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 pointed out a typographical error in the published agenda and executive summary that had suggested per‑acre charges were part of the $70,000. Allen told the council the agenda text was incorrect and that the bid packet and the agenda report in the meeting packet correctly separate the advisory fee from unit pricing for clearing.

Oklahoma forestry officials and the contractor briefed the council on the work. Andy James, fire management chief for the Oklahoma Forest Service, said the Forest Service is administering the grant for the state and that the proposed per‑acre treatment rates align with regional costs. Jerry Arthur, introduced by staff as representing the contractor team, described a two‑role approach: an advisory role to help the city hire and train employees and determine equipment needs, and a manpower role to perform heavier clearing tasks while the city develops internal capacity.

Allen said the project is a year behind the original timeline because federal procedures and administrative delays took longer than expected; he argued the contractor is the “linchpin” to begin on‑the‑ground work and to help the city buy the right equipment rather than expensive pieces it may rarely use.

Councilors asked how locations will be selected and who will set costs for mixed parcels containing both brush and grass. Allen and the contractor said the project will convene a project board of interdepartmental staff — parks, public works, utilities and fire — and use GPS and site visits to prioritize areas. They explained unit prices in the bid differentiate brush‑removal, mulching and standard mowing and that site supervisors will work with the contractor to verify treatment types before billing.

The council approved the notice of award and contract retention after a motion by Councilor Gilmore and a second from Councilor Roden. The roll call vote was unanimous: Gilmore, Roden, Woodley, Stone, Boatwright, Beatty and Mayor Justin Pugh voted yes.

Council staff and the Forest Service emphasized the project is intended to build local capacity — hiring and training personnel and purchasing maintenance‑level equipment — so the city can continue treatments after the initial heavy clearing is complete.

The council and staff also noted the grant timeline allows multiple years of work but stressed the need to begin now to avoid losing momentum.

Looking ahead, staff said they will bring contract documents and a project governance plan back to council as the contractor begins mapping sites and scheduling work. No specific parcel list or start dates were adopted at the meeting.