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Appling County commissioners approve debris contracts, emergency-extension and heavy-equipment purchases tied to Hurricane Helene cleanup
Summary
The Appling County Board approved multiple FEMA-reimbursable debris removal contracts, extended the local emergency declaration to March 24, 2025, and authorized purchases of a debris trailer, skid steer, and a Freightliner dump truck to support cleanup from Hurricane Helene.
The Appling County Board of Commissioners on March 4 and March 18 approved a set of emergency-response measures to accelerate Hurricane Helene debris removal and to preserve FEMA reimbursement eligibility.
County Manager Reid Lovett told the board that bids were received from Hunter Construction, Metrolina and Horner Construction for debris removal and disposal and recommended awarding multiple contracts under FEMA hourly and cubic-yard rates; the commissioners authorized Lovett and County Attorney Tracy Brown to finalize and sign the contracts.
Lovett also recommended extending the county's local declaration to match FEMA standards for debris operations, moving the deadline to March 24, 2025. Commissioner Randy Sellers moved to approve the extension, and the board voted unanimously to adopt it.
On equipment, commissioners approved purchase quotes to support debris-hauling operations. For a debris trailer Lovett presented three quotes (Circle Double B $17,000, not within FEMA timing; Down To Earth $23,700; Big Tex $24,271.50) and the board approved Down To Earth's $23,700 bid. For a skid steer loader, the board approved an Appling Motors quote of $94,150 after finding competing quotes did not meet tipping-weight requirements or were undersized.
At the March 18 called meeting the board approved the low quote of $178,400 from Freightliner of Savannah for a new dump truck to assist road crews with debris cleanup; the purchase is expected to be submitted for FEMA reimbursement. Lovett said landfill space constraints following the storm required hauling dirt to open another cell and that the Road Department had assisted in the effort.
The board's votes on these items were unanimous. No new fiscal contingencies or amendments to capital budgets were recorded in the minutes beyond the approvals to purchase and to pursue FEMA reimbursement.
What happens next: Contracts will be finalized by the county manager and county attorney; equipment deliveries and FEMA reimbursement submissions will proceed under existing county procurement approvals.
