Sinkhole-damaged houses on the 1400 block of S. 14th Street will be sold to the city to demolish.
Harrisburg’s sinkhole saga is finally close to being over.
Soon, a little more than $3 million in state funding will flow to 53 residents whose S. 14th St. homes were damaged by sinkholes, after more than four years of the city trying to cobble together enough funding.
“It’s been a long time coming for the homeowners, but we are almost there,” Mayor Eric Papenfuse said.
Both renters and homeowners will receive funds to relocate after the city purchases and demolishes the sinkhole-afflicted homes. The city expects to close on the houses in the spring, which is all per their timeline, Papenfuse said.
“The money will go toward the purchase [of the homes], relocating residents and demolishing the homes,” Papenfuse said.
Earlier this week, the state announced a $3,179,099 award part of a larger $92 million state-wide project to relocate residents and avoid future losses from flooding and sinkholes.
This grant may not cover “all eventual costs,” Papenfuse said, adding that, after demolition, the city would like to turn the area into a green space.
The state’s announcement on Tuesday, confirming award amounts, comes after a more than four-year journey for the city trying to secure funds.
The city first requested disaster relief funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and was denied on a technicality: FEMA did not address sinkhole damage. In 2014, city officials pressed FEMA to address sinkhole damage with disaster relief funding, only to be denied funding in the next season for grant-giving.
In the next grant-giving season, the state selected Harrisburg as a priority to receive the sinkhole funds. That funding then was earmarked for Palmyra, and the state asked FEMA to reconsider. FEMA reversed the decision, and the city received $1.65 million last year for the sinkhole project.
“The most significant thing the city did was FEMA reversing the decision,” Papenfuse said.
Author: Danielle Roth
