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Rock County to seek grant money for flood victims

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This home in Janesville's Mole & Sadler's subdivision spent weeks underwater. Officials report that about 20 homes in the county were substantially damaged by this summer's flooding.

JANESVILLE — Only about 20 houses in Rock, Beloit, Milton and Fulton townships were substantially damaged by June flooding, said Scott Heinig, director of the Rock County Planning and Development Agency.

That's down from Heinig's estimate in August of 80 houses.

Of those 20 houses, the county will have to buy and tear down about eight, Heinig said.

The county is responsible for dealing with flood damage in the townships. The cities of Beloit and Janesville are working on flood damage mitigation within city limits.

The county will apply on behalf of homeowners for federal hazard mitigation money to buy and tear down those eight houses. To qualify, the houses must be primary residences located in the floodway that sustained substantial damage.

"Substantial damage” means repairs would cost more than 50 percent of the house's assessed value. The "floodway” is the portion of the floodplain that holds moving water during a flood.

Federal and state regulations prohibit new construction in the floodway. So once those houses come down, nothing may be built on those properties again.

The grant would provide 75 percent of the money to buy and raze houses; the rest would be a 12.5 percent state match and a 12.5 percent local match—from either towns or the county, depending on the house and the towns.

The county will apply for Community Development Block Grants to cover the 12.5 percent local match. The grant money also will be available for low- and moderate-income families to make repairs to furnaces or other items damaged by the flood.

Heinig said the county will learn in October if it landed the block grant and apply for the hazard mitigation grant at that time.

Houses located in the "floodfringe,” the portion of the floodplain that holds standing water during a flood, may be rebuilt as long as they are elevated.

The county chose not to apply for federal money to pay homeowners who can rebuild in the floodfringe. That's because the federal hazard mitigation grant requires a 12.5 percent local match, Heinig said.

County officials didn't think it was fair to use tax money from all county residents to pay to improve the damaged houses of some, Heinig said.

"They now have a structure that is conforming,” Heinig said about houses that will be elevated. "If the public were to subsidize that, it would be a pretty hard sell to ask that residents throughout the county pay to improve those houses.”

The county also chose not to apply for money to buy and tear down substantially damaged secondary residences such as vacation homes. The county asked the four townships to cover the required 12.5 percent local match for vacation houses.

Only the town of Rock agreed to do so.

In the city of Janesville, about 15 properties in the Mole & Sadler's subdivision have been declared substantially damaged. The owners eventually must decide to accept a buyout or raise their homes above flood level.

Residents can sell their homes to the city at pre-flood fair market value.

The federal government will pay 75 percent of the cost, with the state and city chipping in 12.5 percent each.

The city is giving the go-ahead for demolition of three houses near the owner, Adams Roofing, 411 N. Main St., Neighborhood Development Specialist Kelly Lee told WCLO radio.

Lee said Adams Roofing attended the city's buyout grant meeting, but chose to demolish the homes so they could retain their lots instead of selling them to the city.