Tuesday, February 5, 2013
The borough purchased three other flood-prone homes with grant money from FEMA and the DEP last month.
Westwood officials voted to purchase a fourth flood-prone home with grant money during their council meeting Tuesday. The borough closed on three other flood-prone homes using grant money from FEMA and the Department of Environmental Protection last month. The first three houses cost about $1.1 million of the approximately $2 million in grants the borough received. The next house the borough will purchase is 23 Nugent Place. The home was appraised in the mid $400,000s, but the exact price to be paid has not yet been determined, according to Borough Administrator Robert Hoffmann. FEMA's formula, which subtracts some money previously paid for repairs, will have to be applied before the final price is set, he said. Officials said they …
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Three flood-prone homes purchased by the borough with grant money have been made available to firefighters for drills.
The Westwood Fire Department has begun holding drills in the first of three flood-prone homes on Harding Avenue set for demolition. The three homes were purchased by the borough earlier this month with grant money from FEMA and the Department of Environmental Protection. Firefighters were practicing raising ladders to second-flood windows to gain access to 46 Harding Avenue and pulling dummies from the house Wednesday night, according to Fire Chief Jaymee Hodges. They started training in that house first because it is the scheduled to be demolished first, Hodges said. Prior to the drills, officials spoke to nearby homeowners to warn them about the plans. "We try to be sensitive to the neighborhood," Hodges previously said. "We don't want …
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
The bill would make towns exempt from paying taxes for flood-prone properties they acquire.
The New Jersey Assembly passed a bill Monday which would protect towns buying flood-prone properties from tax expenses. Currently, towns like Westwood which are using state and federal grant money to purchase flood-prone homes will be responsible for paying the school and county taxes for the year in which the purchase is made if the properties are bought after October 1. The bill (A-3362) would exempt towns from having to pay these taxes. It passed by a vote of 74-0 Monday. An identical bill in the state senate has not yet been voted on. District 39 Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi sponsored the bill. “The effort to preserve open space should not be derailed because a town cannot afford to assume the obligation of paying a seller’s property …
Friday, January 18, 2013
The borough used grant money to purchase three flood-prone homes on Harding Avenue.
The Westwood Fire Department will be holding drills in three homes the borough recently purchased as part of a flood buyout program. Firefighters will practice putting up ladders, stretching hoses and crawling through the dark in their gear — with their masks blacked out to simulate smoke conditions — at the three houses before they are demolished, according to Fire Chief Jaymee Hodges. Hodges told Patch that they hope to begin using one of the houses next week. Before they begin the drills, Hodges said they would speak to nearby homeowners about the plan. "We try to be sensitive to the neighborhood," Hodges said. "We don't want to be a nuisance." The drills would last a couple hours on evenings, and possibly also on a Saturday. It is …
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
FEMA and the DEP provided grants to the borough for buyouts after Hurricane Irene hit in 2011.
Updated at 3:45 p.m. Thursday Westwood closed on three flood-prone properties last week, allowing homeowners who had been in limbo since Hurricane Irene to finally move on with their lives. The borough closed on 55 and 46 Harding Avenue Thursday morning and 60 Harding Avenue Friday morning, according to Borough Administrator Robert Hoffmann. The purchases were made with a portion of $2,068,057 in grants, including about $1.5 million from FEMA and the rest from the Department of Environmental Protection's Green Acres program. As a part of the buyout program, FEMA required the borough to have the homes appraised, which set the prices to be paid. Grant money was also used to cover costs like the appraisers. The amounts paid for the three …
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
The process of purchasing flood-prone homes has taken more time than it needed to because of changing state requirements, according to borough officials.
Hundreds of man-hours have been spent on a project to purchase flood-prone homes in Westwood, but continual changes from state officials have caused numerous delays in the process, borough officials said Tuesday. In the meantime, several local families have been temporarily displaced or are living in their homes with short-term repairs since Hurricane Irene hit more than a year ago. Eight homeowners are waiting to see if they are picked for one of the buyouts. Westwood has a little more than $2 million from state and federal grants to spend on the project. "This has been a frustrating and burdensome process," Mayor John Birkner said. According to Birkner, borough staff have spent almost 400 man-hours on the project so far, and it may take …
Friday, September 28, 2012
Westwood, and other towns participating in buyouts of flood-prone homes, are currently responsible for school and county taxes for the properties.
A new bill will provide tax relief for municipalities which participate in buyouts of flood-prone homes, if state lawmakers pass it. Currently, towns like Westwood which are using state and federal grant money to purchase flood-prone homes will be responsible for paying the school and county taxes for the year in which the purchase is made. Borough officials previously told Patch this could cost between $22,000 and $49,000 next year, when the purchases will likely be made. Westwood Mayor John Birkner previously described the tax as "a burden on the municipality." Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi introduced a bill (A-3362) this week which would relieve towns of the tax burden by making the properties tax exempt upon the date of purchase. Homes …
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Borough officials said they hope to receive relief on school and county taxes for flood-prone homes being purchased with grants.
Westwood officials are hoping to convince the state to create tax relief legislation which will release the borough, and other New Jersey towns, from having to pay county and school taxes for properties purchased with flood relief grant money. The borough received more than $2 million in aid from FEMA and the state Department of Environmental Protection to buy and demolish flood-prone homes. The grants cannot be used to pay school and county taxes for the properties, but Westwood is responsible for paying the taxes in the year the homes are purchased, officials said during their meeting this week. Mayor John Birkner said Westwood is further along in the process than many towns, but he was not sure that the sales would be closed before the …
Thursday, July 19, 2012
The Westwood Council approved the funding during their meeting this week. The money was supplied by FEMA and the DEP.
As many as nine flood-prone homes in Westwood may be knocked down. The Westwood Council approved an ordinance appropriating more than $2 million to buy and demolish homes that have repeatedly been damaged by flooding during their meeting Tuesday. "Hopefully some people will be able to put their lives back together," Mayor John Birkner said. How many of the nine homes will actually purchased is still undecided. During their meeting, the council awarded a contract to Miller, Rinaldi & Co. to appraise the homes at a cost of $350 per property and $175 per hour if any additional work is required. The borough received a total of five bids for the project. Once the appraisals are done, officials will determine how many of the homes they can …
Concerned
7:58 pm on Sunday, January 13, 2013
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