Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Debris Cleanup Emergency Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents press county to clean woody debris at 288 boat ramp; officials say FEMA review ongoing
Summary
Residents urged the board to support a volunteer-led cleanup of woody debris at the 288 boat ramp and requested dumpsters and a floating boom; county staff said FEMA initially denied related debris funding and the county is seeking a reevaluation at the state level.
Several residents used the public-comment period to urge the county to support cleanup of woody debris and abandoned material at the 288 boat ramp and nearby waterways, describing hazards to boaters and fisheries and requesting county logistical help.
Gina Wiggins, who said she organized a volunteer cleanup, asked the board to provide trash dumpsters at the boat ramp during a planned February cleanup and to seek FEMA reimbursement or a floating debris boom for future events. “Our goal in that weekend is to clear all of that woody debris down at 288 so that it does not become a danger to boaters, fishers … anybody on the lake,” she said, and added that Swain Clean has 501(c)(3) status to accept donations for fuel and volunteer costs.
County officials told commissioners the Federal Emergency Management Agency initially denied debris-removal funding for the site and that staff have requested a reevaluation through the state FEMA contact. The county manager’s office said county staff have the original denial and have referred the matter to another state-level FEMA contact who indicated willingness to discuss debris removal.
Board members and staff also discussed adjacent concerns raised in public comment: an abandoned trailer at Kirkland’s Creek that a resident said “is jeopardizing the river,” and an abandoned car below the 288 bridge. A county official said the county has no minimum-housing ordinance that would compel cleanup, that the property owner lives out of state, and that letters asking for cleanup had gone unheeded; the official said the county had provided the owner with contact information for vendors who could remove the materials.
Ending: Commissioners asked staff to continue pursuing state and FEMA review and to follow up on potential county logistical support for volunteer cleanup; no specific county funding decision was made during the meeting.
