It has been six months since Hurricane Matthew devastated Sampson County, and the damage was so extensive that several piles of household debris have amassed in various parts of the county.

It will take close to $30,000 just to clean up the mess and county officials recently solicited proposals for removal of debris from seven right-of-way scattered sites and one dump site on county-owned property on Black River Lane.

Requests for proposals were sent to 14 debris removal contractors. Bids were received from three of them.

“We have seven piles of debris around the county that I am aware of,” said Emergency Management director Ronald Bass, who noted that the Black River pile was “getting bigger by the day.”

He recommended the bid be awarded to low bidder Action Backhoe & Construction. After bid evaluation and consultation with the Department of Public Safety Public Assistance Supervisor, it was determined that Action Backhoe had submitted the lowest bid since the contract will be paid according to actual number of tons dumped at the county landfill.

“In many cases, it is on public right of way,” Bass noted of the debris piles.

Finance officer David Clack said the county expected the cleanup to be fully funded by FEMA, noting that all the requirements for federal disaster reimbursement had been followed.

“This is the first time the county has ever been involved with debris removal,” Clack pointed out. “This debris consists of household debris, not trees and limbs. The state will not pick it, because they’re not supposed to. And they’re definitely not picking it up as a result of Hurricane Matthew. While we don’t have an obligation to do it, there have been piles sitting on the road for a while.”

He said no one was given permission to dump debris on the county-owned property on Black River Lane, but people decided to anyway. Now, Clack said, the county needs to clean it up.

The Sampson Board of Commissioners voted to contract with Action Backhoe, in the amount of $200 per ton (scattered sites) and $150 per ton (Black River Lane site). According to county officials, the estimate of tonnage for the scattered sites is 26 tons, for an estimated total cost of $5,200, and 150 tons for Black River Lane, for an estimated total cost of $22,500.

“I have ridden around the county and these are the only sites I am aware of,” Bass said of the seven scattered sites and Black River Lane.

City of Clinton cleanup

The city’s Spring Clean Up Week is set for April 24-28, and city officials are urging participation.

The City of Clinton’s Public Works Department coordinates the biannual effort, allowing residents the opportunities to cast off old broken pieces of furniture, old cans of paint, yard scraps and other items. As part of the cleanup weeks — there is also one in the fall — regular rules are suspended and the city accepts a variety of items not usually picked up as part of regular trash collection.

The main goal of the cleanup weeks is to beautify the community and offer an opportunity for residents to participate in the effort to make aesthetic improvements and further prevent blight in their neighborhoods

The city collected more than 26 tons of set-aside trash during last year’s Spring Clean Up Week.

Oil-based paints, batteries, insecticides, auto parts, gasoline and other substances still cannot be collected because they pose safety hazards for city crews and cannot be processed at the Sampson County Landfill. Items able to be collected include furniture, appliances, four tires per household and tree limbs cut to a certain length, are collected.

For more information on any of City of Clinton Public Works collection efforts, contact the department at 910-299-4905.

By Chris Berendt

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Reach Managing Editor Chris Berendt at 910-249-4616. Follow the paper on twitter @SampsonInd and like us on Facebook.