Kingfisher city commissioners voted Monday night to finally close out the FEMA-backed flood property buyout program.

Prompted by the massive 500-year flood event dumped on the county by the remnants of Hurricane Erin in 2007, the buyback program eventually encompassed two phases over an 11-year-period and included the purchase and demolition of a total of 108 residences and businesses within the city’s floodplain.

The purpose of the program was two-fold: first, to remove people and property out of harm’s way in repeat flood areas and second, to remove structures that tended to block the flow of receding floodwaters, which increased the damage to both public and private property.

The first phase of the buyout began in 2010, when the city was able to leverage a $3 million state bond issue to obtain $14 million in FEMA hazard mitigation grant funds.

Participation in the program was totally voluntary for qualifying properties, which included 34 homes and businesses in Phase 1.

A second phase was initiated about five years later when more funds became available, allowing an additional 74 properties to be purchased and cleared.

City Manager Dave Slezickey told the Times & Free Press the project has proven to be a “win-win” for the city.

“We have strongly benefited from a public safety perspective as evidenced from recent floods over the past few years in comparison to before the project began,” he said.

“We still flood, but injuries, health damage and damage to property has been greatly reduced.”

Meanwhile, the city has been working with other organizations to find creative uses for the purchased and cleared properties, which now comprise a significant swath of open land, primarily in the city’s west bottom.

The most significant project so far is the Newfield Community Park, currently under construction just west of downtown.

When completed, the park will cover about 35 acres, including multiple parks and playgrounds, a bandshell, ponds and other water features, lighted festival grounds, nature trails and more.

“The new park project in the west bottom will provide for community events and festivals a block from Main Street while enhancing our quality of life with increased recreational opportunities for the community,” Slezickey said. “That’s been an unintended, yet appreciated, long-term impact of the buyback project.”