MANVILLE: ‘Blue Acres’ funding gives another option to flood areas

To the editor:
   On Jan. 19 the Manville News covered, and offered an editorial on, the “Blue Acres” legislation that we recently supported and was signed into law by Governor Christie.
   As reported, this legislation allows a municipality and/or county that has a dedicated open space trust fund to use those monies to “buy out” homeowners whose residences have been repeatedly vacated due to flooding. Once acquired by the municipality/county, houses are razed and the properties are deeded perpetually as open space.
   While municipal and/or county open space trust funds can be used to make a single qualified purchase entirely, a more effective and yet overlooked option is to use those same monies as the 25 percent required match in partnership with federal and state Blue Acres programs. In so doing, approximately the same amount of local money can afford four times as many “buy outs,” thereby benefiting more homeowners.
   In myriad ways, this approach to providing much needed relief to flood-stricken homeowners is good, if not great, public policy, especially in a county like Somerset with its annual open space trust fund.
   While we continue to work in partnership with local officials on potential long-term solutions (e.g., Army Corps of Engineers flood control projects), we also look forward to working with local officials on this viable short-term “Blue Acres” solution. Qualified homeowners who have very painfully decided to no longer fight Mother Nature deserve nothing less.
Christopher “Kip” Bateman, State senator
Jack M. Ciattarelli and Donna M. Simon,  Assembly members 