After lengthy negotiations with the city of Port Aransas, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is granting the city $7.4 million for a new public safety building to replace its old police headquarters, which were damaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. 
Joanna P. Ragas of Del Sol Consulting made the announcement on March 15. The Louisiana-based consultant has been working with the city on hurricane recovery matters. 
Initially, the federal agency offered the city $3.9 million to replace the structure. Stalled discussions led to arbitration, scheduled for March. 
The city's consultants, Broaddus & Associates and Del Sol, provided FEMA with detailed documentation of construction costs in the Coastal Bend. The city and FEMA reached the agreement prior to the arbitration hearing.
The Port Aransas City Council plans to review architectural drawings for final approval and accept construction bids in late April. Officials anticipate completion about 15 months after the contract is awarded. 
The Port Aransas Police Department has been working out of temporary quarters since vacating the damaged building in 2017.
chuck@thepicayune.com