Two months later, cleanup from Mo. ice storm continues

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- Nearly two months after an ice storm brought down trees and limbs throughout southwest Missouri, towns in the region continue to struggle with cleanup -- and how to pay for it.

The problem has hit especially hard in smaller communities, which don't have the personnel to collect and destroy all the damaged limbs.

Miller, a Lawrence County town, has left the work to its only two Public Works Department employees.

"We're probably not even halfway done," said Public Works Director Joe Washam.

Shortly after the storm, Washam and his assistant, Mike Meely, worked 10-hour days, six days a week. They have cut back on their hours, but are still trying to pick up and chip the debris between their other duties, such as upkeep of the town's streets and sewer and water systems.

Pleasant Hope has relied on volunteer labor, led by the city services director, said City Clerk Nelda Darnell.

"It's a bit of a standstill right now. Our volunteers got tired," she said, then laughed.

In Buffalo, debris removal started just last Saturday.

Mayor Jerry Hardesty and the Buffalo City Council estimated that 50,000 cubic yards of debris would have to removed and awarded a $151,500 contract Natco Inc., of Bristol, Tenn.

"None of us have ever done this," Hardesty said. "I hope we estimated right."

Money from the state and Federal Emergency Management Agencies will reimburse up to 85 percent of the cleanup costs, but city officials don't know when that money will arrive.

John Rice, city administrator of Mount Vernon, said the city issued a contract for $247,000, but the actual cost will likely be closer to $200,000.

"Financially, we're pretty sound," Rice said. "We had money in other departments we could move around."

Cindy Mooneyham, Marionville emergency management director, said that town finished debris cleanup Monday.

Good financial management helped Marionville pay the $120,000 cleanup cost, Mooneyham said.

"We're very fortunate to have the money to pay for it, but it will be nice to put the reimbursement checks in the city coffers," she said.

Ash Grove Mayor Brenda Ellsworth said that city chose to hire full-time, temporary employees to remove debris and bought a wood chipper and a truck.

The city is carefully following federal guidelines, hoping to be fully reimbursed.

"We're hopeful that when everything is over, that it won't hurt too bad," Ellsworth said.

In Springfield, the city estimates it will pick up more than 1 million cubic yards of debris, while the contractor for the Springfield-Greene County Parks Department collected 71,033 cubic yards of debris from parks.

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Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com