By Jason Brady
The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners on Monday is scheduled to consider several contracts for debris monitoring and removal. The staff-recommended contracts come on the heels of storm debris accumulating as remnants of Hurricane Ian swept across the county.
A contract with Tetra Tech Inc., a Pasadena, California, engineering and consulting firm, has been in place since fiscal 2020 when the county put out a formal Request for Proposal for disaster debris monitoring services. Those services oversee or manage the removal of debris by third-party contractors.
The initial term of the debris monitoring contract was through Oct. 30, 2021; however, the county had the built-in option to renew for two one-year terms. The county manager’s staff on Monday is asking the commissioners to approve extending the contract through Oct. 30, 2023, with a 9.2% increase in proposed rates for a menu of services offered under the contract.
“No funding is currently tied to this contract as it is a standby contract, to be utilized in emergency or disaster events (such as a hurricane). In the event that services are required, a notice to proceed will be issued and a contract amendment will be executed to incorporate a “not to exceed” amount,” according to a memo to the board.
Staff also is recommending that the board award primary and secondary stand-by contracts for debris removal. Having contracts in place would allow the county to respond faster if debris removal is needed. Since these are standby contracts, no money currently is assigned to them.
The recommendations are to award the primary contract to Texas firm DRC Emergency Services, and a secondary contract to AsbBrit Inc., a Florida-based debris removal firm.
The contract proposals are under the board’s consent agenda items that — unless there are questions by commissioners — normally are acted upon without discussion. There are no items of business currently on the board’s meeting agenda.
Other consent items include:
- Review the fiscal 2022 audit planning letter from the county’s external auditor, Cherry Bekaert LLP. Sharing the planning letter with the Board of Commissioners is a new requirement under auditing standards and is to be provided during the planning procedures.
- Approve the declaration of a Ford Crown Victoria as surplus county property. The vehicle assigned to the Sheriff’s Office was in an accident on Aug. 18. County staff recommends accepting a $6,376.50 insurance settlement as a result of the accident and allowing Travelers Insurance Company to take the wrecked surplus vehicle.
- Approve a formal bid award for the Conference Center AV DSS Project for Innovation and Technology Services Department. The county appropriated $425,000 in the Department of Social Services fiscal 2023 budget to replace the audiovisual system for the conference rooms. The current AV system is past its useful life, is not compatible with current and future AV technology, does not allow the capability for virtual meeting technology, and has had frequent equipment failures. The finance department recommends the board award the contract for the new equipment to Recursav LLC in the amount of $359,977.02.
- Accept an offer to buy surplus property at 116 Rainbow Court, Spring Lake. The county acquired the property at a tax foreclosure sale in 2016 for $5,921.33. The property is zoned R6 with a tax value of $3,250.00. According to tax records, there is no structure on the lot. Lashawn J. Green, on behalf of Green’s Outreach Services, a North Carolina nonprofit corporation, made an offer to buy the property for $5,921.33. If the board accepts this offer, the proposed sale must be advertised and be subject to the upset bid process.
- Accept an offer to buy surplus property at 625 Chapel Hill Road, Spring Lake. The county acquired the .38-acre property at a tax foreclosure sale in 2010 for $3,812.07. The property is zoned R10 with a tax value of $5,000. Based on the GIS Mapping and the tax records, there is no structure on the lot. Carmen Cameron made an offer to buy the property for $1,900. If the board accepts this offer, the sale must be advertised and be subject to the upset bid process.
- Accept an offer to buy surplus property at 1716 Stanberry Court, Fayetteville. The county acquired the property at a tax foreclosure sale in 2005 for $3,599.75. The property is zoned SF6 with a tax value of $5,500. Based on the GIS Mapping and the tax records, there is no structure on the lot. Carmen Cameron offered to buy the property for $1,800.
- Approve the sale of surplus property at 521 Martin Road, Fayetteville. The board on Sept. 6 adopted a resolution of intent to accept the offer of Lester L. McGuire to buy property for $5,206.75. The board also directed that it be advertised and sold and include the state-required upset bid process. The land is zoned R6 and has a tax value of $1,500.00. The county’s GIS Parcel View System and the tax records indicate there is no structure on the lot.
- Approve the sale of surplus property at 6341 Rutherglen Drive, Fayetteville. The board on Sept. 6 adopted a resolution of intent to accept Najiyyah Hightower’s offer on behalf of Excellence Estates LLC to buy the property for $8,039. The board also directed that it be advertised and sold per state-required upset bid process. The parcel is zoned SF10 and has a tax value of $8,000.00. There is no structure on the lot.
The board meets at 9 a.m. in Room 118 of the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse.
Jason Brady covers Cumberland County government for CityView He can be reached at jbrady@cityviewnc.com.
