GIRARD City asks for aid to relocate homes

If money is approved, homeowners would move outside the flood plain.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- An application by the city for a housing relocation program has made it to the next level.
Mayor James J. Melfi said he got word Friday morning that the Ohio Department of Public Safety has asked the city to participate in the formal application process for funding consideration through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
"In other words, we're being continued," Melfi said.
In September, the city applied for the funding that would allow for the relocation of about 10 homes located underneath the viaduct that spans between downtown Girard and McDonald. The area is commonly referred to as The Flats.
Because the area is in a flood plain and received extensive damage during the July floods this year, the city was eligible to apply for the grant, which is 75-percent funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The rest of the money comes through local funds.
If the area receives funding, homeowners can receive housing in another neighborhood within the city, though not new construction.
It also pays for moving expenses. Their old homes would be razed the land reverted to city ownership.
Most of the homeowners in The Flats have been there for decades. No new homes can be built in the area, since it has no sanitary sewer service.
Funding requirements
With the approval in the pre-application phase, the city can now move forward with its funding request. Requirements, according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety, are:
UThe city is participating and in good standing with the National Flood Insurance.
UThe project shows that its benefits outweigh the costs.
UThe application proves that other alternatives, including "doing nothing," were considered and that the project is the best long-term solution to the problem.
The city's application is due to the Ohio EMA by March 5.
slshaulis@vindy.com