Initial estimate: $19 million for storm cleanup
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

U.S. Army National Guard troops use heavy equipment to clear storm debris at Arend and Belmont, Williamsville, on Oct. 18. Sgt. Corey Baskerville is at left. Village side streets were among the hardest hit by the Oct. 12 storm. Photo by Albert T. McCracken Jr. More photos on page 24

The 60-day storm cleanup plan for the Town of Amherst began this past weekend.

(See editorial on page four)

In addition to town workers and National Guard forces, the mess left behind from the surprise October storm will be cleared under the direction of DRC Emergency Services from Alabama and GPI Engineering & Construction Services.

Supervisor Satish Mohan agreed to the contract last week, and work began immediately. DRC, a debris removal company, is expected to clear 15,000 cubic feet of branches a day. Mohan had previously estimated that the town had 2 million cubic feet of debris.

"DRC and GPI are the town's authorized contractors for this work, and we ask town residents and their private contractors to be courteous and cooperative as they work to return our town back to normal," Mohan said.

GPI will be monitoring the loads collected by DRC to ensure they are collecting the weight per unit the town has agreed to pay for. When settling the contracts Mohan requested local workers be hired for the job and as of Monday, six subcontractors were hired. They had not been identified at press time.

Mohan said his first estimate for the cost of storm cleanup will be $19 million, with FEMA paying 75 percent and the state the remaining 25 percent.

Work began with 140 debris removal trucks, and an additional 100 trucks arrived on Monday. Mohan estimated the total could reach 300. Two dumping sites, one each in Elma and Lockport, have been designated. Erie Community College's North Campus and the Pepsi Center are serving as interim collection sites.

According to the work contract, three sweeps will be made of the 543 miles of roads in the town.

"The first pass, which is now taking place, will see the removal of all debris currently piled at curbsides," Mohan said, adding that residents with remaining debris can place it at curbside for pickup during the second sweep.

The second pass will begin on Nov. 14 and will also include trimming hazardous trees that are in the public rights of way, including those with a significant loss of canopy, those with split trunks and those leaning more than 30 degrees, Mohan said.

Dec. 3 is the scheduled start date for the third pass for all remaining brush placed at curbside. Mohan said all grounds damaged during debris removal will be leveled and restored during this phase.

According to the contract, the companies have 60 days to complete the work and will be penalized for exceeding the limit.

In addition to the contracted workers, Amherst highway employees are continuing restoration of the town, focusing on the heaviest hit areas of Eggertsville and Snyder, Mohan said.

Director of Emergency Services Jim Zymanek said the town will work along with the contractors, getting the debris off the curbs to make room for more. He also reminded residents to not block fire hydrants with debris.

On Sunday, Erie County Executive Joel A. Giambra said county workers would help Amherst with its massive cleanup efforts. He said 40 crews would be sent on Monday to clean town streets.

Almost two weeks into the cleanup plan, the town has already started to show improvement; lights and heat are working, main roads are no longer piled with branches and traffic lights are operating as usual. A representative for National Grid reported on Monday that only 25 houses remained without power.

e-mail: jfinch@beenews.com