The Sea Level Rise Response Collaborative is seeking a consultant who will assist in identifying and evaluating potential funding opportunities, governance models, and legislative actions for implementing a plan to adapt to predicted sea level rise in downtown Olympia.
The selected consultant is expected to:
Investigate funding opportunities (federal, state, and private grants) to design and construct plan strategies.
Evaluate the viability and pros/cons of forming special districts, such as a flood or local improvement district or other similar funding and governance models, to finance and oversee needed sea level rise resilience improvements. This will include an evaluation of costs and different methodologies for determining equitable distribution of costs between Collaborative Members, benefitting property owners and the broader community.
Identify potential needed legislative actions by the state to support sea level rise planning and strategy implementation.
Identify other structures or means to fund SLR Plan strategies and investments.
According to the Sea Level Rise Funding and Governance Evaluation, Request for Proposals (RFP) have been posted on the City of Olympia website, with the selected consultant expected to compile a comprehensive report with their findings and assessments. The report will be presented to the Sea Level Rise Response Collaborative members.
The consultant may suggest other tasks of deliverables to be included in the scope of work that would enhance the Collaborative's capacity to develop and implement the funding and governance strategy.
The RFP requires the proposals to outline the detailed approach to fulfilling the tasks, a clear timeline for completion, a detailed breakdown of fees, comprehensive information about the consultant, including their relevant experience and capabilities, and the team composition.
The proposal should also include information about the sub-consultants involved and a list of relevant projects previously undertaken.
The RFP deadline is Friday, August 25, 2023, at 5 pm. All proposals are to be submitted electronically via email to Olympia City Assistant Manager Rich Hoey.
One consultant will be selected for the project. The contract's total value will not exceed $50,000. The initial contract will be one year, from October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024.
The Olympia Sea Level Rise Response Collaborative, consisting of the City of Olympia, Port of Olympia, and LOTT Clean Water Alliance, aims to implement the Olympia Sea Level Rise Response Plan, developed in March 2019. This comprehensive plan provides strategies to minimize and prevent flooding in downtown Olympia and safeguard the Budd Inlet Treatment Plant from the impacts of rising sea levels.
During a June presentation at the Sea Level Rise Executive Committee meeting, Hoey mentioned that the projected long-term expenses of sea level rise adaptation are estimated to be between $190 million to $350 million in 2018 dollars.
To read more about Olympia Sea Level Rise Response Plan, click here.
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SecondOtter
This is all well and good but, will the consultant actually tell Oly that the part of Oly being built on fill, as well as climate change driving the sea level rise, is one of the reasons for flooding?
It will all be for naught, just eyewash. There are things Olympia can do-give up on their plan on the Port of Olympia's plan to lengthen runways to allow for up to 600 JET flights per day. Is it related? Of course. Jets burn fuel even worse than cars do. Is it realistic to expect that it helps decrease carbon dioxide emissions? If everybody did something, it would. Talk about two steps forward, one step back! I'm not an engineer, but the only way I can see that flooding can be adapted to in downtown Oly is to either put in levees or to abandon the buildings most affected. The aforementioned Port of Olympia's offices are just across from the Farmer's Market and the water there was floorboard deep last year. I know, I blundered into it at the roundabout as the city had FAILED to put up signs saying no entry, water over roadway.
This consultant hiring process to me sounds just like the CACC, the committee formed to flatten seven square miles of Thurston county to put in a enormous airport. THey knew from the git go it was DOA but when the government hands out money to pretend you're doing something, there are people who will take it.
Friday, August 18, 2023 Report this