Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the Lander City Council unanimously voted to adopt the study of the properties that would be impacted by the potential floodwall project. Councilmember Dan Hahn voted no.
The Lander City Council took another step last week toward potential floodwall construction on Fremont Street, adopting a study of the properties that would be impacted by the project.
The floodwall option is the city’s “tentatively selected plan” to mitigate flood risks on the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River, according to the study.
The plan calls for “a 1,900-foot-long concrete floodwall running parallel to the south side of Fremont Street from west of South Fifth Street easterly to the Middle Popo Agie River,” the study states.
Relocation problems
Five properties would have to be acquired in order for the floodwall to be built, the study says, and those parcels cost a combined total of more than $3.1 million.
There are also two businesses, 37 residences, and 31 personal properties that should be relocated as part of the floodwall plan, according to the study, but most of the people who own those properties said they want to stay in the community and that “their current location is most desirable.”
Other barriers to relocation include limited housing options and limited space for development within the city, the study states; for example, “no location has been identified for the mobile homes to be relocated.”
Altogether, the relocations are estimated to cost $1.5 million, according to the study.
The total estimated cost for the floodwall project is approximately $5.1 million, the study states.
Assistant mayor RaJean Strube Fossen said the results of the study will be used to obtain a federal emergency management grant to move forward with the project.
For more information call 332-2870 or visit the city’s website.