Town of Paradise Recovery Progress Report
By Natasha Beehner
Grant Administrator for the Town of Paradise
F
actors both visible and invisible are affecting the remarkable progress of Paradise. The Building Resiliency Center is established and open, Tractor Supply is moving in on Clark Road, homes are being rebuilt, our utilities are being undergrounded, hotels are re-establishing and so much more as we continue to rebuild Paradise. While seeing the future of what Paradise will become is easy for many, it may not be the case for all as we go through the difficulties of recovery. Town staff and partners actively working on the rebuild are informed by a vision for the future Paradise that informs their daily work. Those progressing through the difficulties of recovery may have difficulty keeping the vison in sight.
Recovery means many things and we are making significant progress. Recovery means removing all hazardous trees in our Town, which is an undertaking involving numerous partners. It means road evaluations and rehabilitation, while trucks doing the necessary work continue to need access. It means addressing new weeds that are populating our community providing concerns for fire safety that we all must tackle together. All are necessary projects to ensure public safety and prepare the land and our properties for a robust rebuild. While the above activity continues to move Paradise forward, there are many long-term recovery projects that are also taking major steps in the right direction. The Town and our numerous partners continue to keep the community’s expectations at the forefront with the Long-Term Community Recovery Plan as our guide. Currently, the following projects are our focus. Each project contains an update on progress as of September 2020.
Paradise Wastewater Treatment Project - The proposed
project that has also been referred to as the “Sewer System” would connect 1,459 parcels in the Sewer Service Area which runs along a designated section of Skyway, Pearson, and Clark. The timeline for this project is several years and we are in Phase 1 which is fully funded.
Broadband Feasibility Study - The future of Paradise as a “Digital City” would greatly enhance our economic opportunities. This study is in direct response to community members’ needs for a faster and more accessible broadband experience.
tional grant funds for construction.
Early Warning System - This system would warn our citizens of any type of hazardous event, allowing for information and evacuation. The Town was awarded a hazard mitigation grant for advanced planning, and we issued a Request for Proposal in August to identify a company to undertake the design and planning of this project. Once a design is in place we will seek addi-
Transportation Master Plan- This is a combination of several long-term recovery priorities and focuses on a circulation study to help determine which roads need to be improved, widened, connected and more. As of September 2020, we have a pending EDA grant of $1.8 million which would fund this project. Road Rehabilitation- We have both approved and pending grants to fund repairs on our busiest public roads and on many private roads. We have $37 million in approved grants for on-system road rehabilitation and $38 million in pending grant funds for off-system road rehabilitation. Funding is essential to recovery. We have thirty-six Capital Improvement and Disaster Recovery projects that are estimated at $121 million over the next five years. We are continuing to forge through new territory. We are continuing to recover. We are making large strides in our rebuild. It takes all of us. Thank you for all you are doing to support these efforts.
86.................................................................................................. PARADISE RISING Resource Guide for the Ridge
FALL/WINTER 2020
