Jill Schramm/MDN Leah Brown, right, works at the desk of the Children’s Library at Minot Public Library Thursday. The library is proposed as a lower priority for flood protection as the Souris River Joint Board focuses its efforts on residential protection.

Permanent flood protection for Minot Public Library and the Minot Police Department are low priorities in the grand scheme of the Mouse River Flood Protection Project, the Minot City Council determined Thursday.

The council met in special session with Ryan Ackerman, administrator for the Souris River Joint Board, to discuss its risk tolerance for a future flood that could impact the library and legacy city hall building.

“Minot constructed an emergency levee in 2011 that prevented significant damage from occurring to the public library and also city hall. But there was still damage,” Ackerman said.

Originally, the flood protection plan included levees and floodwalls on the south side of the proposed Maple Diversion project, which would provide protection for the two structures, he said. Changes have occurred in the direction of the project since then that have removed those features.

Ackerman said the joint board considers protection around the two city buildings to be a low priority because of the lack of direct benefit to homeowners.

The current 100-year floodplain elevation at the library is 1,557 feet. The library basement is at 1,551 feet, although a wall around the southwest corner protects the building to an elevation of about 1,555 feet. The main floor sits at an elevation of 1,564 feet, or about a foot higher than the 2011 flood of record, according to Ackerman.

Without the temporary dikes erected in 2011, the former city hall would have experienced flooding in the basement and on the far west side, formerly used as a fire station, Ackerman said.

Also at risk is the Sixth Street pump station and some businesses along Western Avenue near Sixth Street Southwest.

Ackerman said a couple of proposals for flood walls to provide protection would cost roughly $42 million to $50 million, although the less expensive option would not protect the businesses. Another option is to relocate the library and police station for about $64 million. To relocate the library floodproofing around the police station and pump station is estimated at about $38 million.

Ackerman said the city also could decide to simply floodproof around the library to whatever extent it wishes to invest.

Council member Mike Blessum suggested the city inform the joint board to not move forward with permanent flood protection.

“We can handle this either on a tactical basis when something is occurring or with minor adjustments that they would suggest to us over time,” he said. “We’ve got big numbers (costs) that are jumping in other spots, but we’re also working to find places where we can draw that back without impacting residents directly in their homes and, hopefully, not affecting the flood map for them. Now, we do have to deal with it on our side. That’s not a good thing, but I don’t see value in putting a $38 million structure in place to try to avoid that for a couple of city-owned buildings.”

“I do have some concern – whether it’s the optics or sending a message – that we’re going to leave a hole in the dike,” Mayor Tom Ross said.

“We’re not talking about leaving it completely unprotected,” council member Rob Fuller responded. “If we don’t have a permanent structure in place, we’re going to throw something down temporary.” He said legislators will appreciate the city’s efforts to address the situation more cost effectively rather than be concerned about any lack of protection.

Council member Scott Samuelson also obtained assurance from Ackerman that the MI-4 phase of the flood project would not be negatively impacted by not building permanent protection around the city buildings.

“We could actually look at this years down the road, too, if we decided we wanted to do something to protect that,” Samuelson said.

The council did acknowledge that the city would be exposed to higher flood insurance rates expected to come when the federal government completes new floodplain maps.

Mark Lyman, a member of the library board, raised a concern about workplaces that won’t be protected and recommended the council consider scaled down options to get some level of protection.

Ross said the message to the joint board is not to take their eyes off the city buildings but to keep them a lower priority. Council member Paul Pitner attended the meeting remotely. Council members Lisa Olson and Mark Jantzer were absent.

The SRJB solicited input because it is updating the master plan on the flood protection project. The goal is to find ways to reduce costs and home buyouts, Ackerman said. The intent is to complete the master planning effort by the end of the year in preparation for the 2025 legislative session.