City to purchase flood prone property on West Main on The Murfreesboro Post

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City to purchase flood prone property on West Main

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By: CHRISTIAN GRANTHAM, Post Contributor

Posted: Friday, March 25, 2011 9:34 am

The City Council voted Thursday to buy property from private owners prone to flooding through the years. The properties are 1204 - 1218 West Main Street and will be acquired using mostly federal and state grants.

The council reviewed several photos of the properties during the peak of last summer's major flooding showing the extent of personal property damage and required services from the city.

"These were constructed in the flood plain and flood way. We'd reduce the expense of private flood loss and subsidizing flood loss," Environmental Engineer Sam Huddleston told the council.

The homes were constructed in the 1940s and have flooded at least six times according to Huddleston.

The total cost comes to $450,000. After generous grants from the state and FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, city tax payers will only pay $85,506. The structures will be demolished and returned to open space.

Tagged under City, Flooding, Sam Huddleston

Member Opinions:

By: jimmychurch on 3/28/11
Let me see...if you build on a flood plain, you will be flooded. Wow! What a concept.

By: Curious on 3/28/11
This is a wise move, even though we're paying for part of it.

I knew someone who once rented there. I often wondered if the property owner ever disclosed that the property floods frequently.

I'm positive it's flooded more than 6 times since 1940. Probably more so recently because of all the other development that has occurred which has resulted in greater storm water run off.

By: Sprtman on 3/28/11
Who ripped off who here. Another waste of our money.