ROCKINGHAM — The town of Rockingham has closed on the second of three properties involved in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) buy-out program.
The property, at 409 Saxtons River Rd. (Route 121), was heavily damaged by flooding from the Saxtons River during Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011.
The owner lost the home and almost all belongings when the river rose quickly. The house has been moved off its foundation and ripped open. The house and site debris will be cleaned up and removed. An asbestos inspection has already been completed.
Rockingham Planning-Zoning Administrator Ellen Howard said that although the buy-out process has been long, it is moving forward. Requests for proposals for site demolition and clean-up will be made available shortly.
Under federal guidelines, the property now must remain as open, undeveloped land.
Howard said that the floodplain level in the vicinity of the property wasNOTE (Unknown Author, 2014-05-19T13:14:15): Is? 6 to 7 feet above the existing grade. One other property to the north has been purchased by the town, and its clean-up is complete.
One other flood buyout property is pending.
Howard said that no town funds are being expended to purchase 409 Saxtons River Rd. FEMA funds account for 75 percent of the project, and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds account for the 25 percent required match.
The town of Rockingham is working with Vermont Emergency Management, which administers the FEMA portion, and with Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission and Southern Windsor Regional Commission on the CDBG portion.