Winslow Striving for Higher Ground – Part 2

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Last week we looked into Winslow, Nebraska’s past. We also discussed how the Floods of 2019 impacted this small community and how the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and JEO Consulting helped analyze the impact and a path forward to recovery. But it’s the end goal of Winslow’s desired path to recovery that is making headlines.

Residents in that small community, at least a sizeable portion of them, want to move the community to higher ground. Yes, they want to use FEMA funding and other contributions to move the entire community to another location.

Winslow Hall

Courtesy: Cale Brodersen

Has Moving a Town Happened Before?

Is moving an entire community possible? Historically, a number of towns have changed locations. The town of Hibbing in Minnesota had to move to accommodate the expansion of an iron mine. They moved just under 200 buildings two miles to the town of Alice, between 1919 and 1921. In Nebraska, the town of Niobrara actually moved twice. Once in 1881-1882 due to a large flood. The second time Niobrara moved was in 1971 when ground water rose due to the creation of the Fort Randall Dam and later the Gavins Point Dam.

It was obviously easier over a century ago with many residential and commercial buildings being smaller stick-built structures with little in the way of footings. A number of the residents will be forced to build from scratch as their old residences were damaged beyond repair by the floods. But that’s not holding the residents of Winslow back.

Winslow Buildings and Tower

Courtesy: Cale Brodersen

Needing Legislative Help

What was holding Winslow back was the authority to move the town. In order to move, they would need to “create” a new community in the desired location on higher ground. However, state statutes required new municipalities to have a population of at least 100 residents. When the floods struck the town, the population was just around 100 at that time. Some residents were already gone. Others weren’t interested in the idea of moving with the community.

Community leaders turned to the legislature for help. In the spring of 2020 legislative bill 1003 was approved to allow smaller communities to annex property to relocate all or part of town due of ‘catastrophic flooding’. At the same time it waived state statutes that required the land to be contiguous or adjacent as well as “urban” or “suburban” in character to make the Winslow relocation work.

Winslow House 1

Courtesy: Cale Brodersen

Chose Your Own “Adventure”

With the legal ability opened up to make the move, a community meeting was held in July 2020 where residents were given their options. Community leaders and other representatives stated that there was generally three different choices the residents could take:

Option 1: They can take a buyout of their current property and move up the hill to the new location for the community. Their home could be moved, or a new one would be construction on a lot selected through a lottery process.

Option 2: The residents could rebuild in their current location. But they’d have to meet FEMA regulations to obtain their assistance in the rebuild. This includes16 the possibility that they would have to raise their structure to prevent future damage from flooding. It would also be the last funding they would receive from FEMA as it makes little sense to keep investing FEMA funds into repetitive loss properties.

Also, if the rest of the community were to move to higher ground, they would have install their own well and septic systems as the existing system for the town would be shut down. They’d also have to maintain and plow the local roads as it is doubtful the county would be willing to take on these additional costs.

Option 3: They could take a buyout and move out of the area entirely. Investing the FEMA buyout funds they receive in another community in hopes to restart their lives anew away from Winslow. The residents would likely receive 60% to 75% of the pre-flood value and their former property in Winslow would become greenspace and, much like what Pacific Junction was facing, the land could not be built upon again.

Ok, Let’s Move, But Where?

There are a few residents who have voiced their desire to stay where they currently live. But it appears that the remainder of the community is intrigued by the concept and the future stability a move could provide.

But where would they move?

The site that the community has been targeting is land roughly two miles north and away from the Elkhorn River. The site’s most attractive aspect is that it sits about 100 feet higher in elevation than the current site of Winslow. No longer would they have to keep a wary eye looking out the window during heavy rains. Dreading the thought of their house and their possessions ruined once again by floodwaters and mud.

The proposed site is also close to the Logan Valley Junior-Senior High School. The school district for this consolidated rural school covers over 200 square miles in throughout four counties in Nebraska. Hence, the school itself is a hub of activity. As Winslow itself has no significant commercial or industrial anchors, the traffic created by this regional school adds hope to the long-term viability of the community.

Winslow House 2

Courtesy: Cale Brodersen

The Next Steps

As you can imagine, essentially creating a new community from scratch isn’t cheap. Unfortunately, FEMA will not fully fund the move to this new location. Winslow’s leadership continues to look for financial assistance. But it is a talk task.

Community leaders are also working with a group of planning consultants to create a master plan for the development of the new site. With proper community planning prior to the construction of the new site, many potential problems can be avoided. Most rural were initially developed decades before their first comprehensive plan. Streets, sewers, and water lines and other infrastructure that is typically laid out and constructed in a adhoc patchwork over time can be properly planned out for best efficiency and resiliency.

What Does the Future Hold?

Winslow’s future is still up in the air. But something must get figured out. Although some landowners have kept up their properties, others have left, leaving houses boarded up and abandoned with overgrown, weed-filled yards. The community overall is clearly in a state of disrepair.

But will moving work? It is a relative “crap shoot”. In December we took a look at Lemoyne, Nebraska, where moving the community didn’t truly pan out. But it has worked for the towns of Niobrara, Nebraska; Galveston, Texas; and Hibbing, Minnesota. Needless to say, Rural Resurrection will continue to follow Winslow’s journey. Check back for more posts in the future about Murray, Nebraska.