Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Debris Clean-Up Bids Are Opened

Bids for cleaning up debris from Gurdon's city streets, caused by the Christmas Day ice storm, were opened at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 1.

Three bids were submitted, with the bid amounts ranging from $38.75 per cubic yard to $7.50 per cubic yard.

As of press time, no contractor had been selected to do the job, as, Gurdon Mayor Rick Smith said, there hasn't been time to check on the low bidders' insurance, licensing and bonding.

Smith told the bidders on hand it was unusual for the city to operate this way, but "FEMA has us in a bind."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) set a deadline for all counties declared disaster areas in the state of Feb. 27 to get cleaned up in order to qualify for the 90-10 matching funds.

Under this match, FEMA would pay 90 percent of the costs, with the state paying 5 percent and Gurdon paying the remaining 5 percent. However, Gurdon's part could be with in-kind labor or equipment.

After Feb. 27, the formula reverts to the original 75-25 match, with FEMA paying 75 percent, the state picking up 12.5 percent of the tab and the city responsible for the rest.

Because of the trimming to be done, Smith said, it was easier to let the bids on a cubic yard basis for payment.

The three bidders were KAJ Construction, with a bid of $38.75 per cubic yard; Griffin Logging, at $12.95 per cubic yard; and TAG Grinding, with a bid of $7.50 per cubic yard. TAG Grinding, of Palmetto, Ga., also has the clean up contract with Clark County.

Smith said each of the bidders will be notified of which gets the contract.

TAG, he said, will bring in an industrial grinder, capable of handling an eight-foot section of tree. The chips will be used as cover for the county's class IV landfill.

Should TAG be tabbed for the job, Smith said, the debris could be taken to Smithpeters' gravel pit, where the company is taking the county's debris.

Jim Burns, director of the Clark County Office of Emergency Services, was on hand for the bid opening.

He suggested the winning bidder take a city map, divide it into zones and color them with different colors.

Then, he said, when the work begins, the inspectors can mark off streets in the same color on their maps and will know when an area has been completely cleaned up.

Burns said Lowe Field could be used as a drop site for the debris, with the winning bidder to grind it up later.

Smith said the contractor will be shown the available sites for dropping off the debris and let them decide where they want to go.

City residents should put the debris form their yards on the right of way and not in the ditches, as this will cause flooding later on.