By Stephen Appezzato
HIGHLANDS – Federal policy moves could jeopardize a multimillion-dollar flood mitigation and green infrastructure project in Highlands, as FEMA officials announced they are ending the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program, a key funding source for the project.
The BRIC program was launched in 2020 to support state, local and tribal governments as they work to reduce natural disaster and hazard risk through proactive infrastructure upgrades. Highlands was on track to receive about $12 million through the BRIC program toward its $16 million Highlands and Monmouth Hills Flood Mitigation and Green Infrastructure Project, which could establish innovative stormwater management solutions and infrastructure upgrades to bolster flood resiliency. The project now faces an uncertain future following FEMA’s sudden announcement that it would eliminate the grant initiative.
In a news release earlier this month, the agency announced it will cancel all applications from Fiscal Years 2020-2023. If these funds have not been distributed, they will be returned to the Disaster Relief Fund or the U.S. Treasury.
According to a FEMA spokesperson, the BRIC program “was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program,” and “more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters.” Out of the $1 billion appropriated for the 2021 law, approximately $882 million in funding will be returned to the U.S. Treasury or reapportioned by Congress, while $133 million has already been distributed to about 450 applications to date.
“Ending this program will help ensure that grant funding aligns with the President’s Executive Orders and Secretary (of Homeland Security Kristi) Noem’s direction and best support states and local communities in disaster planning, response and recovery,” the release concluded.
Project Under Way
Despite FEMA’s statement, in an email response to The Two River Times, Highlands Mayor Carolyn Broullon said the borough has not “received any notice from the Federal government that the grant is canceled,” and, “with that in mind, we are continuing all steps we need to comply with the final award.”
Broullon said the borough finished its environmental assessment with the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the project is now under review with the state Historic Preservation Office.
“We will continue in this fashion going forward,” she said.
Once compliance is completed, the borough will move on to permitting, which is a lengthy process. A CAFRA permit, needed for projects around shore areas, can take 18 to 24 months alone. Broullon said the borough also needs soil, DEP and Department of Transportation permits.
The Highlands and Monmouth Hills Flood Mitigation and Green Infrastructure Project has been in the works for a few years and was designed to bolster flood resilience in the borough, particularly from stormwater runoff and excessive rainfall, which has contributed to a more than century-old flooding issue. The $16 million project consists of constructing infiltration basins, stormwater pump stations, discharge pipes, inlets and storm drains, bioretention basins and other green infrastructure. The general project area spans Snug Harbor, Bay, Central and Waterwitch avenues, Valley Street, North Street, Route 36 and Kavookjian Field.
Given the uncertainty surrounding the BRIC grant, Highlands is not waiting idly. Broullon said the borough is actively exploring alternate sources of funding to keep the project alive.
If FEMA cancels the $12 million grant, Broullon said the town will “work hard to find another way to make these infrastructure upgrades.”
“We are currently looking at all other opportunities for funding this extremely important project.”
The news comes months after residents overwhelmingly voted against the Army Corps of Engineers’ Coastal Storm Risk Management Project in a referendum, a $130 million proposal to construct flood walls bordering the borough’s waterfront and other flood management infrastructure, particularly targeting flooding from the bay.
The article originally appeared in the April 24 – 30, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
