FORT SMITH, Ark. — Tuesday night, the Fort Smith Board of Directors will vote on approving a FEMA grant application for flood mitigation.
Western Arkansas Planning and Development District (WAPDD) has worked with FEMA in identifying homes on the north side of the city near Kinkead and Melrose Avenues as those most impacted. Since last year, WAPDD has held informational sessions with residents to hear concerns and provide information on the project. Ten homes in the area showed the most interest in participating in the project.
“We really were able to identify a pretty focused cluster of homes that we felt like could benefit greatly from this project,” said Tracee McKenna, the Director of Community Development for WAPDD.
The grant is valued at approximately $2 million ($1.9 million in federal funds, $190,000 city match) and provides the city with the necessary funding to purchase the homes and demolish them for greenspace. The green space is a natural way to move water to the Arkansas River and would help the city avoid spending upwards of $100 million to build new drainage systems.
The project is completely voluntary for homeowners and they are able to back out of the project at any time until they sign their home over to the city. All identified homes have been appraised at market value to help the interested homeowners.
“We pay market value,” said Carl E. Geffken, City Administrator for the City of Fort Smith. “We have an appraisal done on the homes, not using or considering that the homes are in the floodway.”
The project would take place over three years – giving residents time to decide it the buyout makes sense to them individually, and if they can find a new home.
“All properties aren’t going to be purchased all up and demolished right at once,” said McKenna. “It’s going to be more on an individual timeline for those property owners within that three-year time period to make sure they’re able to find a suitable replacement home before they’re moving out of that home.”
Board members will vote to send the application to the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management who will then send it to FEMA. It is anticipated that FEMA will award grants by the fall.
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