LAKEPORT >> The Lake County Board of Supervisors unanimously awarded a more than $17 million contract to Ashbritt Inc. for its tree mitigation project at a special meeting on Friday.
In its proposal, Ashbritt identified a total 26,100 trees that either need approval or their limbs cleared. Although the price per tree varies on its diameter,the average cost of a tree comes to be about $150 when considering $3,885,000 estimate for tree removal.
The price tags also increase when the tree and/or stump removal occurs on private property. On County land, the price for a tree 24 to 47.99 inches in diameter is $200. That figure doubles when the hazard tree is on somebody else’s lot.
The price is increased because each private lot is unique and requires dealing with a third party, according to Ashbritt’s General Counsel Jared Moskowitz.
“There are some extra challenges on private property,” Moskowitz said. “It’s not as simple as the county saying, ‘go out and cut this tree.’”
Despite the large sum, the county is only liable for approximately 6 percent of the bill, or about $1 million, District 3 Supervisor Jim Steele said. The rest will be funded by FEMA, the California Disaster Assistance Act, and other sources.
Keeping the total cost down was an attitude shared by the board although some union contract workers shared grievances over the lack of preference towards prevailing wages.
“For us as a county, it’s about total cost.” Steele said. “At the end of the day we’re going to pay the best rate so people can move on with the rest of their lives.”
The board heard the concerns and expressed to the public that this project will help out the local economy by providing local jobs, injecting money into the burn area’s remaining small businesses and staying in hotels. Some anticipate up to 400 people will be hired for the project.
Moskowitz wasn’t able to confirm those numbers but did confirm that his company is focused on hiring local subcontractors.
“Once we receive the Notice to Proceed, this is something that is going to ramp up,” he said. “We are there to serve communities in their time of need. We are appreciative of winning the contract and we look forward to help Lake County recover.”
Out of the five bids the Department of Public Works received, Ashbritt was the best choice because of its strategy, qualifications, and low-cost, Assistant Public Works Director Lars Ewing told the BOS. Its bid was $17,385,000, the second lowest of the proposals that reached as high as $62 million.
Once the disaster cleanup business receives its Notice to Proceed from Lake County, they hill have three days to get to work. According to county documents, the project is expected to be completed by Jan. 31.
The dead tree mitigation is divided into two phases: removal on county property and then removal on private lots with the Right-of-Entry program.
Dangerous trees on private property aren’t the only challenges that the company faces. According to Ewing, Ashbritt has not found sites for temporary debris management, but it is looking for sites. Hauling and disposing of the debris is a large amount of the total cost — 78 percent.
DeLeon told the Record-Bee that AshBritt must see the trees from the “cradle to the grave,” meaning that it just wont be dumped. Possible tree disposal, he said, could be for erosion control or at the co-generation plant
Subcontractors looking to apply can send an email to response@ashbritt.com or visit the company’s website.
The start date was not determined, but the county wants work to start next week, Director of Public Works Scott DeLeon said.
Other issues need to be worked out (such as liability insurance and environmental issues), but Steele said the BOS is content with Ashbritt, with a that resume includes Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy in New Jersey.
“The board is welcoming a good bid that we can afford,” he said. “This company knows what it’s doing.”
