Council awards debris-removal contracts totaling $21.7M

DRC Emergency Services Inc. of Mobile, Ala., – the lowest bidder among 19 companies – will remove all streetside debris under a contract not exceeding $15.25 million. The company today is mobilizing about 100 crews and plans to begin work early next week; they will work from dawn till dusk daily.

Orlando, Fla.-based Beck Disaster Recovery Inc. will monitor all debris removal, under a contracted amount not to exceed $2.5 million.

Council also approved a $17.79 million budget adjustment for the two contracts, in addition to an adjustment of $2 million for debris removal costs immediately after the Jan. 12–14 storm.

Under a second action, council approved Shawnee Mission Tree Service Inc., of Shawnee Mission, Kan., to remove debris at Springfield-Greene County parks. Its contract is for an amount no higher than $3.9 million. The company – also the lowest bidder – will begin work next week after the parks department awards its debris-removal monitoring contract.

Also this afternoon, the Greene County Commission awarded bids to DRC – for $10.7 million – and to Beck Disaster Recovery – for $2.4 million – for the same services in unicorporated Greene County. Work is expected to begin there Monday.

The city expects Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to cover 75 percent of its cleanup costs, and another 10 percent will be covered with state disaster relief funds. Remaining costs, which the city anticipates being less than $3 million, will be covered by the city through its General Fund Reserve.

Once DRC begins working and is able to estimate the extent of the project, Springfield residents will be notified by postcard of the final debris-removal date.

Meanwhile, the city has offered several cleanup-related guidelines:

• Debris must be placed as close as possible to the city street or sidewalk, without blocking the street, sidewalk or drainage ditches;

• Debris placed behind the sidewalk will be picked up within reach of DRC’s equipment;

• DRC will make more than one trip per neighborhood;

• DRC will pick up tree debris of any size that is accessible from the right of way;

• DRC will not pick up any nonvegetative debris;

• DRC will not go on private property or reach over fences to pick up debris;

• Debris should be piled no higher than 6 feet;

• Debris with broken or sharp ends should be placed parallel to the street or sidewalk; and

• Debris should be piled at least 6 feet away from fire hydrants, utility poles and utility boxes.

The city also recommends keeping fallen limbs and cutting them into firewood. DRC crews will pick up firewood placed at the right of way.

Debris pickup is free to Springfield residents. For more information, call the city’s debris removal hotline at (417) 864-1400.