A person wrote an excellent letter to the editor to the ICPC today regarding a buyout today. I couldn't find it online so you'll have to pick up the paper to read it.
It did have one inaccuracy - she referred to the City buying back Normandy and Eastmoor. I'm not sure if the writer didn't know, but Manor and most of the houses on Granada Court and Parkview Place sustained similar damage to the homes on Eastmoor and will experience the same results when another flood occurs.
It's important to refer to the entire neighborhood (Parkview Terrace) when writing about a buyout. Buying out 1 or 2 streets will not solve the problem - it has to be the entire neighborhood - Parkview Terrace. A dike will not solve the problem and most likely push the water over to the water plant or cause more flooding both up and down the river.
Also, it's important to note - a buyback is 100% voluntary by allowing each homeowner to make their own decision to sell or stay.
Back entrance needed for park
I want to put a positive spin of the current situation. There never will be another opportunity like this to use federal funds to buy out residents who live in the floodplain and thus gain prime riverbank land that the city should use for a back entrance to City Park.
Iowa City's lovely park only has one drawback: The only ways in and out by car are the exits and entrances opposite Hancher Auditorium. Because this limited access becomes a problem during high traffic times, City Park needs a back entrance. And the stretch of riverbank involved, which stands opposite the Peninsula area, would be a lovely back entrance.
Buying out Normandy Drive and Eastmoor also offers a permanent solution to flooding. The city should build grass-covered berm/dike (one amenable to landscaping) along the course of what now are Eastmoor backyards. That would allow for the flooding Iowa River to flow over most of the floodplain with minimal restrictions and minimal impact on buildings upstream and downstream.
Time is of the essence here. Although most residents now look favorably upon such a plan, they may think differently after their homes are dried and re-carpeted and the charm of the neighborhood reasserts itself.
The City Council shouldn't delay in starting the lengthy process required for a buy out.
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The letter (and a good comment) can be found via the P-C homepage; go to "opinion"; scroll down to Letters to the Editor; letter title is "Back entrance needed to City Park".
I would like to post experience (questionable) with 1-800-flooded, but cannot figure out how to contact our neighbors through this site. For example, their representative whose certification card had, to his surprise, expired in 2006, told me it would not be wise to rely on local volunteer organizations because their work would not be acceptable to our local inspectors.
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