The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Update: The cost for the pickup will be more than $290,000. The Township Council on September 13 will vote on an emergency resolution allocating $223,350 to AshBritt for the pickup, and $69,622.68 to Tetra Tech for the monitoring.
Curbside pickup of household items damaged and destroyed by Tropical Storm Ida could begin as early as September 13.
Township Manager Robert Vornlocker has identified two companies needed for the project, which is expected to last two weeks, Mayor Phil Kramer said.
One of the companies will actually pick up the items, while the second will monitor what’s picked up to ensure it meets standards set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Kramer said.
Eligible for pickup are household items damaged by Ida, with the exception of items containing Freon – such as refrigerators – as well as oil, gasoline, tires and hazardous waste, the Mayor said.
Electronic items will be accepted for a charge, he said.
“They won’t take gas or oil, so if you have a lawnmower that got ruined, it would be helpful if you empty the gas and oil.,” he said.
The company that will be doing the pickup is Florida-based AshBritt. The company charges by the cubic yard for pickup, then adds in tipping fees – which are charged by the ton – at whatever dump the material is placed in.
Kramer said FEMA has estimated that four cubic yards of material will equal one ton.
“They’re a national contractor,” Kramer said of AshBritt. “They have specialized equipment for doing this. They have a tandem truck that has a grabber arm on it that picks up the debris and puts it right in the truck.”
The company doing the monitoring is California-based Tetra Tech. Tetra Tech’s fee will be 20 percent of what AshBritt charges for pickup, Kramer said.
The monitoring company is required by FEMA, Kramer said. He said the township hopes to receive FEMA reimbursement for up to 75 percent of the cleanup’s cost.
“There are all kinds of rules, and the nice thing is these companies know all the rules,” Kramer said.
AshBritt has told Vornlocker that it can get through the township in a week, Kramer said. It will make another pass after that, which is expected to take another week.
The company will use three trucks in the project, Kramer said.
Kramer said on September 8 that the total cost is not yet known because AshBritt is still surveying the town to create an estimate.
He said the cost of the cleanup will come from the township’s $25 million surplus.
Vornlocker has already received a consensus from the Township Council to hire the company, Kramer said.
“We can do an emergency appropriation,” Kramer said. “The money will come out of our fund balance immediately, then it gets budgeted into next year’s budget.”
He said six Council members will have to formally vote to accept the contract at the next Council meeting.
The township established an online registration form for residents who wish to have their debris picked up. That formed can be accessed here. Township officials say they hope residents can register by September 10.
As of 8 a.m. on September 8, Kramer said, only 772 homes were registered for pickup.
Kramer said the Council will look at what can be done to help in cases such as when a homeowner has a damaged refrigerator in a basement.
“We will probably pick that up ourselves,” he said. “We will probably charge the usual $10 fee.”
