DRC contract comes to a close
Town will bid out remaining work
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

Town Highway Superintendent Robert Anderson said the contract with DRC Emergency Services for storm cleanup concluded on Tuesday.

By law, Amherst must open the bidding process for the remaining work. DRC is allowed to re-bid if it chooses.

“There are three major jobs left — tree cutting and removal, stump grinding and tree trimming,” Anderson said at Monday’s Town Board meeting.

FEMA does not cover the cost of stump grinding.

Anderson said he would be submitting a public notice for bids. He was not available for comment on what will be done before a contractor is chosen.

Two seminars on assessing tree damage are scheduled: the next is at the Amherst Museum, 3755 Tonawanda Creek Road, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 20; the last is at the Community Center, 4255 Harlem Road, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10.

All seminars are free of charge and presented by the Town of Amherst Highway Department Forestry Division.

For more information, call Anderson at 631-5990, ext. 24.

Information on inspecting storm-damaged trees is available on the town’s Web site, www. amherst. ny. us.

The town paid its first installment to DRC on Dec. 14. A check for $8 million was given to Paul Bryant, regional manager for DRC. The estimated total for the cleanup in town is $16-18 million.

More than 65,000 trees were handled on the rights-of-way. Complaints of damage to lawns by Bobcats was addressed by Bryant. He said grass seed and soil would be supplied to homeowners. No other information on the timeline for that project was available during the check presentation.