Monroe County is putting an additional $240,000 toward cleanup efforts from the June 25 storms.
The Monroe County Council approved the appropriation at a Tuesday meeting. The money will be used by the county’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and comes from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA dollars.
ARPA is a federal economic stimulus package to help with COVID-19 relief.
The county had already approved two $50,000 emergency cleanup contracts; but officials expect cleanup costs to be closer to $500,000.
County EMA Director Jamie Neibel said that as of Tuesday, the county had spent $120,240 and moved 8,016 yards of debris.
Read more: Storm recovery: Debris collection begins
“We began taking this by townships with the most debris to least,” Neibel said. “So, we began in Perry Township, and we are about a third or halfway through Perry Township. The demand is substantial.”
Neibel added the county’s contractor — Bluestone, which offers tree removal services — estimates the county has about 9,600 yards of debris left to clear, and some debris may still be unaccounted for.
But the county may be reimbursed for a portion of the total cleanup cost, according to Neibel.
“The potential reimbursement situation is, if we qualify for FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) assistance, that is a 75 percent reimbursement rate,” she said. “If we qualify for state funds, that’s more like 35 percent.”
She added the exact number can fluctuate, and 35 percent is a conservative estimate. Whatever gets reimbursed would go back to the county’s ARPA fund.
Read more: City extends deadline for evacuation of Rail Trail encampment
Neibel said she will return to the council in August to request an additional appropriation for cleanup efforts.
On Monday, the county EMA announced it is working on putting together an updating township pickup schedule because the amount of debris has overwhelmed the county, which has limited resources. As of July 17, the county is not accepting any more debris pickup requests.
A schedule released earlier this month states the township that will be cleared after Perry are (in order): Van Buren, Clear Creek, Richland and Bloomington, Salt Creek and Polk.
On Tuesday, Monroe County EMA shared an announcement from the U.S. Small Business Administration stating Indiana businesses and residents affected by the June 25 storms are eligible to apply for low-interest disaster loans.
The SBA will open Disaster Loan Outreach Centers at Ivy Tech Community College in Terre Haute and the Frank Southern Ice Arena in Bloomington to help businesses and residents complete their disaster loan applications. The agency accepts walk-ins, but appointments can be made at either location.
The centers’ hours of operation are as follows:
Ivy Tech Community College
8000 Education Drive
Room B-100
Terre Haute IN 47802
Opening: Monday, July 22, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Hours: Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Closed: Sunday
Permanently Closes: Monday, Aug. 5, at 4 p.m.
Frank Southern Ice Arena
2100 S Henderson Street
Bloomington IN 47401
Opening: Monday, July 22, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Hours: Monday - Friday - 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Closed: Sunday
Permanently Closes: Monday, Aug. 5, at 4 p.m.
Neibel encouraged anyone seeking the most up-to-date information on disaster relief to follow the county EMA’s Facebook page.
The City of Bloomington and Town of Ellettsville are handling cleanup separately. The Bloomington Board of Public Works approved $500,000 for debris pickup in the city earlier this month.
