By Michelle Key
Publisher
The Lee County Commissioners approved an agreement with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) pertaining to the removal of storm debris in the right-of-ways of Alabama state highways. This agreement is contingent upon the correction of wording regarding the status of Lee County operating as an agent of the state but it is expected that this final legal issue will be resolved and the county will be able to move forward and instruct the contracted debris removal company KDF Enterprises, LLC and the debris removal monitor TetraTech Incorporated, to start removing the storm debris as early as sometime next week.
Part of the delay in the approval of this agreement was the uncertainty of whether or not the agreement met the requirements imposed by FEMA that would allow the county to be reimbursed up to 75% of the cost of the work. During Monday night’s meeting, FEMA Representative David Johnson stated the county will become eligible for reimbursement for this work once the agreement is signed and all the appropriate paperwork is in place.
The state EMA agency will also reimburse the county an additional 12.5% of the cost of this work leaving the county to be responsible for the remaining 12.5%.
Also during Monday night’s meeting, the commissioners discussed the timeline for the completion of the pickup of the remaining storm debris along county roads. After hearing from County Engineer Justin Hardee and representatives from KDF Enterprises, the decision was made that KDF will complete their second round of pickup this Friday and will start the final pickup round on June 17, giving residents one month to move any remaining debris to the county right-of-ways.
During this final pass, KDF will pickup debris from each affected roadway and once finished, that road will be marked as complete. Residents need to be aware of this start date of June 17 for this final pass and understand that debris moved to the right-of-ways after a road has been marked completed will not be picked up and will be the resident’s responsibility to dispose of.
In other business, the commission:
• recongnized County Administrator Roger Rendleman for being named Alabama’s County Administrator of the Year
• Kathy Carson from Lee County Emergency Management Agency recognized her staff for their work since March 3
• recognized Jake Lashley from the highway department for receiving the Leadership Lee County Spirit Award
• approved a bid for digital in-car video systems for the Lee County Sheriff’s department
• approved a final-plat for Lumpkin Division of Parcel 3 for the Halawakee Beach Subdivision
• responded to questions from Lee County resident Lindsay Bickerstaff pertaining to obtaining a weather siren for the western part of the county, the location of storm shelters, questions regarding volunteers for polling stations in Waverly, and the desire to have more services funded by the county for the residents in the Mt. Pelia area.
Commission meetings are the 2nd and 4th Mondays of every month. Meetings are held at 5 p.m. in the commission chambers at the Lee County Courthouse.