$926,000
will buy about 17 homes, which will be razed and removed from the flood plain. |
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$926,000
will buy about 17 homes, which will be razed and removed from the flood plain. |
|
A year after Fort Wayne's worst
flood in 21 years, one a U.S. Geological Report said shouldn't come -
statistically speaking - for at least another 100 years, the city has learned
it will get $926,000 in federal funds to buy out about 17 damaged homes. |
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"Until I see something in
writing I'm not going to believe nothing," said Carl Beckman, who has been
out of his Henrietta Street home since the Junk Ditch overflowed its banks last
July. Beckman, who believes he's No. 2 in line on the buyout list, has been
paying his mortgage and flood insurance for his condemned house while his
family lives in - and pays rent on - a temporary home. ". . .I never
thought it would have taken this long. It's just unbelievable it took a
year." |
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The purpose of the buyouts is
twofold: To reduce future damages to homeowners, and to reduce the government's
cost paying for repetitive flood losses through the National Flood Insurance
program. |
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Mayor Graham Richard, making
the announcement Tuesday, chose to focus on the positive. "This is good
news for our city." He thanked Sens. Richard Lugar and Evan Bayh and Rep.
Mark Souder for working to expedite the process as much as possible with the Federal
Emergency Management Agency. |
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"It's taken a long time,
but I'm pleased to announce that more than $900,000 in federal funds will be
available to buy out 17 homes in Fort Wayne damaged by last year's flooding. .
. . And this proves what can be accomplished when we work together with our
United States senators and mayor as a team," said Souder, R-3rd District. |
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"We got caught in some
bureaucratic red tape," said Rod Renkenberger, executive director of the
Maumee River Basin Commission, a regional flood mitigation agency that applied
for the grant on behalf of Fort Wayne. "(The delay has) never been about
us locals." |
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The city is required to provide
about $317,000 in matching funds; the buyout project is expected to cost about
$1.25 million. From 15-20 homeowners will be offered buyouts at pre-flood
values depending on how the appraisals come in. The money also has to cover the
cost of demolishing homes. Once land is cleared, it must forever remain as open
green space. |
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Although the city wouldn't
release specific addresses, the homes are located in these areas: Junk Ditch,
Winchester Road, Tillman Road, Calhoun Court, Hoover Drive, Westbrook Drive,
Henrietta Street and Ross Street. |
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While the news is good, some
flood victims are still in limbo - at least temporarily. Richard said the city
has identified 41 property owners who probably would qualify for a buyout and
who would be interested. "We will continue to go after more grants." |
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City officials and Renkenberger
worked together to prioritize the buyout list. They considered factors such as
whether a site had flooded repeatedly and whether the home was damaged beyond
50 percent of its value. Senior citizens, those with disabilities and
low-income individuals also were given higher priority. |
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Each property will be
independently appraised twice; buyouts will be offered based on the average of
the two. |
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Renkenberger said appraisals
will begin right away, with the city and the river basin commission meeting
individually with flood victims. It is hoped all will have an offer within
60-90 days. They can accept, reject or choose to obtain a third appraisal at
their expense. |
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After an offer is accepted, the
city and commission will schedule a closing date within 30 days of receiving
signed paperwork. Homeowners will then formally receive the amount. The city
will coordinate and schedule demolition of the property, which it will then
own. |
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One unprotected area off
Superior Street near downtown, the Ross-Michaels neighbourhood, could be used
in the future for public recreation, Richard said. It could become a Headwaters
Park-type area, or even a nine-hole golf course. Several of the neighbourhood’s
homes have been bought out and torn down over the years because of repeated
flooding from the St. Marys River. |
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Good news at lastGina Kostoff,
a city official who worked closely with flood victims on the south side of town
and was present at the announcement, said, "This is really going to help
the healing." |
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It also is welcome news to
flood victims left disappointed in April when Fort Wayne found out it lost out
on a competitive federal grant seeking $1.4 million to buy out flood-damaged
homes. Fort Wayne residents took another blow later this spring when Decatur
and Bluffton got word their grants were approved, while everyone here continued
to wait. |
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All the bad news and a year in
limbo left some angry and skeptical. |
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One is Ray Miller, who owns two
homes on Winchester Road. "You don't know what they're going to
offer," he said. He expects a buyout offer on only one of his properties. |
Beckman, meanwhile, is thinking
about his family's next move. His plans? "Find someplace as far away from
water as I can get."
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