Springfield City Engineer Christopher Cignoli and Monson Selectboard Chairman Richard Smith requested the federal assistance, citing concern that uprooted trees and other debris caused by the tornado could block culverts during heavy rain, resulting in flooded streets and threatening public safety and nearby homes and businesses.
06/08/11 Springfield- This home on Hancock Street has heavy tornado damage as a result of the June 1 tornado.The United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has approved up to $657,000 in federal funds for removal of trees and other debris deposited by the June 1 tornadoes in rivers and streams in Springfield and Monson.
The funds are being provided through the Emergency Watershed Protection program, administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The agency also is providing technical assistance for the work, which will be done at two sites in Springfield and three sites in Monson. Other sites in Springfield, Monson and other affected towns are being evaluated for possible assistance.
Springfield City Engineer Christopher Cignoli and Monson Selectboard Chairman Richard Smith requested the federal assistance, citing concern that uprooted trees and other debris caused by the tornado could block culverts during heavy rain, resulting in flooded streets and threatening public safety and nearby homes and businesses.
“The June 1 tornadoes deposited a significant amount of debris in local rivers and streams,” Christine S. Clarke, NRCS State Conservationist for Massachusetts, said in a statement. “With NRCS help, the debris removal will safeguard lives and property from the real hazard of flooding in the next significant storm.”
The Natural Resource Conservation Service will cover 75 percent of the cost of debris removal, which involves cutting up downed tree limbs and using heavy equipment to lift the debris from the water bodies. The work is under way at some sites and will begin soon at other locations. Cleanup at each site is expected to take about five days.
At Johnny Appleseed Park in Springfield, the estimated cost is $80,000, with $60,000 to be paid by the federal government. Rifle Street in Springfield also is included at a cost of $200,000, with $150,000 to be picked up by the federal government.
In Monson, the cost for Chicopee Brook cleanup is $342,000, with $256,500 to be reimbursed; Ely Brook cleanup is $160,000, with $120,000 to be reimbursed, and the cost to clean tributaries of the Chicopee Brook is $94,000, with $70,500 to be reimbursed by the federal government.
That’s a total of $876,000 in cleanup costs for the two communities, with a total of $657,000 provided by the federal government, and $219,000 remaining for the communities to pay on their own.
“NRCS has been very responsive. This was the only avenue available to us to get help clearing debris from rivers and streams. Two bridges, one on State Street and the other on Cushman Street, would be at risk without this assistance. We appreciate their help,” Monson Highway Surveyor John R. Morrell said in a statement.