Though spring temperatures are beginning to rise, the city of Sedona is still dealing with the aftermath of one of the area’s largest snowstorms more than a month later.
Tree branch removal related to the February snowstorm is expected to continue for another two weeks. Sedona City Engineer/Public Works Director Andy Dickey said the storm resulted in significantly more material than the city had expected and the clean up has proven too big for city crews.
To help with the removal, Dickey said the city initially started off with hiring Tiffany Construction utilizing a Job Order Contract. The JOC was previously put together through a competitive two-step process that included qualifications and unit price. They initially went this route primarily due to hauling the debris from the neighborhoods to a central location where the city would chip it and haul it out of town.
“Once we realized how significant the volume of material was, we decided to bring in contractors that specialize in chipping,” Dickey said. “We’ve now had Bob’s Tree Service, Cottonwood Tree Service and Joshua Tree & Landscape working on this. We have used Bob’s Tree Service and Joshua Tree & Landscape for storm cleanup in the past.”
Tiffany’s cost to the city was approximately $20,000, Dickey said. The overall cost is now expected to be around $50,000, including the other three contractors they’ve been using. A portion of this would have been incurred with Sedona’s annual spring clean-up/pre-monsoon effort.
“The city felt this effort was necessary due to the infrequency and magnitude of the storm we had,” he said. “Considering the amount of material we’ve received, it appears this was needed and we’re glad to know the material collected will not end up in our drainage system in the following monsoon season. We’ve received notes of appreciation from many residents for this effort.”
Dickey also said some people saw this one-time courtesy service as an opportunity for spring yard cleanups. “Neighbors tell us that some folks placed more than storm debris in piles for pickup, and we can also see that some piles are obviously prunings, not storm falls,” he said. “In those cases, property owners will be given two weeks to remove debris from their property.”
As of last week, Dickey estimated the city has processed around 200 cubic yards of chipped material. However, the spring break traffic has hindered hauling efficiency.
In terms of what the city’s contractors will be accepting, he said they’re picking up all storm-related debris. This means branches 8 inches in diameter or less, 6 feet or less in length and 3 feet or less in width.
“We’ve seen in many cases an entire tree has needed to be taken down and processed into these dimensions,” he said. “This does not include other yard waste or trash. We are also not making a second pass through the city.
“If folks have yard debris that does not fit our intended criteria or they missed our first pass through their area for pick up, they can deliver yard debris to our maintenance yard at 2070 Contractor’s Road until April 12, free of charge.”
For more information, contact the Public Works Department at 204-7111.
Ron Eland can be reached at 282-7795, ext. 122 or by email at reland@larsonnewspapers.com
