(Okoboji)– Progress is being made on repairing some shorelines in Okoboji heavily damaged during the June flood. City Administrator Michael Meyers…
“The city has administratively permitted, I think it is six, right now, emergency lakeshore landscaping permits and those are getting worked on as of this week. We continue to have conversations with property owners and continue to try to get permits out as quickly as possible to these folks to re-build and re-construct their lakeshore banks.”
Meyers adds that some shoreline property owners have discovered even more damage now that water levels have dropped further late this summer and fall…
“As the water has receded in our lakes, property owners have noticed some damage that probably wasn’t evident in June, and so we’re seeing a lot of really minor things too and those are all getting worked on which is credit to our property owners for getting that put back together. The quicker we can get this put back together, the better.”
Meyers adds Okoboji continues to work with FEMA to repair some shoreline the city owns on Dixon Beach…
“That’s probably the most significant expense that the city of Okoboji as a public entity is facing right now as a result of those storms. And so we’re working with FEMA to see if we can get reimbursement for the reconstruction of that shoreline. That’s about $100,000 worth of work and FEMA will reimburse up to 75 percent of that work. We’re meeting with FEMA on a weekly basis to try and recoup some of these costs if at all possible.”
Meyers told the city council Tuesday that process has become very tedious and time consuming, but he says they’ll continue that process for now, at least.
