By Ashley M. Casey
Staff Writer
As any elementary schooler can tell you, water flows downhill.
That’s why Lysander town engineer Al Yager was puzzled when he noticed the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s revised flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs) placed a hill in Radisson on a floodplain. As a result, some homeowners may have been asked to purchase flood insurance although they actually live above the base flood elevation.
“The floodplain boundary really didn’t make a lot of sense,” Yager said. “It didn’t add up.”
The area in question encompasses Vermillion Circle, Espirit Glade, Festival Court, Royal Scarlet Drive, Crimson King Circle and the southern end of Marco Lane.
Yager obtained raw LIDAR data from the Syracuse-Onondaga County Planning Agency and compared the points to a hydrologic model of the hill in Radisson. He found that the LIDAR points, which are plotted by a laser, did not match up with what he called “the high point in Radisson.”
“It appears that it was inaccurate in that it doesn’t show any slope,” Yager said. “We know that there’s a grade change there.”
FEMA released the revised FIRMs in November 2016 after a years-long revision process.
“When the draft maps were issued, the town was not given the opportunity to appeal the maps,” Yager said.
Yager said some affected homeowners have already been asked to purchase flood insurance, but it depends “on how closely your lender is reviewing the floodplain maps.”
Lysander is sending letters to the affected homeowners to inform them of the situation. The town has submitted a letter of map revision (LOMR) application to FEMA, but Yager said it could take FEMA six to nine months to accept the application, and that timeline is his “best guess” of how long the process will take.
In the meantime, Lysander awaits a letter from FEMA acknowledging that the agency has received the LOMR application. The town will forward that letter to homeowners.
“We encourage homeowners to take the letters to their banks and ask for an extension on getting the [flood insurance],” Yager said.
Yager said FEMA likely will request further survey data of the affected area for the LOMR. The town is searching for grants to fund further studies, but Yager said residents will have to shoulder the cost if Lysander cannot secure public funding.
“We’ll champion your cause, but we can’t spend town dollars on private property,” Yager said.
Fortunately, the Radisson hill is the only area of the town’s FIRMs where Yager has noticed a discrepancy.
“This was the only area that really stood out,” he said.
Town receives $445K grant for Willett Parkway culverts
While the process to correct the FIRM discrepancies in Radisson will stretch through much of 2017, Yager had some good news to share.
Lysander has been awarded $445,000 for culvert repairs through the New York State Department of Transportation’s 2016 BRIDGE NY grant program. The program, which provides $200 million to local governments for bridge and culvert repairs, is part of NYSDOT’s $21.1 billion five-year capital plan.
“It’s a really big win for the town,” Yager said. “It’s really two big wins for us in that it was two separate grant applications [that were approved].”
Lysander will use the money to repair the 84-inch culvert in the outfall on Willett Pond, which Yager said constitutes a public safety issue. If that outfall infrastructure fails, properties downstream from the pond could be flooded.
“That would expend more than double the funds available in the Radisson drainage district [reserve],” Yager said.
The town will also repair two 36-inch culverts under Willett Parkway.
Yager said the state should have the contracts ready soon so the town can advertise for bids in late April or early May and award the bid by June. He would like to see the work completed through the summer dry season.
