By STEPHEN BEALE
Union Leader Correspondents
 

GOFFSTOWN - Goffstown is not eligible for homeowner buyouts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to town administrator Sue Desruisseaux. 

Desruisseaux announced the news Monday at the weekly board of selectmen meeting. She said the town heard about its ineligibility from the state at the end of last month but has not received the official notification.

The town applied for the buyouts at the end of December through a FEMA program intended to avert disasters in the future. After buying homes damaged by flooding, FEMA would have torn them down and barred any future development of the sites.

An analysis of the Goffstown properties included in the town application showed that the benefit was not worth the cost of purchasing the homes, according to Desruisseaux. The town had asked FEMA for $3.6 million. About 20 homeowners who live in low-lying areas near the Piscataquog River had applied for the buyouts. The town grouped those individual applications together and forwarded them to the state.

In other business, Public Works Director Carl Quiram told selectmen the first phase of the rebuilding of Mountain Road has not been completed. All of the bridges have been installed, but paving of the last section will occur once the frost breaks in the spring.

Quiram said installation of the Pollard Road bridge had been delayed due to the weather, water levels and some problems with the manufacturer meeting the specifications. He said the contractor has not determined whether the work can be completed this winter or will have to wait until summer.

Also, selectmen accepted $500 from Wal-Mart for fire rescue equipment, $450 in drug forfeiture money to replace a laptop, and $1,500 from Volunteer NH! for the director of the Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT.

Reproduced by the Goffstown Residents Association.