After weeks of legal wrangling and appeals over the way they bid the Marshall fire cleanup work, Boulder County Commissioners are going to stick with the company they originally chose for their Private Property Debris Removal Program.

The contract with DRC Emergency Services is being finalized, according to Boulder Public Works spokesperson Andrew Barth.

“There are a lot of details in a contract this size,” said Barth.

Contract to remove Marshall fire debris still unsigned as litigation continues

County officials said that while these disputes have delayed the cleanup process, they hope the project will be complete in “roughly the timeframe originally anticipated.”

DRC was awarded the multimillion dollar contract Feb. 10, but two of the 11 companies that originally bid on the work sent protest letters to the county over the way the agreement was decided. Ceres Environmental Services and EEC claimed that Boulder County’s bidding process was not transparent and that DRC didn’t have the experience to haul away tons of debris from the 6,000-acre fire.

Ceres and EEC complained that DRC, based along the Gulf Coast in Galveston, Texas, with offices in Louisiana and Florida, has performed extensive work clearing out hurricane damage. But it does not have much wildfire debris cleanup experience.

Boulder County Commissioners said they are trying to respond to the community’s needs as quickly as possible by denying the appeals and going with DRC Emergency Services, which they said was “the bidder that would provide the best overall value to the county, city and town.”

Legal disputes mean a delay in Marshall fire cleanup as officials play blame game

A lawsuit filed against the county by a watchdog group called Demanding Integrity in Government Spending is still pending. A judge will decide if the lawsuit will move forward during a hearing March 18. DIGS alleges that the county violated the state’s open meetings law during proposal evaluations. The lawsuit says the Federal Emergency Management Agency has strict rules about fire cleanup costs that must be followed if there is to be reimbursement, and that Boulder County may have already violated some of those rules. DIGS contends that if this happens, that money will come out of county and state taxpayers’ pockets.

Boulder County judges recuse selves from Marshall Fire cleanup case

The debris removal program is expected to cost around $55 million and is funded by FEMA, the state and the governments of unincorporated Boulder County, Louisville and Superior.

As of early March, 853 property owners have signed up to participate in the debris removal program. DRC President John Sullivan said he expects to move forward with the Marshall fire cleanup work soon.