County still dealing with storm debris

Published 12:36 am Tuesday, November 15, 2005

By By MARY-ALLISON LANCASTER
Managing editor
County Commissioners are facing a slight dilemma regarding who will be given the opportunity to clean up $96,000 worth of debris along county and state highways.
The question, Chairman Larry White said, is does the county want to use &#8220our” crews to pick up the debris or hire a contractor to pick up the debris on the specific roads.
Currently, the county has a debris pickup contract with TFR Enterprises, a Texas company, but commissioners were uncertain as to whether the contract was strictly concerning county roads, and they would have to check to see if TFR would be obligated under the contract to pick up debris on state roads as well.
With many out-of-state crews with their hands full picking up debris from recent hurricanes in Louisiana and Mississippi, a few of the commissioners are worried TFR or other crews won't be able to mobilize quickly enough.
While quick mobilization appears to be one concern, safety was another concern with some commissioners, and another reason to hire a contractor.
The $15,000 Williamson referred to is the cost estimate the county would have to pay if they were to hire a contractor. The county would have to pay 15 percent of the $96,000 it is going to cost to pick up the entire haul of debris.
According to Commissioner Wiley Tait, a truck and a loader are down and inoperable. He said that it appears a &#8220contractor would be more equipped to pick up some of the debris out there