City rejects moldy home buyout request

January 11, 2002

City rejects home buyout request

By: Self, Courier staff January 11, 2002

Conroe City Council members denied a request that the city buy Goggin's

home Thursday, leaving the Conroe resident and his family with a home they

can't live in or sell.

Goggin asked the council to sponsor him for a Federal Emergency Management

Agency buyout of his home at 81 Oak Grove in Artesian Oaks on Artesian

Creek. The program requires the city to pay 25 percent of the costs, with

FEMA covering the remaining 75 percent.

" I'm at a crossroads as far as my options, " Goggin said. " I was just hoping

they would see my problem with that home. I'm on the verge of bankruptcy. "

Goggin's home was damaged during the flooding caused by rains from Tropical

Storm , and he has not made any repairs to the home. According to the

American Red Cross, eight homes and one mobile home were destroyed in

Montgomery County due to the storm.

Goggin said he found out after purchasing his home that it had flooded three

previous times. At the time of the June flood, he said, the home was

discovered to be contaminated with toxic mold from the previous flooding.

Because of the cost to repair the mold problems and water damage, Goggin

said he was unable to begin repairing the home after Tropical Storm .

Brent Sherrod, director of community development, told the council the 25

percent buyout cost is not a large amount of money, but said diverting the

funds from the project to improve the drainage of Artesian Creek was not a

good idea. The city does not have an estimate on how much it would cost to

fix the drainage problem along Artesian Creek.

" The endeavor will only fix one person's problem, " Sherrod said. He said by

applying that money to the project, it will benefit all the residents along

the creek.

According to Craig Lonon, city administrator, the city staff members are in

the process of developing Phase II of the city drainage project. He said he

hoped to have funding for the Artesian Creek project by 2003 or 2004.

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