Sauquoit Creek home buyout program chugging along slowly

Edward Harris, Utica Observer Dispatch
·2 min read

The federal Sauquoit Creek home buyout program is still ongoing and is currently in a time-consuming, ongoing process, Whitesboro Town Supervisor Shaun Kaleta said recently.

Natural Resources Conservation Service is still funding the program as the town took more of a mangerial role earlier this year in an effort to speed up the process.

The NRCS must complete a review for each approved property, Kaleta said, noting this is a time-consuming process. Once this is done, the town can start scheduling closings, Kaleta said.

New York State Conservationist for the USDA Blake Glover, left, talks with Ron Loubier, right, a homeowner who was hit hard during the 2019 Halloween flooding event. Glover was among many local, state and federal officials who relayed the news in early September that $20 million in federal funding will be available to assist eligible homeowners in Whitesboro and Whitestown who were affected by flooding along the Sauquoit Creek.

“While there has been a tremendous amount of progress, there is more to accomplish,” Kaleta said in an emailed statement. “The Town of Whitestown remains committed to completing critical mitigation work and ensuring those in the buyout program can close on their homes. Over the years, the town of Whitestown has become a leader in flood mitigation and the Sauquoit Creek Channel & Floodplain Restoration Program has become a model for others across the state and country to follow. We won’t quit until all proposed work is done.”

Kaleta said the town is hopeful it can issue a new, tentative timeline by the end of the year.

Applicants were informed in Oct. 2020 – when the project was announced – that it would take at least four years, from start to finish.

Buyout program history 

Over 130 property owners in Whitesboro and Whitestown submitted applications for the $20 million federal property buyout program announced in late 2020 for residents living in flood-prone areas along the Sauquoit Creek.

Those who submitted applications applied to the Natural Resources Conservation Service Floodplain Easement Program.

As part of the program, NRCS would purchase a floodplain easement — the rights to their property — on the property and Whitestown would purchase a fee title — remaining interest in the property.

Staff at NRCS national headquarters in Washington, D.C. reviewed each application as of early 2021. While this was going on, NRCS New York staff were conducting an in-depth analysis of the checks, receipts and affidavits provided by the applicants to ensure past insurance compensation was spent for its intended purpose.

As of a year ago, over 130 property owners have decided to take part in the buyout program.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Sauquoit Creek flood buyout program moving along slowly