First Posted: 9/11/2014
The Jenkins Township Patch neighborhood has been quiet for three years. But now, the sounds of demolition equipment fill the air, along with the smell of torn lumber and fresh dirt.
Demolition has begun on 14 homes in the Port Blanchard section of Jenkins Township that have been purchased through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Buyout programs.
Two months ago, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey announced $1.31 million in funding from the FEMA was awarded for the acquisition and demolition of the damaged structures within the Special Flood Hazard Area in the township.
Jenkins Township Manager Bob Jones has been overseeing the project, which has been contracted out to Patriot Construction of Hazleton and Popple Construction of Plains.
He said the township is hoping the process is finished by the end of the month. When the two companies won the bid, everything on the grounds was entitled to them. Once everything is leveled and inspected – the sewer lines have to be capped especially – the homes will be back filled and ready for the next step.
The next step? Well that hasn’t quite been finalized. A meeting will be held in the future to discuss that.
In the aftermath of the September 2011 Tropical Storm Lee flood, which wreaked havoc on communities along the Susquehanna River, many homeowners opted to take federal buyouts to have their houses demolished and their municipalities take over the land on which they stood.
Communities from Shickshinny to West Pittston are in the process of determining what to do with those empty lots.
For Jenkins Township, those ideas were proposed at a meeting in early July – everything from a walking path, to athletic fields, to just a grassy area were discussed.
Resident Connie Padrezas was at that meeting. She voiced her opinion on the subject of taxes, and suggested a grass-planted area with limited cost to the township.
Others thought a trail or athletic fields would be appropriate.
However, Jenkins Township is limited to what it can do with the properties under terms of the FEMA Hazard Mitigation. The lots cannot be sold and they can’t have anything built on them with the exception of structures that will not be damaged by a flood. Gravel parking lots are allowed, but asphalt, concrete and other surfaces are not.
Sports fields and other recreational purposes are an option. However, fences can’t be installed because they would collect debris and waste during a flood. That leaves out dog parks, as well.
