS OF INFRASTRUCTURE
AND ROAD DAMAGE OVER THE PAST
SEVERAL YEARS.
>> WELL, IN THE LAST THREE
YEARS, WE'VE HAD TWO MAJOR FLOOD
EVENTS.
THE FIRST ONE DID NOT AFFECT THE
WHOLE COUNTY, BASICALLY THE
SOUTHEAST CORNER.
THE ONE LAST YEAR AFFECTED TWO
THIRDS OF THE COUNTY.
WE HAD OVER A MILLION DOLLARS IN
DAMAGE TO COUNTY ROADS.
>> AND DESCRIBE --
>> IT ALL FALLS --
>> DESCRIBE SOME OF THAT DAMAGE.
>> WE HAVE 14 COUNTY ROADS, NINE
OF THEM WERE DAMAGED, SEVEN OF
THEM WERE CLOSED OFF COMPLETELY
BECAUSE THEY WERE WASHED OUT,
AND A COUPLE OF THOSE ROADS, WE
DEALT WITH TWO YEARS PRIOR TO
THAT WITH THE SAME TYPE OF
FLOODING.
>> HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING
LIKE THAT IN YOUR JOB?
AND YOU'VE BEEN THERE FOR MANY
YEARS.
>> NO, YOU KNOW, THE 100 YEAR,
500 YEAR FLOODS SEEM TO BE
HAPPENING MORE OFTEN.
TO PLAN FOR FUTURE, WHICH MORE
THAN LIKELY IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN
AGAIN, THAT'S WHERE THIS BILL
WOULD PAVE THE WAY AND SAVE
TAXPAYERS MONEY.
>> ABSOLUTELY, BECAUSE HAVE YOU
EVER REPAIRED CULVERTS OR
ROADWAY CLEAVAGES ONLY TO HAVE
THEM WASHED OUT AGAIN?
>> YES, ABSOLUTELY.
TO FIX A ROAD, AND THAT'S OUR
MAIN CONCERN AFTER AN EVEN, IS EVENT, IS
TO GET THE ROAD OPEN AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE.
KNOWING WE HAVE A PROBLEM IN
THAT AREA TO REPLACE, SAY, A
CULVERT THAT'S A 30-INCH CULVERT
TO HANDLE THE WATER WITH A 36 OR
A 48-INCH CULVERT WHEN THE ROAD
IS WASHED OUT, WOULD SAVE MONEY
INSTEAD OF PUTTING THE 30-INCH
OR 24-INCH BACK IN PLACE AND A
MONTH LATER, AFTER MITIGATION,
BEING ABLE TO REPLACE WITH A
48-INCH CULVERT.
WE'RE DOING THE SAME JOB TWICE.
>> RIGHT.
SO HOW STRAPPED IS YOUR COUNTY
FOR MONEY TO REPAIR AND REPLACE
SUCH DAMAGE REPEATEDLY?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T
AFFORD -- WE'RE FORTUNATE WE
WERE ABLE TO FUND THE REPAIRS,
BUT THAT'S NOT ALWAYS GOING TO
BE THE CASE.
IF WE CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEM THE
FIRST TIME, THAT MONEY COULD BE
USED ELSEWHERE.
>> BECAUSE THERE ARE CLEARLY
COMPETING COSTS IN COUNTIES,
EVERYTHING FROM HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES, AGAIN, TO, YOU KNOW,
YOUR HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT.
SO HOW DOES THAT KIND OF PUSH
AND PULL WORK?
>> EVERYBODY'S GRASPING FOR THE
SAME POT OF MONEY, AND YOU KNOW,
MY CONCERN BEING ROADS, BUT
OTHER DEPARTMENTS ARE SAYING,
OKAY, WE NEED THE MONEY HERE
TOO, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT.
SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE
TAXPAYERS, WE HAVE TO LOOK OUT
FOR THEIR WELL-BEING TOO.
>> SO DESCRIBE AGAIN HOW THE
BILL FROM SENATOR BALDWIN THAT
WOULD, AGAIN, DIRECT THE FEDERAL
HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION TO FACTOR
IN RESILIENCY AS THEY CALL IT IN
DISASTER RECOVERY GRANTS TO
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, HOW WOULD
THAT HELP BAYFIELD COUNTY AND
OTHER COUNTIES?
>> IF WE KNEW OF AN AREA IN THE
COUNTY ON A COUNTY ROAD THAT
CONTINUALLY WASHES OUT WATER
OVER THE ROAD BECAUSE THE
STRUCTURE IS TOO SMALL, WE COULD
MAYBE ADDRESS THAT SITUATION
AHEAD OF TIME, BEFORE A MAJOR
RAIN EVENT, AND THEN BE ABLE TO
HANDLE THAT WATER AND KEEP OUR
ROAD IN PLACE.
>> NOW YOU WERE AT THAT
ROUNDTABLE AS WE DISCUSSED THAT
SENATOR BALDWIN ATTENDED TO HEAR
ABOUT THIS.
WAS THAT WELL ATTENDED AND WHAT
WERE OTHER OFFICIALS SAYING?
>> IT WAS -- YOU KNOW, BASICALLY
EVERYBODY HAD THE SAME
CONSENSUS.
ASHLAND AND BAYFIELD COUNTY WERE
REPRESENTED THERE.
AND EVERYBODY SAID THE SAME
THING.
IT REALLY DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO
DO THE SAME JOB TWICE.
IF WE DO IT RIGHT THE FIRS FIRST
TIME, MAYBE WE WILL NOT HAVE
THIS PROBLEM AGAIN.
>> AFTER BEING HIT MULTIPLE
TIMES BY WHAT PEOPLE ARE CALLING
100-YEAR OR 500-YEAR RAIN EVENTS
AND FLOODING EVENTS, WHAT IS IT
LIKE FOR YOU WHEN STORMS ARE IN
THE FORECAST?
>> IT'S A LITTLE BOTHERING.
IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE WE GET A
NICE GENTLE RAIN ANYMORE.
EVERYTHING ARE THE HARD
DOWNPOURS.
SO YOU DON'T GET ANY -- THE
GROUND TAKING IN VEG TAKING IN TAKE
TAITION TAKING IN ANY OF THE
MOISTURE, IT'S JUST RUNOFF.
OUR STORMS SEEM TO BE HARDER
STORMS WITH DOWNPOURS.
>> YEAH, TOUGH STUFF.
ALL RIGHT.
WELL, PAUL JOHANIK, BAYFIELD
COUNTY HIGHWAY COMMISSIONER,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING
US AND GOOD LUCK UP THERE.
>> THANK YOU.
WE HOPE FOR SUNSHINE.
>>