Demolition work under way in flood-prone Lost
Valley
By Steve Rauscher
The Manville News
Friday, July 27, 2001
Workers
began the demolition of 37 houses in Manville's Lost Valley
last week. The area will become open space and parks —
except for the properties of five residents who haven't agreed
to sell their properties yet.
Staff
photos by Steve Rauscher
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The Lost Valley took one step closer to becoming
a mere memory in the minds of the Manville residents, as demolition
began July 17 of 37 houses in the low-lying neighborhood so heavily
damaged by the flooding during Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
Most of the flood-prone area's residents accepted
the buyouts offered by the state and the Federal Emergency Management
Administration (FEMA), but as of Wednesday, there were still five
households that had declined.
"It doesn't look like those homeowners are going
to participate in the program," said Charlie Carly, chief engineer
in charge of the demolition program. "It's entirely voluntary and
a couple of folks have decided to stay."
The entire project, from buyouts and administration
to demolition and debris removal, will cost the state and FEMA just
over $6 million. The borough has not been asked to contribute any
funds to the project, but will suffer an estimated $20 million loss
in assessed value, according to Borough Administrator Gary Garwacke.
That means a loss of around $125,000 annually in tax revenue for
the borough and more than $340,000 for Manville schools.
The demolition is expected to be completed by
the end of August, after the hundreds of tons of debris have been
hauled off to landfills in eastern Pennsylvania and construction
crews cover the vacant lots with a fresh layer of topsoil.
"We're trying to get as many homes demolished
as quickly as possible," Mayor Angelo Corradino said. "Once everything
is done, we'll see what we have."
The mayor said the borough plans to dot the vacant
Valley with "pocket parks," numerous individual plots with park
benches and playgrounds. The rest of the area will be designated
as public space.
For more stories from The Manville News, go to
www.manvillenews.com.
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