Sonora, CA — Phase Two of the TCU September Lightning Complex Fire cleanup is getting underway in Chinese Camp, and the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors has called for a special meeting on Wednesday to award a contract for some of the work.
The county is hiring two contractors for Phase Two, which includes tasks like hazardous debris removal, assessment and monitoring, and tree removal. The county has already hired the company Tetra Tech for $1.6 million to oversee assessment and monitoring, and they began work yesterday. They are performing tasks such as sampling air quality and conducting asbestos surveys. They were picked from the State’s Master Services Agreement to expedite hiring.
The second contractor will oversee Disaster Debris and Hazard Tree Removal. Eight contractors submitted bids, ranging from $1.8 million to $4.6 million. The lowest proposal, which county staff recommends the board approve on Wednesday, is from Anvil Builders of Emeryville.
The second-highest bid was submitted by Sierra Mountain Construction of Sonora, who has filed an appeal to the board, arguing that Anvil Builders’ bid should be thrown out due to it being “incomplete,” and/or it being “mathematically/materially unbalanced.” Sierra Mountain Construction’s bid was for $1.9 million.
The Tuolumne County Department of Public Works reports that it reviewed the protest and does not find Anvil’s submitted bid to have any mathematical or material issues.
The supervisors will review the bid process and award a contract.
CAL OES is anticipated to reimburse the county for 90% of the cost of debris removal and the remaining money will come from General Fund contingencies.
The special meeting will start at 9 am on Wednesday in the board of supervisors meeting room.
