Sunday, January 03, 1999
Falmouth ready to buy more homes
BY SUSAN VELA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FALMOUTH — After the March 1997 floodwaters subsided, Ralph Bonar, like many other Falmouth residents, was left with damaged property.
Mr. Bonar plugged away at repairing a rental home on Rigg Street, declining to sign up for a federal buyout program that promised compensation as long as he turned over his property deed to the city.
He gutted the first floor at 507 Rigg St., put in new dry wall and reinsulated the structure built in the Civil War era — all for about $25,000.
But the home still needs another $20,000 in repairs, he said. Because Mr. Bonar can't handle the tab, he's placed the property on a list of parcels to be considered for a second round of buyouts.
“You have to cut your losses. You can only put so much into it,” said Mr. Bonar.
He is one of 15 property owners seeking compensation in this latest round. All together, they have 23 flood-damaged parcels.
But there is only $600,000 left for buyouts, which means not everyone will be compen sated, said Barbara Dickison of the Northern Kentucky Area Development District. She is administering the program and expects up to 14 new parcels.
That would push the total to about 80.
After the Licking River flooded, state and federal agencies provided Falmouth with $3,356,000 to compensate owners of some of the worst-damaged homes.
For the first round of buyouts, the city had a list of about 200 properties to consider. It eventually was cut by half as many property owners decided to redo their homes.
The city began purchasing lots in August and now has 65 properties, which total about 20 acres. Officials began accepting names for a second round of buyouts after they realized they had money left over.
Max Goldberg, Falmouth's mayor who is retiring after more than 30 years, also is one of its largest real estate owners. He received a check in the first round and, for the second round, is hoping for compensation for another parcel.
As a property owner, he likes the relief that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has provided. But, as a city official, he has disliked the bind in which FEMA has placed Falmouth.
Buyout properties will never appear on the city's tax rolls again. That has meant an annual loss of 30 percent in tax revenues. Also, homes cannot be rebuilt on the buyout property, and the city must worry about the new maintenance responsibilities, which include mowing the grass.
“The program the way it is has put the city in one hell of a mess,” Mr. Goldberg said. “We don't get any taxes ... or revenue off it, just the liability.”
Falmouth city officials will spend the next year figuring out what to do with their new land. They have talked about using it for parks, walking trails and sports fields.
Some parcels still have hous es on them, and those must be demolished.
There's also been talk of $1 maintenance agreements. For $1 a lot, residents could become owners of buyout parcels adjacent to their land.
For the second round of buyouts, Mrs. Dickison already has rated the 23 parcels by a FEMA formula that accounts for such factors as the percent of flood damage, history of repeated flooding, proximity to the Licking River and whether the property had flood insurance.
Mrs. Dickison will send the ratings to FEMA, along with the fair-market values of each of the homes. FEMA has the final say. The agency must ap prove the buyout before the city and homeowners can make a final transaction.
FEMA wants all the transactions done by March, Mrs. Dickison said.
Keri Pettit doesn't know what she and her family would've done without the buyout program. The flood wreaked havoc on their former Barkley Street home. Afterward, they didn't want to return to the flood-prone area.
Without the program, “we would've had to go back into the house,” said Mrs. Pettit, who now lives on Maple. “With a lot of work, it could have been done, but it would've taken tremendous amounts.”
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