By John Kiesewetter
The Cincinnati Enquirer

FAIRFIELD - After the city buys and demolishes up to 23 homes, what will the city do to stop flooding along Pleasant Run Creek?

Why wasn't my house chosen for demolition?

Those were some questions posed to City Council Monday by a 100-plus crowd. It was the first meeting since the city announced a $3.4-million program to buy and remove flood-prone homes.

Homeowners, however, were given no answers during the meeting. Mayor Erick Cook told residents the city was recording their questions so it could eventually provide accurate responses.

"It is very complex," Cook said. "Tonight we'd like to take the questions - but we don't have the particular answers."

The city on Wednesday learned it has received a $2.5-million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. With the city's 25 percent match, more than $3.4 million is available to buy 23 specific homes with the worst flooding problems. The city hopes to close on the properties in a year.

Most of the houses are along Banker Drive and Crystal Drive, which flooded June 14 and 15. Those homes, built in the early 1970s, are in the flood way - the channel for water flow during floods - according to a 1979 designation by the federal government.

James Rozelle, the engineering consultant who researched the grant application, explained the standards used to select homes.

Factors included repeated flood damage, low first-floor elevation and foundation type. Another consideration was selecting a group of contiguous homes in a high-risk area - which was why all homes on Banker Drive with back yards along the creek were on the list.

"We tried to cluster properties so we didn't just leave one house standing alone," Rozelle said.

Tami Todd, a flood victims' activist whose Banker Drive is eligible for the buyout, said some of her neighbors aren't as enthusiastic as she is about selling.

"I think the smart thing to do is to sell, and leave the house. But their tenure in the community is so great, they just don't want to leave," said Todd, who has been flooded eight times in 16 years.

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E-mail jkiesewetter@enquirer.com