The Two River Times - FEMA OK's $2 Million for Colts Neck to Help Pay for Superstorm Sandy Costs

News Article

By The Two River Times

The Township of Colts Neck in Monmouth County received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has awarded more than $2 million to help pay for clean up costs that resulted from Superstorm Sandy, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) said today.

The decision will provide $2,042,540 in Federal funding to Colts Neck for costs incurred by the loading, hauling, grinding, and disposal of the huge amounts of debris from Superstorm Sandy.

Wind damage from the Oct. 30, 2012 storm leveled trees across the mostly rural town, paralyzing the community and causing widespread chaos, including blocking of roadways, and damage to transportation arteries, infrastructure, electric service, homes and businesses.

"Colts Neck, like other Jersey towns, was heavily impacted by Superstorm Sandy," said Smith, who visited Colts Neck in the aftermath of Sandy. "This federal assistance will help pay for the immense cost of clean up to the township. Work on this scale is beyond any town's normal abilities without various outside contractors and federal financial assistance."

At a June meeting in Smith's Washington Office, Smith personally appealed to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate to approve a 90 percent federal share for FEMA funding going to Jersey towns to pay for cleanup costs--instead of the initially planned 75 percent. Fugate approved the 90 percent ratio several weeks later.

"We welcome the news, and as always Cong. Smith a step ahead for his district," said Mayor Michael Fitzgerald when he heard of the news.

The work in Colts Neck cost $2,269,489 to perform, and federal aid was increased by $340,000 under the higher cost ratio.

"The federal-local cost share of the 90-10 split will help the people of Colts Neck and the township's municipal budget," Smith said, who earlier this year took a lead role in obtaining $60 billion in federal disaster relief funding for Superstorm Sandy victims.

Colts Neck Township used township employees and six contractors to handle the massive debris left behind by the superstorm, including 109,400 cubic yards of vegetative materials. Town employees and equipment were used to load, haul and dispose of 803 cubic yards by working 1,164 regular time hours and 446 overtime hours. The bulk of the debris removal work was done by Bergeron Emergency Services which loaded and hauled 64,441 cubic yards at a cost of $753,964.39, or $11.70 a cubic yard; Sakoutis Brothers Disposal Inc., which hauled away 21,840 cubic yards at a cost of $88,000.00, or $4.02 per cubic yard; and Mazzara Trucking & Excavation, which loaded and hauled 17,127 cubic yards at a cost of $202,250.00, or $11.70 per cubic yard.

The debris grinding was performed by Sakoutis Brothers Disposal Inc., which grinded 105,703 cubic yards of debris into mulch at a cost of $343,536.05, or $3.25 per cubic yard, and by Mazzara Trucking & Excavation, which grinded 4,500 cubic yards of debris into mulch at a cost of $10,125.00, or $2.25 per cubic yard. The mulch hauling consisted of Sakoutis Brothers Disposal Inc. loading and hauling 33,625.32 cubic yards of mulch to the final disposal site (Gloucester County Mulch Factory), at a cost of $265,640 or $7.90 per cubic yard. Colts Neck contracted with Freehold Cartage to load and haul, pursuant to a unit price contract, 49 tons of stumps and logs for a cost of $10,471.50, $213.48 per ton.

FEMA reported that contract work remaining for Central Jersey Tree Experts is to remove 18 leaning trees, 120 hanging limbs, one stump and 62 trees for $16,600, and various contractors to collect (at a cost of $58,000), grind ($19,500), and haul ($39,500), and remove other potentially hazardous trees, including collection, grinding and disposal (estimated at $75,000). The total additional contract work expected to be completed is $192,500. The vegetative debris is slated to be chipped and delivered to Colts Neck Public Works Department for use at township parks.

The funding is being provided by FEMA under authority the Robert T. Stafford Act.

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