Politics & Government

Another Check Rolls in for Hightstown's Hurricane Irene Reimbursement

The Borough received a check from the insurance company Tuesday morning.

Hightstown’s insurance company wrote another check for damage sustained during Hurricane Irene.

The Borough received a $366,584.59 check on Tuesday morning, said Borough Administrator Michael Theokas. A large portion of the money is allocated for the repairs and replacement of the Advanced Waste Water Treatment Plant.

“This represents a dollar-for-dollar, 100 percent value reimbursement for expenses, as opposed to the 75 percent value we get from FEMA on expenses,” Theokas said in an email Tuesday.

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In January, . To date, the total insurance payout is $592,978, Theokas said.

Following the storm, the council appropriated a total of $1.6 million in emergency funds, which the Borough spent about $1.3 million.

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The Federal Emergency Management Agency has paid around $40,000, Theokas said, and the Borough is still waiting for a determination from the county on which flood maps will be used.

Maps created in 1977 puts Borough Hall in a high-hazard flood zone, however if the county accepts maps created by FEMA a few years ago, that will remove the flood zone designation, as well as the $1 million insurance deductible. There is no timeline for an answer on the flood zone designation.

Theokas said this is not the end of money coming in, and more is expected.

At the end of August in 2011, water from Peddie Lake rushed into the downtown, pouring several feet of water on Main Street during Hurricane Irene. Several businesses were flooded, and Borough Hall and the police department had to be relocated.

The police department moved to the ; however, the temporary use and occupancy agreement expires May 5. Borough operations are set up inside the public works building, as Borough Hall remains contaminated.

The council held a , but no decisions have been made, and the future remains unknown.


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