Sent: Sun 6/29/2008 8:45 AM
To: newsroom@press-citizen.com; gregg.hennigan@gazettecommunications.com; kbolton@dmreg.com; Mike.Wagner@KCRG.com; jokerstrom@kwwl.com; Daily Iowan
Subject: PRESS RELAESE: Parkview Terrace Neighborhood Voluntary Butout Petition
Contact: Steve McGuire, 319-530-5964, s-mcguire@uiowa.edu
PRESS RELEASE:
The Parkview Terrace Neighborhood, which includes Normandy, Eastmoor, Manor, Granada Court and Parkview Place streets, will present a petition to the Iowa City City Council at the Thursday, July 3rd Special Formal Council Meeting at 7:30am to make application to the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), available to the State as part of the most recent Presidential Disaster Declaration, to fund a voluntary buyout of homes in the Parkview Terrace Neighborhood to expand Lower City Park. Residents of the neighborhood believe it is reasonable to assume that properties on Normandy, Eastmoor, Manor, Granada Court and Parkview Place streets have a far higher probability of flooding now than 50 years ago when the development was created. The multiplied effect of development and water management projects for urban and agricultural land upstream on the Iowa River and its tributaries, the loss of Coralville Reservoir capacity as cited by the Corps, and regional/global climatology have increased substantially the likelihood of flooding in the neighborhood and made the historical 100 and 500 year flood plain a misnomer.
Our petition request the Iowa City City Council submit a formal Notice of Interest to the State for funds from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The State of Iowa will receive FEMA funding under the HMGP as part of the most recent Presidential Disaster Declaration. The State's priority for this funding is the acquisition of flood prone properties. Acquisition projects are strictly voluntary and homeowners are never forced to sell their property. Purchase price for properties must be at their pre-flood fair market value. The decision to buy flood-damaged property is made by the local government and the property owners, not the state or federal government. Costs must be shared on a 75% federal/25% state or local basis.
To the Iowa City Council,
Whereas, we are homeowners in the Parkview Terrace neighborhood who have been devastated by recent flooding, and
Whereas, we believe that development and water management projects for urban and agricultural land upstream, the loss of Coralville Reservoir capacity as cited by the Corps, and regional/global climatology, have increased the likelihood of flooding in what has historically been identified as the 100 and 500 year flood plain making it impossible to adequately protect our neighborhood from the risk of future flooding.
Whereas, we believe our ethical and fiscal responsibility as citizens of Iowa City requires we not rebuild our homes in the neighborhood we have lived in and love.
We, the undersigned homeowners of Parkview Terrace neighborhood, respectfully request that the Iowa City City Council make application to the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), available to the State as part of the most recent Presidential Disaster Declaration, to fund a voluntary buyout of homes in the Parkview Terrace Neighborhood to expand Lower City Park.
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1 comment:
Kudos to Steve McGuire for getting the ball rolling on this request!!
There are a couple of typos in the press release---you've probably already spotted them (first line of second paragraph; the spelling of the word "release" in the heading; and in that same heading one so funny I'm still grinning, so thanks for that, too: it reads ..."Voluntary Butout Petition" !
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