State agrees to January meeting to discuss it, mayor says
By Mary Ellen Day, Special Writer
There may be more funds coming Manville’s way for flooded residents to have their homes bought out early next year.
Mayor Angelo Corradino announced the possibility at the Aug. 12 Borough Council meeting. The state has money that may help residents to deal with the aftermath of flooding in the past few years.
”The state is allocating some money, but we don’t know exactly how many we have,” Mayor Corradino said.
Aug. 8, the mayor and Borough Administrator Gary Garwacke met with state Department of Environmental Protection Assistant Commissioner Richard Boornazian, who is responsible for all buyouts in New Jersey; Cindy Randazzo, the DEP director of the Office of Local Government Assistance; governor’s representative Richard DeRose, regional director, and one of Manville’s state Assembly representatives, Jack Ciattarelli.
According to Mayor Corradino they discussed buyouts and elevations of flood-prone homes. He said Friday that at least 200 homes may be qualified, judging on the aftermath of last fall’s Hurricane Irene.
”We explained to the commissioner how many floods we have experienced over the last 18 years, the hardship we have gone through as a community and what our needs are,” the mayor said. “After our presentation, we had a discussion about the criteria of the buyouts, and we were led to believe that we qualify under the third phase of the state plan.”
He said, “They understand it now, that Manville is in desperate need of buyouts.”
The mayor said a meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 15, to find out more about the buyouts.
”At that meeting, the commissioner said that he will let us know what the state is allocating, what types of property he is going to be looking for,” the mayor said. “As everybody knows with the Blue Acres money, it (qualifying houses) has to be in groups. They are not going to buy individual homes in different areas.”
No commercial property will be bought, most likely; it qualifies under a different type of grant.
”The borough does not have to worry about any negotiations, any of the closings, any of the buyouts, any demolition the state is going to handle from soup to nuts,” the mayor said. “From Jan. 15 until the last home is demolished, it will all be under the state. We will have nothing to do with it. All we have to do is supply the meeting facility and set the time once the commissioner tells us he is available.”
Mayor Corradino said that if there are any costs that are made known after the meeting, Freeholder Mark Caliguire said the county has $2 million set aside that could offset any split costs of the buyouts.
”We have something to look forward to,” the mayor said. “We have been working a long time trying to get additional money for buyouts.”