BOIS BRULE LANDOWNERS SAY GOODBYE

PERRYVILLE -- Thirty-one Perry County property owners have decided to accept a government buyout of residences flooded last year in the Bois Brule Bottoms east of Perryville.

"It's been over a year now since the people heard about the buyout," said Kathy Mangels, director of grant administration for the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission.

"They're finally at a point where they know what kind of dollar figure they're going to get. It's been a long wait for them."

Another property owner affected by the flood has declined the government's offer and sold the land to another buyer, said Mangels, whose office is handling the buyout.

They are waiting to hear from four other property owners who on Dec. 2 were mailed letters outlining the buyout terms. The four owners had two weeks to respond to the offers after receiving the letters.

One of those four is seeking a second opinion on the appraised value of the residential property before the Mississippi River levee broke near Menfro, allowing the river to cover more than 26,000 acres of prime farmland to a depth of nearly 20 feet in places.

Those accepting the government's offer will receive the full appraised value of the property before the flood, minus any amount they might have received from flood insurance or other governmental relief. Twenty-five of the 36 property owners had flood insurance, Mangels said.

Some homeowners received loans from the Small Business Administration to purchase a different home outside the flood plain. These loans were attached to the deeds and will have to paid off from the sale price on the property.

Some families whose houses were hit by the flood received minimal repair grants. If the repairs were considered eligible expenses and completed, those grants will not be deducted from the payoff amount, Mangels said.

A few of the remaining property owners are changing the boundaries of the residential location to be sold, Mangels said. That involves additional survey work and record preparation. All these final details are taking a little time, she said.

About 95 residences were actually damaged in the flood, Mangels said. Those owners were told about the buyout program in November 1993, and 42 expressed an initial interest in participating.

Appraisals were done on those 42 residences, said Randy Taylor, the Perry County clerk. Six of those owners subsequently declined to participate in the buyout and did not receive the Dec. 2 offers.

Perry County has been awarded more than $855,000 in federal and state funds for the buyout. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has contributed $433,995 while Community Development Block Grants from the state account for $421,481.

The buyout's only cost to the landowner is payment of the prorated property taxes. Grant funds are being used to pay for all other costs, such as appraisals, title insurance, survey work, deed preparation and recording fees.

The sales should move fairly quickly, Taylor said. The small parcels, ranging in size from about a quarter acre to about 1 1/2 acres, will have to go through the real estate closing process like any other piece of property.

The closings are expected to be completed next month, Taylor said. Demolition and clean-up of the properties can begin after Perry County takes title to the land, which must be held for public use, Taylor said.

The county will have the option to lease the small parcels back to the landowners, who can farm it, Mangels said. An advantage to that would be that the county wouldn't have to worry about maintenance on small plots throughout the area.

With the buyout, no buildings will be allowed on the properties nor will any other governmental assistance be paid on the parcels, Mangels said. If the parcels are ever developed as a park by the county, an open pavilion and restrooms can be constructed on the land, she said.