FARMINGTON — More cleanup is still needed nearly eight months after a Dec. 1 hurricane-force windstorm roared through Davis County, ripping apart roofs and knocking down trees.
Area construction companies will be paid a total of about $200,000 to help Davis County Public Works crews remove debris, mostly fallen timber, from nine flood-control channels.
“It was like someone had scattered a bunch of toothpicks (down the channels),” Davis County Public Works Director Kirk Schmalz said.
County crews were able to perform what Schmalz referred to as “triage” on the channels immediately following the storm, but they were unable to clear some of them.
He said that must be done before winter and next spring’s runoff to avoid flooding.
Schmalz said the county will work with private contractors to complete the work as soon as possible.
The Davis County Commission on Tuesday received nine bids from private contractors for the debris-removal work.
Five contractors bid for the work in the flood-control channels in Centerville and south, while four construction firms bid for the work to take place in Farmington and north.
The bid for the work in the south end of the county included an apparent low bid of $45,900, while the apparent low bid for work in the north end of the county was for $147,588.
Before the projects are awarded, county officials will further review the bids, Schmalz said.
Davis County Commissioner John Petroff Jr. said the bulk of the cleanup work is to take place from Layton to Centerville.
Rather than bid the work out to one construction firm, Schmalz said, the county felt it best to go with two different construction companies to keep the work from becoming bogged down.
The county will pay for the work using funds made available through Natural Resources Conservation Services.
The county is eligible to receive up to $1.8 million in assistance for the work, Schmalz said, based on providing a 25 percent match.
“It is not totally a free bail-out from the federal government,” Schmalz said, noting the county has to provide match money on every dollar it receives.
“We’re not going to need that much money," Schmalz said of the $1.8 million the county is eligible to receive as part of the NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection Program.
To help keep costs down, contractors will be assisted by public works crews, Petroff said.
The windstorm caused about $4.1 million in damages to Davis County public structures, including two publicly held power companies — one in Bountiful, the other in Kaysville. Those estimates do not include the damage to personal property.
Comments