Referendum Scheduled for $2 million Storm Cleanup Bill

Granby voters will decide whether to approve a $2 million expenditure for the cleanup of debris in the wake of Storm Alfred at a referendum scheduled for Dec. 27.

The initial cost of the cleanup was estimated to be about $1 million for about 35,000 cubic yards of material, Town Manager William Smith said at a special Town Meeting on Monday evening.

Those estimates, which were provided by several contractors on the state-approved list, turned out to be wildly inaccurate, as the town has cleared some 80,000 cubic yards of material in recent weeks, according to Director of Public Works Jamie Klase.

“The main reason for the estimates being more than our contractors anticipated were the number of contractors who came in and felled trees for residents at substantially discounted prices, as well as the sheer volume of material that came down in back yards as well as front yards,” Klase said.

First Selectman John Adams said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would reimburse the town for 75 percent, or $1.5 million, of the funds that the town allocated to the cleanup, meaning that the town would wind up spending just $500,000 of its own money. Nevertheless, the town attorney told Adams and the Board of Selectmen that the resolution that will be passed on to voters must contain language for an approval of the full $2 million.

Though the contractors are no longer in Granby, the town continues to clear brush from the roadside and dispose of the material that is dumped at the transfer station, Klase said.

“We hope the roads are clear before the first snowfall comes,” Klase said. “If the snow comes early, then we will deal with that as well.”

With that, the meeting was adjourned until the referendum, which will be held at the meeting room from noon until 8 p.m. on Dec. 27.