FEMA agrees to pay Biloxi another $1 million

Three years after the city filed an appeal, FEMA has agreed to reimburse Biloxi an additional $1 million toward the rebuild of the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum.

Chief Administrative Officer Mike Leonard said a letter arrived Tuesday informing the city that FEMA will reimburse Biloxi $1,022,294.57.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency denied funding for elevating the museum at Point Cadet. Biloxi submitted a first appeal in July 2014, requesting the $1.55 million for the actual demolition and elevation costs for the museum. FEMA said some costs were duplicated and made the adjustment.

The original 19,158-square-foot, single-story museum was badly damaged during Hurricane Katrina. An improved project, a 19,580-square-foot, three-story building, was built at the same location.

The costs to elevate the new museum to 12 feet above grade were at dispute. The estimated cost of $598,060 was based on a pier and footing foundation rather than the required drilled pilings method that was used, the letter said.

“FEMA acknowledges that a drilled pilings method was required and that the cost of this method is not comparable to the pier and footing method,” the agency said in its discussion of the ruling.

This decision came the same day the state Legislature directed that $606,000 be paid to Biloxi for its share of a casino lease in East Biloxi.

This story was originally published June 7, 2017 at 2:21 PM with the headline "FEMA agrees to pay Biloxi another $1 million."