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<br />
<br />Federal Emergency Management Agency
<br />Washington, D.C. 20472
<br />DEe 1 6 2005
<br />
<br />The Honorable Rodney Slifer
<br />Mayor, Town of Vail
<br />75 South Frontage Road
<br />Vail, CO 81657
<br />
<br />Dear Mayor Slifer:
<br />
<br />With a letter dated August 28,2003, the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency
<br />Management Agency (FEMA) provided your community with three Revised Preliminary copies of the
<br />Flood Insurance Study (FIS) report and Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for Eagle County, Colorado,
<br />and Incorporated Areas, which includes the Town of Vail. The FIS J;eport and FIRM were prepared in our
<br />countywide format; as such, they present flood hazard information for the entire geographic area of the
<br />county, including your community and all other incorporated communities.
<br />
<br />In a letter to Mr. Kevin Long, Project Engineer, Risk Identification Branch, dated November 26, 2003,
<br />Mr. Gregg Barrie, Senior Landscape Architect, Town of Vail, expressed concerns with regard to the
<br />Preliminary FIRM dated August 28, 2003. Mr. Barrie provided a list of comments and seven exhibits
<br />(A through G) to illustrate the areas in question. Most of his comments pertained to the floodplain
<br />delineation along Gore Creek. In accordance with the provisions of Part 67 of the National Flood
<br />Insurance Program (NFIP) regulations, because this information did not alter the Base
<br />(l-percent-annual-chance) Flood Elevations (BFE) shown on the Preliminary FIRM, we reviewed the
<br />submitted information as a protest.
<br />
<br />We have evaluated the technical information submitted by Mr. Barrie and concur that revisions to the
<br />delineation of the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), the area subject to inundation by the base flood,
<br />along Gore Creek are warranted. Through subsequent communications with him - specifically a telephone
<br />call on June 7, 2004, and an e-mail on March 28,2005, - we have addressed all of the submitted
<br />comments. As a result, we have revised the affected portions of the Preliminary FIRM and updated the
<br />FIS report. This letter hereby resolves the protest for your community.
<br />
<br />The revised information is shown in the enclosed Revised Preliminary PIS report and Revised Preliminary
<br />FIRM panels for Eagle County, Colorado, and Incorporated Areas. For your review, we have enclosed
<br />FIRM Panels 08037C0468 D, 0469 D, 0488 D, 0489 D, 0493 D, 0652 D, and 0656 D. These panels
<br />supersede only those previous Preliminary FIRM panels dated August 28, 2003, with the same panel
<br />numbers; all other Preliminary panels remain valid. We also have enclosed a Summary of Revisions that
<br />addresses Mr. Barrie's comments regarding the Preliminary FIRM and FIS report. The Summary of
<br />Revisions provides more detailed descriptions of the changes that hav:e been incorporated into the Revised
<br />Preliminary FIRM and PIS report.
<br />
<br />FEMA provided public notification of the proposed modifications in BFEs for all restudied streams in the
<br />Town of Vail through announcements in the Vail Daily on September 18 and September 25,2003. The
<br />90-day appeal period began on the second publication date. To assist us in processing the Revised
<br />Preliminary FIRM and FIS report for your community, we request that your community review and
<br />comment on our fmdings within 30 days of the date of this letter. We will review all requested changes or
<br />comments received during the 30~y comment period and, if warranted, modifY the Revised Preliminary
<br />FIRM and PIS report. After the comment period has elapsed, we will resume processing the Revised
<br />Preliminary FIRM and FIS report.
<br />
<br />To assist your community in maintaining the FIRM, we have enclosed a Suminary of Map Actions
<br />(SOMA) to document previous Letter of Map Change (LOMC) actions (i.e., Letters of Map Amendment
<br />(LOMAs), Letters of Map Revision (LOMRs)) that will be superseded when the revised FIRM panels
<br />referenced above become effective. Information on LOMCs is presented in the following
<br />four categories: (1) LOMCs for which results have been included on the revised FIRM panels;
<br />(2) LOMCs for which results could not be shown on the revised FIRM panels because of scale limitations
<br />or because the LOMC issued had determined that the lots or structures involved were outside the SFHA as
<br />shown on the FIRM; (3) LOMCs for which results have not been included on the revised FIRM panels
<br />because the flood hazard information on which the original determinations were based is being superseded
<br />by new flood hazard information; and (4) LOMCs issued for multiple lots or structures where the
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