BY RACHEL MELCER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
GREENDALE -- City officials want to build an estimated $3.5 million flood levee along U.S. 50, between Interstate 275 and Lawrenceburg, designed to keep the Ohio River out and bring businesses in.
But first, they must convince about 60 property owners to support the project. City Manager Marlow Smethurst and other officials will outline the necessary tax increase and details of forming a Greendale conservancy district at a public hearing at 7 p.m. today at the municipal building, 510 Ridge Ave.
The owners of about 30 businesses, a mobile home park, a few homes and some vacant lots will learn that they must pay higher taxes to be included in the levee area. But their flood insurance premiums would fall dramatically. And the project expense could be offset if new firms build in the area and add to Greendale's property tax and utility coffers.
"We have had numerous developers interested in possible development in this area, but, because of the flooding possibility and the high cost of flood insurance, they can't do that," Mr. Smethurst said. "If the levee is complete and development occurs, it would certainly help with the cost (of building the levee)."
The city council is also trying to obtain federal money and has pitched the levee plan to the Army Corps of Engineers, which might contribute.
The Greendale levee would cover property stretching from a railroad embankment along the Ohio River, west to Ridge Avenue; and between the U.S. 50 interchange with Interstate 275 south to an existing Lawrenceburg levee area.
It includes virtually the only part of U.S. 50 between I-275 and Argosy Casino Lawrenceburg that is not covered with strip malls, gas stations and other commercial enterprise. It also covers the Lawrenceburg speedway and Dearborn County fairgrounds.
"For the most part, that stretch along there is still fields," said Bill Ewan, attorney for the Lawrenceburg Conservancy District. "There are some developments that (were built up) to get up above what would be a flood level, but most people don't want to spend that kind of money."
Mr. Ewan is on the verge of filing papers in circuit court to establish the Greendale levee area -- a separate taxing district that would be administratively combined with the Lawrenceburg Conservancy District. That would get the ball rolling for a variety of economic and technical feasibility studies by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, he said.
Planning and engineering for the levee could take up to a year, and then more public hearings would be held. Construction isn't likely to be complete for a few years, Mr. Ewan said.
But before any of that could be accomplished, residents and business owners in the area must be brought on board.
"If those people turn around and say, "We don't want this,' then that's the biggest killer of this entire thing," Mr. Ewan said.
