October storm
Town bills $22.6 million to FEMA
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

The Town of Amherst will be sending the Federal Emergency Management Agency a bill for $22.6 million from the October storm, Supervisor Satish Mohan said.

Of that, the federal government will pay 75 percent, and the other 25 percent will be paid by New York State.

Jim Zymanek, director of emergency services for the town, said there are $16.6 million in invoices - hard figures of money already spent. He estimates that $6 million in additional costs will be recorded.

"When we first started to assess the damage we estimated the total cost would be $20-$22 million, so we are close to the original estimate," he said.

The town had to follow specific guidelines when filing for FEMA, a procedure that takes weeks to process.

But the work is far from being done. Approximately 11,000 trees on town property need to be assessed by certified arborists before they are trimmed or removed. Zymanek said the process of assessing the trees takes time.

Mohan said he expects 6,000 trees will be removed.

"Residents want to keep trees, take a risk that they will grow back. We are Tree City America and (residents) want to maintain the tree population," he said.

The removal cost is estimated at $300 per tree. The town would be responsible for the cost of grinding stumps of removed trees. Depending on the number of trees removed, the town could face more than $1 million in removal costs.

Residents are reminded to leave the orange ribbons that were put on trees. Markings do not mean the tree is necessarily being removed.

Mohan said he would like the decisions on whether to keep or remove trees to be made as soon as possible, but he expects that process to take another two months.

Town Comptroller Frank Belliotti said the town should be in good financial standing while waiting for FEMA reimbursement. That is largely in part to $70 million in taxes being received this month.

Belliotti added that he is confident in the claim being filed by the town and expects full reimbursement.

The town paid DRC Emergency Services $8 million in December for its cleanup efforts. The company, based in Alabama, was awarded the contract to clean up Amherst a few days after the Oct. 12, 2006 storm.

Its portion of the work was completed the end of December. The town still owes DRC $4 million, which Belliotti said should be paid either this week or next.

Zymanek said the town is still working with GPI Engineering & Construction Services, the company hired to monitor cleanup efforts. Final reports are still being concluded.

GPI has been paid $600,000 of a $3 million contract.

In December the town borrowed a $7 million budget note, which was used to handle costs from the emergency while dealing with everyday costs.

Mohan said the logging for information with GPI has been lagging behind, and he is holding a meeting this week. He said the problem has been using a GPS system to record each tree.

An estimated 32 complaints of debris needing removal still remain in the town, according to Mohan.

"With 42,000 parcels, getting 32 complaints isn't significant," he said, adding that residents still have cleanup to do. "I know I have some branches in my yard I have not pulled out. I'm waiting for a good season to do the work."

He said the list of residents needing assistance has been given to the Highway Department.

The Town of Amherst was hit with nearly 2 feet of snow on Oct. 12 causing damage to nearly every tree in the town. The Snyder and Eggertsville areas were among the hardest hit in Western New York.

Cleanup efforts began the night of the storm, with crews working around the clock to restore power to hundreds of thousands of residents, removing wires from the public right of way and clearing trees from roads.

Amherst schools remained closed for more than a week.