On Thursday night, Carter County Commissioner Robert Acuff led the Budget Committee through a series of big expenses for Hurricane Helene recovery. He then led the deliberations and approvals of the expenses in a special called meeting of the Carter County Commission.
On Thursday night, Carter County Commissioner Robert Acuff led the Budget Committee through a series of big expenses for Hurricane Helene recovery. He then led the deliberations and approvals of the expenses in a special called meeting of the Carter County Commission.
ELIZABETHTON — The Carter County Commission is seeing the high costs associated with the recovery from Hurricane Helene. Those numbers are becoming more real when they are attached to invoices for which the commission must approve payment and for contracts to make needed repairs from the storm.
That was the case on Thursday night, when the commission went down a long list presented by the Budget Committee, recommending payment. The commission approved every motion from the Budget Committee, although Commissioners Danny Deal and Gary Kemp voted no on some invoices presented by Schaus Professional Services, the county’s advisors on Federal Emergency Management Agency matters.
There were 17 commissioners present on Thursday night and 6 absent. In all motions to pay, the commission voted 17-0 on the motions from the Budget Committee.
The biggest amounts are for repairing roads and bridges. The biggest single item was a motion to approve a contract with Summers-Taylor Inc. for road repairs for Shell Creek Road, at an estimated amount of $2,273,482.50. Summers-Taylor had the second largest item on the list as well. That was to approve the contractor to asphalt resurface 4.2 miles of Hampton Creek Road, at an estimated amount of $714,067.20.
The Natural Resources Conservation Services of the United States Department of Agriculture had a project that was nearly as expensive. The commission approved a contract with the NCRS for a group stream bank stabilization project for Shell Creek at an estimated amount of $711,940. Another stream bank stabilization project in Shell Creek was approved with NRCS for $275,750.
Two other big expenses were contracts going to Summers-Taylor. The commission approved a motion for the contractor to asphalt resurface 3.73 miles of Shell Creek at an estimated amount of $634,179. The second motion was for Summers-Taylor to asphalt resurface 3.7 miles of Heaton Creek, at an estimated amount of $524,216.
Two other big expenses were roofs for Happy Valley schools. Both of these went to Davis Brothers Roofing. One was for the reroofing of the gymnasium wing at Happy Valley High School in the amount of $333,400; and the reroofing of the gymnasium wing at Happy Valley Middle School in the amount of $216,200.
Bridges also added to the expense. The commission voted to approve a payment to RK&K in the amount of $55,998 for engineering work on Long Hollow Bridge. There was another payment to RK&K in the amount of $54,612.42 for engineering work on the second Poga Bridge. RK&K was also approved for engineering work on the first Poga Bridge in the amount of $40,033.75. These are rapid funded projects in the FEMA portal for bridge repairs.
Thompson Consulting Services were approved to be paid $48,264.98 for debris monitoring services and will be paid from the loan the county received from a special Hurricane Helene loan.
