County approves clean-up plan

Work to remove debris from right-of-ways left from the April 27 tornadoes could begin next week.

The Franklin County Commission voted Friday to enter into a contract with Unified Recovery Group LLC from Foley.

According to Carl Ray Furr, of Hemphill Construction, which is the company working with the county to help coordinate clean up efforts, Unified Recovery Group is well qualified to handle work left behind with this type of disaster.

“They are a strong company with a lot of experience,” Furr said.

Furr told commissioners Thursday that several bids were similar in price, but Unified’s was one that would work well with guidelines set up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“We don’t want a situation to arise where the county is left to pay something because we didn’t meet their guidelines,” Furr said.

County engineer David Palmer estimated that there is 1.9 million cubic yards of debris to be removed.

That figure does not include the amount of debris and rubble left on private property. That figure would be much higher, officials said.

The initial clean up process is only for right-of-ways, so residents are encouraged to move as much as they can to the roadways where it can be picked up.

“Until we are approved for a clean sweep, meaning that people can sign off letting these crews come on to their property, we are just encouraging everyone to get as much to the right of way as possible,” Probate Judge Barry Moore said.

Once the company is given the notice to proceed, they will have 30 days to have the debris removed. Extensions could be granted at a later time if a clean sweep declaration is made.

One of the issues that Moore and the county commission wanted to stipulate in the contract with Unified is that they want local residents to be a part of the clean up effort.

“They are looking at more than 50 percent of the work going to locals,” Furr said.