Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Storm Recovery topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Brentwood moves quickly on debris removal after ice storm, authorizes emergency contracts
Summary
Brentwood city leaders described a citywide debris-removal program after a January ice storm, approved three emergency contracts for monitoring, chipping and pickup, and said initial cost estimates range from about $2.25 million to $3 million with potential FEMA reimbursement.
City Manager Gage told the Brentwood Board of Commissioners that the city has shifted from immediate response to recovery following the January ice storm and is running an accelerated debris-removal program using both public-works crews and contractors.
"We have 16 crews" working in four distinct areas, Gage said, and the city plans to make two passes through neighborhoods to collect limbs and storm debris. He said the city is using multiple drop sites and on-site grinding to keep hauling distances short and reduce cost and time, and that one of the primary drop sites will use the parking lot at Granny White Park for about 10 weeks while preserving field use for school athletics.
Gage said he authorized three emergency contracts to speed work: a storm-debris monitoring and consulting contract with Tetra Tech LLC (contract 20-26-022) to document loads for FEMA reimbursement and provide consulting (estimated about $677,000); a processing-and-removal agreement with Alternative Energy Products LLC to grind and chip material on a per-cubic-yard fee; and a communitywide pickup contract with Aftermath Disaster Recovery, Inc., also on a cubic-yard basis. "They're picking up the debris and putting it in the trucks," he said.
Commissioners pressed for cost details. Gage offered an initial, very rough range of $2.25 million to $3 million for the citywide effort, noting the total could exceed that as work continues. He said FEMA reimbursement procedures require close documentation of truckload percentages and recordkeeping, and that FEMA can reimburse up to 75% of eligible costs with historical state reimbursement of about 12.5%.
Mayor Andrews praised staff across departments for clearing more than 300 downed trees that blocked roadways, maintaining traffic-signal safety with generators, and coordinating welfare checks and evacuations. "Our first responder teams safely transported 63 senior citizens to a local church," he said, noting the fire department fielded unusually high call volumes during the peak storm period.
The commission unanimously accepted the emergency-expenditures report and the contracts (Resolution 20-26-20). Commissioners said they will track expenses with newly created finance object codes and hope FEMA and state reimbursement will reduce the city's net cost.
Next steps: crews will continue pickup and grinding; staff will refine estimated total cost in the coming weeks and pursue reimbursement through FEMA and state channels.
