John Day is seeking county assistance to repair Fourth Street after spring flooding in 2019.

John Day is sending the Grant County Court a letter asking for money to help fund repairs of Fourth Street, which leads up to the Grant County Regional Airport.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved the scope and cost report on March 30 for the Fourth Street repairs and estimated the cost to be $1.6 million.

FEMA will cover 75% of the cost with a 25% match, $398,281, required, according to the letter sent from John Day City Manager Nick Green.

The city is requesting the county budget $398,281 in the coming fiscal year for the match for construction.

The letter states that John Day obligated $270,000 for the initial design and construction oversight and plans to cover the final design, permitting and single-scope audit for the federal cost share.

The design for the project is a 95-foot soldier pile retaining wall. This design would drive steel into the ground until it reaches bedrock to where the soldier piles are stable and a concrete slab could be placed on top.

A portion of the road base would have to be cut back, but this design will avoid closing the road to emergency traffic between the hospital and airport.

“Preliminary design is complete, and the environmental permits have been approved for the project to be constructed within the in-water work window, July 15 to August 31,” Green said.

The council said they hope Grant County can cover the match since it is the main road used to access the Grant County Regional Airport and the industrial park.

Fourth Street repairs were also discussed between the city and county last November in a study session, but no decision was made afterward.

“The reality is that that road is not only in the city of John Day, but that is the arterial road going to the Grant County Regional Airport,” Councilor Paul Smith said. “They have a stake in the maintenance of that road.”