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BCC takes action on Matthew clean-up

Debra W. Buehn
Posted 10/26/16

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Clay County Commissioners are pulling out all the stops to help clean up the county from the effects of Hurricane Matthew.

Commissioners voted unanimously at their regular …

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BCC takes action on Matthew clean-up


Posted

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Clay County Commissioners are pulling out all the stops to help clean up the county from the effects of Hurricane Matthew.

Commissioners voted unanimously at their regular meeting Oct. 25 on a number of items that should help bring the county back to normal after the punishing winds, waves and rains of Matthew.

Among the items commissioners approved was the waiving of fees for those following a sort of “self-help” path by using the county dump to rid their homes of yard debris instead of waiting for the debris to be picked up by contractors. Residents can take their debris to the Rosemary Hill landfill through Nov. 5 without having to pay the usual fees.

Those who have used the dump in the past few days and had to pay will be reimbursed if they can show their receipt.

This is the second time the fees have been waived. The procedure was also followed in the first two weeks after the storm, with those who used the dump prior to the fee waiving going into effect.

The fee waiver only applies to Rosemary Hill, said John Ward, director of emergency management for Clay County, as Sleepy Hollow is being used as a staging site for the contractors the county has hired to help with debris removal.

Commissioners also voted to give county officials until 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, to get an answer from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on reimbursement issues. If no answer is received by then, the commission authorized county staff to move forward with picking up all yard debris anywhere in the county on both public and private roads.

The vote also included authorizing the county manager to write a letter to the county’s congressional and legislative delegation to seek help with both the yard debris pick up and clean-up of the St. Johns River. The waters close to Clay County are littered with debris from the break-up of a number of docks – as well as the Shands Pier (not bridge), said County Manager Stephanie Kopelousos.

The county has been reaching out to a number of sources to help in its clean-up program, she said. But it has been frustrated in its clean-up efforts, especially as they pertain to private roads, by shifting FEMA rules governing reimbursement requirements. One thing that has been made clear, however, said Kopelousos, is that no reimbursement will be given without pre-approval from FEMA for the work to be done on private roads.

The county has been approved by FEMA for other items, which should make the county reimbursable to a 75 percent to 25 percent match, she said.

“So we’ve now submitted today the second request to remove private property (debris). It’s been a little frustrating for us because we feel like we took the guidance that was in place…and now we’re still jumping through hoops,” Kopelousos said.

Estimates for the private road pick-up run from $150,000 to $500,000, she added.

While commissioners didn’t like the idea of no reimbursement for the work, they said it was more important to help the county’s residents, particularly because of the health and safety issues.

“It’s frustrating,” said Commissioner Buck Burney, referring to FEMA. “They are boogers and it is one of those things that if you don’t jump through the hoops like they want you to jump through the hoops and get all the paperwork you will not get your money back.”

“Now saying all of that, I think we’ve got to move forward. Our people deserve to be taken care of and if that puts us in the hole for whatever we’ve got to get going with this,” he added.

Some 18 trucks are now being used by private contractors in the county, Ward said. They come from as far away as Minnesota, Missouri and Virginia.

More trucks are expected this week. And, with the commissioners’ actions at the meeting, Advanced Disposal, the county’s regular company for debris pick up, may get into the act, but only when it comes to the smaller piles of debris as it does not have the equipment to deal with the extremely large debris items, officials said.

Kopelousos said if Advanced Disposal is used for debris pick up, it will not be reimbursable.

Ward said work is now being done east of U.S. Highway 17 along Pine Avenue on Fleming Island and in the southern portion of the county, with efforts moving into the central and western parts of the county.

Destruction was the worst in areas along the river, he said.

While Ward said he hoped “we’re not 60 days into it doing this,” there is no timeline for a conclusion to the project.

“I’m not going to sit here and say we’re going to have it done within a week or two because it’s unreasonable,” he said. “There is heavy debris all over the county and this is an ongoing process.”

Ward and all county staff members received a great deal of praise and thanks from the county commissioners for the work they have done throughout the hurricane and its aftermath.

“You guys have done a great job,” said County Commissioner Wayne Bolla, who pushed for having a continuation of waiving the dumping fees.

“I know it sounds like a band aid,” he said, but added, “That could mean a lot to a lot of folks.”