In the months ahead, the city’s economic development consultant is trying to secure funding for projects through grants and other sources of revenue.

Jason Fitzgerald, president of Penn Strategies, the city’s economic development consultant, said Friday he is working on several matters to help benefit the city economically this year.

Among the most pressing issues are projects and costs related to stormwater management, which crosses over to flood mitigation and the ongoing levee recertification, which has reached the $1 million mark, he and other city sources confirmed.

The city has forged a partnership with the Williamsport Municipal Water and Sanitary Authority regarding stormwater issues as a means of reducing costs and getting experts to work together on the problems and certifications needed in the future, Fitzgerald said. The city is sharing the project costs and engineering that is being done with the authority on project costs, he said.

Experts at Rettew Associates were asked late last year to begin to explore long-term solutions to the street and home flooding caused by the overflow of Grafius Run.

Fitzgerald said his company is working on the early stages of trying for forge codified agreements between Old Lycoming Township and Loyalsock Township regarding the levee recertification and repair costs, a framework of cost-sharing terms.

“Efforts are underway to see that the municipalities that benefit from the levee can codify the agreement rather than leave these matters at the level a handshake,” Fitzgerald said. “In past there has been handshake agreements and we want to codify that with final approval by the various township supervisors and with City Council,” he said.

“Both townships have contributed over the years,” said John Grado, city engineer and director of community and economic development. “It’s the city’s responsibility to maintain the levee.”

The levee inspection has included a review of corrugated pipes and relief wells and subsequent video, identification of deficiencies on the I-wall and freeboard height along Lycoming Creek and ongoing work with Amec Engineers to address additional concerns, he said.

The Army Corps of Engineers has required repairs to be made, repairs that can be performed over a period of years, so the levee can be certified and those protected by it don’t have to pay annual federal flood insurance. But with the cost at nearly $1 million, the unfunded federal mandate has pressured the city financially, according to Mayor Gabriel J. Campana. “We aren’t seeing the help from our federal legislators,” he said.

“We have submitted a letter of intent to bring us into provisional compliance with a systewide improvement framework,” Grado said. “We will be back in provisional compliance with intent to complete the pipe and relief well work in a certain timeframe.”

Councilman N. Clifford “Skip” Smith said more municipal partners gives better chance for the city to obtain grant funding.

Penn Strategies also plans to continue working with the state Department of Community and Economic Development as it pertains to projects related to the mayor’s proposal to improve portions of Park Avenue and on the East Third Street Gateway revitalization district, Fitzgerald said.

On Park Avenue, the vacant Trimtex building may be converted into a facility to bring educational and job opportunities for those studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics, Fitzgerald said.

“With Park Avenue, the city wants to take the same tact it did with East Third Street redevelopment,” Grado said.