The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, June 26, 1969, Image 3
The Newberry Sun, Newberry, S. C., Thursday, June 26, 1969 — PAGE 3
MEMBERS of the Golden Age Fellow- October through June. There are 34 mem-
ship were entertained by the Women of bers. Officers are Mrs. F. G. Hartley,
Aveleigh Presbyterian Church last Thurs- president; Mrs. L. G. McCullough, vice
day afternoon. They are shown above on president; Miss Lucy Senn, secretary;
the church grounds. The Fellowship was Mrs. W. H. Davis, treasurer and Mrs.
organized in 1952 and meets Mondays Margaret Fouche, pianist. (Sunphoto.)
SCHD explains
relocation
assistanse Act
The state’s new relocation as
sistance act will make possible
payments up to $5,000 to home-
owners whose property is re
quired in the public interest for
highway construction.
Payments of up to $1,500 to
renters similarly displaced also
will be possible.
The State Highway Depart
ment’s right-of-way engineer,
Sidney O. Holstein, and relocat
ion coordinator, John A. Vous-
den, say they are ready for all
practical purposes, to adminis
ter the provisions of the act on
any current or future highway
project.
Mr. Vousden recently attend
ed a conference at New Orleans
at which representatives of the
U. S. Bureau of Public Roads
explained their interpretation of
the relocation assistance re
quirements of the 1968 Federal
Aid Highway Act.
Quite frankly, the Bureau says
the act puts the highway de
partments in the housing busi
ness.
Without question, the reloca
tion assistance program is “a-
mong the most far reaching le
gislation” to affect the highway
construction program in recent
years, Mr. Holstein says.
South Carolina is believed to
be the first state in the South
east to enact relocation legis
lation that will bring it into com
pliance with the 1968 federal act.
States have until 1970 to comply.
South Carolina’s act will ap
ply to projects financed with
state funds, as well as those on
which there is federal partici
pation.
Although signed into law Ap
ril 22, the state’s act is retro
active to last August 23, and
there are “a few” property own
ers who received payment und
er the state’s old relocation as
sistance act which paid moving
costs) who may be eligible for
additional amounts under the
new act.
However, those covered by
the old act between May 30 and
August 22 will not be eligible.
In any event, affected part
ies must file claims; payment
is not automatic under any cir
cumstance. If there is a ques
tion of eligibility, those persons
should write to Right-of-Way
Section, Highway Dept., P. O.
Box 191, Columbia, S. C. 29202.
There were only a few high
way projects in progress dur
ing either period that required
substantial relocation.
The main features of the act
are moving assistance, and the
“additive payments” of up to
$5,000 to enable a family to find
“decent, safe and sanitary” hou
sing.
Using a hypothetical example
Mr. Holstein and Mr. Vousden
say the act will apply this way;
John and Mary Jones, with
a family of four children, live
in a four-room house without in
door sanitary facilities. The
house, which they have owned
and occupied for a year, lies
in the path of an important
freeway. Their house is apprais
ed at $5,000, and they accept
this amount as being fair to
them.
However, they need $10,000 to
buy a house that is decent, safe
and sanitary for a family their
size. The Highway Department
is authorized to pay up to $5,000
to them, dependent on their act
ually occupying a house meet
ing their requirements.
And the Highway Department
must make every “reasonable”
effort to assist them in finding
such a house.
The Joneses will be paid
their moving expenses, either on
the basis of a schedule that will
range, depending on number of
rooms of furniture, up to $200
for ten rooms, or on the basis
of actual cost of being moved
by a moving firm on a com
petitive low bid.
If they elect to use the sche
dule, they are eligible also for
a $100 dislocation allowance,
which essentially is payment for
inconvenience incurred in t h e
moving.
In addition, the Joneses are
eligible for reimbursement o f
such expenses as recording fees
and transfer taxes; penalty
costs for prepayment of their
existing mortgage, and a pro
rata reimbursement on real pro
perty taxes they have paid in
advance.
Now, suppose the Joneses are
both employed and have the cre
dit to enable them to “move up”
in quality of housing. Instead of
buying just a $10,000 house,
they have their eyes on a more
attractive $12,500 house; if they
can obtain the financing, there
is nothing in the act to prevent
them from spending more. They
may still receive the $5,000.
If, in another possibility, in
this highly hypothetical case,
the Joneses choose to appeal to
the court the original offer of
$5,000 for their house, and the
court awards them a lesser
amount, say $4,500, they are
still eligible for the maximum
of $5,000 in relocation assistance
but if they court awards them
$6,000 instead of the original
$5,000, they are entitled to only
$4,000.
All of this will vary with the
individual property, the individ
ual family, and the availability
of housing meeting the require
ments of the U. S. Bureau of
Public Roads’ guidelines as to
what is “decent, safe and sani
tary” housing.
In general, this is housing that
has hot and cold running water,
sanitary facilities and sewer
connections, and heat and af
fords privacy to the various
members of the family. At pre
sent, 150 square feet of living
space is required for the first
member of the family, and 100
square feet for each additional
member, exclusive of halls,clo
sets, attics, etc.
In the example of the Joneses
they would be required to have
at least 650 square feet of liv
ing space, but the amount might
be even greater because of the
ages and sex of the children.
The basis for payment—in
what amount up to $5,000—is
the cost of the “next available”
house that meets the require
ments for a particular family.
The Joneses can buy anything
they want; they can reject any
house that is available and meet
ing their requirements. The
Highway Department’s obliga
tion ends with offering them
reasonable assistance in finding
such a place.
There is a feeling on the part
of Highway Department right-
of-way people that the new act
will make obtaining right-of-way
in urban areas considerably less
difficult to obtain, even though
the cost to the state will be in
creased by its share of the
amount of the relocation assis
tance.
The cost of relocation assis
tance on federal aid projects
will be shared by the federal
government to the extent that
construction costs are now shar
ed—50-50 on primary construct
ion and 90-10 on Interstate con
struction.
On state financed projects, the
cost of relocation assistance will
be borne entirely by the state.
Just how much relocation as
sistance would amount to in any
year would depend on how
many, and what, projects, were
in progress. Some major urban
freeways undoubtedly will re
quire thousands of dollars in re
location assistance payments.
MRS RIZER DIES
IN COLUMBIA
Mrs. Laura B. Rizer, 61, of
West Columbia, died Sunday in
Fort Jackson Hospital. She was
a daughter of the late Joseph
Long and Mary Ophelia Guinn.
She was a sister of H. T. Long
of Newberry.
Funeral services were con
ducted Tuesday at Thompson
Funeral Home. Burial was in
Southland Memorial Park.
INSURED
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These Certificates are redeemable any moment should
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