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AUG 29 '97 03:39PM HENNEPIN COUNTY HUMAN RESOURCES P.2/4 . 2716 St.Anthony Blvd. St.Anthony,MN 55418 July 8, 1997 St.Anthony City Council City of St.Anthony 3301 Over Lake Road St.Anthony,MN 55418 Dear Council Merritiers: Due to the extreme water problems on St, Anthony Boulevard,we are requesting that the City of St. Anthony purchase the property at 2716 St.Anthony Blvd. We would like you to consider this request and advise us within 60 days of your decision, recognizing that you may need to collaborate this effort with other governmental jurisdictions. In addition to the purchase of this property, currently valued at approximately$150,000,we are requesting that you reimburse us for personal property lost during this past flood,which has not been officially valued, but which we estimate to be approximately$50-75,000. During the rainstorm on Tuesday,July 1,the water level on St. Anthony Blvd.rose to approximately 8 feet,which made the water come through our front door. Additionally,water crashed through our . basement window filling our basement completely, and the water continued to rise through the basement ceiling into our first floor flooding the entire house. Ten years ago we were also flooded in this home, although not as severely. Subsequent to the July 1987 storm,which was billed as"the storm of the century,"St.Anthony contracted with an engineering firm to study the water problems in St. Anthony. There are a number of conflicting opinions an who is to fault for the continued water problems,but we believe that St.Anthony,the City of Minneapolis,Hennepin County and the State of Minnesota must work jointly to resolve this issue. St.Anthony is a neighbor to and part of these jurisdictions, and no one should ignore the problem nor attempt to blame others. Following this"storm of the century"in 1987,which affected many others in the Twin Cities, federal aid in the form of small interest loans,was afforded to storm victims. At that time we rebuilt our home utilizing a small interest loan,which was given to us as a second mortgage,even though this was a hardship at the time. We definitely cannot havo a third mortgage on this property,which is continually going down in value because of the continuing and increasingly serious water problems. Additionally,in 1990 we were affected by rainwater again. This resulted in minimal damage as wo only got 4-6 inches in our basement. We were able to clean up our home without expending thousands of dollars;however,we spent much time and energy again making our home livable. Also subsequent to the 1987 water problems,wo built a retaining wall around the property,which was one foot higher than the water during this "flood of the century." During last week's flooding,the water oven arose above this retaining wall. We believe these problems must be resolved collaboratively with other jurisdictions for many reasons, . some of which follow: (OVER)