Iowa City residents continue to fight proposed levee

People living along Taft Speedway in Iowa City are concerned that a proposed levee would drown them under water in a future flood.

The residents fear that the city will continue to move forward on the project without listening to their input.  The city wants to protect homes in the Idyllwild neighborhood and areas on Foster Road from the threat of a future flood.  The levee would put less than ten homes on the “wet-side.”  The 92-unit Idyllwild neighborhood would be fully protected by the ten foot levee.

Resident Jim White said the city offered the Taft Speedway residents buyouts, but only 4 of the 13 homeowners took the offer.  White argues the city did not tell the Taft Speedway residents about the levee when they offered the buyouts.

“We were not offered buyouts that told us there was going to be a levee,” White said.  “There is a lot of history here that we want to keep.”

Next week the city council plans to vote on hiring a firm to conduct a flood feasibility study.  The study would determine if and how the area would benefit from a levee.

There is wide-spread support for the levee in the Idyllwild neighborhood.

“It seems as if they're (Taft Speedway residents) trying to say that one home matters more than another,” said Brett Freet, who is considering purchasing a property in the neighborhood.  “My perspective is that all homes matter.”

Freet would not say if she is in support of the levee, but said she is interested in learning more about both sides of the debate.

Federal grants would help pay for much of the more than $10 million dollar project.