McAlester council approves contractor to begin wildfire fuels work under $960,000 federal grant

The McAlester City Council voted to retain Bushwacker's Land Clearing LLC to carry out wildfire fuels mitigation work under the city’s Community Wildfire Defense Grant, with a $70,000 contract for advisory services and separate per‑acre charges for physical clearing that will be billed against the approved grant budget of $960,000.

City staff said the $70,000 covers advisory services including personnel recruitment, training and equipment guidance; the per‑acre charges will cover the heavy equipment and manpower used to remove hazardous fuels. Michael Allen, the staff member who led the grant application and project planning, told the council the two parts are separate and that per‑acre costs “will vary depending upon the type and volume of wildfire fuels requiring removal and mulching.”

The council spent more than an hour clarifying language after staff…