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Debris removal program will include foundations in all jurisdictions

Boulder County, City of Louisville, and the Town of Superior include foundation removal for participating residents at zero cost in the Private Property Debris Removal program
Community Submission
neighborhood near corner of Indiana St and Colton Rd (50)
Charred remains of a home destroyed by the Marshall Fire in a neighborhood near Indiana Street and Coalton Road in Superior on Dec. 31, 2021. Macie May

NEWS RELEASE
BOULDER COUNTY
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Boulder County, the City of Louisville, and the Town of Superior announced that the removal of foundations in the Debris Removal Program will be part of the coordinated debris removal program for residents whose homes were destroyed by the Marshall Fire. The county, town, and city all remain hopeful that foundation removal will be included in the list of items eligible for reimbursement when their partners at FEMA make a final decision on the county’s Private Property Debris Removal (PPDR) request.

The county and its partners have requested financial reimbursement assistance through FEMA for PPDR. The value of this federal commitment already has the potential to be in the range of $35-40 million and the state funding commitment for local match could be in the range of $5-6 million, depending on how many property owners opt into the PPDR program. For homeowners who opt in to the coordinated debris removal program, this means that FEMA and the State have already agreed to cover 70-80 percent of the per-parcel amount of the overall cleanup cost.

FEMA and the State of Colorado have both agreed to help fund the cost of debris removal from destroyed properties but FEMA has not yet made a formal decision on whether foundations are eligible to be included in the PPDR reimbursement. Should FEMA not approve foundation removal as eligible for reimbursement, the remaining unfunded gap for foundations is expected to be in the range of $7-9 million, since foundation removal is estimated to be about 10-20 percent of the per-parcel amount of the overall cleanup cost.

The announcement by the county, city, and town means that participating homeowners’ parcels will be cleared of all debris and foundations with the only cost to the homeowner correlating to the debris removal line item in their homeowner insurance proceeds. Boulder County will be working with the state and insurance companies to recover funds dedicated in insurance policies for debris removal. No additional funds will be sought from property owners participating in the coordinated debris removal program, including those who were uninsured or underinsured for debris removal.

“We are incredibly thankful for state and federal officials who have stepped in with funding, advice, and other support for our private property debris removal efforts,” said Boulder County Commissioner Claire Levy. “While attempting to cover the remaining funding gap will be a financial hardship for our communities, it’s clear that removal of foundations is a necessary step for our residents to begin the rebuilding process. Because this fire burned so quickly and with so much heat, we know that rebuilding on existing foundations is simply not an option for homeowners.”

Local and state government staff are providing supplemental information to FEMA to help elaborate on the need for federal funding. In the meantime, as that information is being considered, some residents have said that inclusion of foundations in the PPDR program is a key decision point on whether they will opt into the coordinated program. As a reminder, ROE forms are due by 11:59 p.m. this Friday, Feb. 25. Forms are available at www.BoCo.org/Marshall-Debris-Cleanup.

“It’s clear from our procurement process that the most efficient and cost-effective way to remove foundations is through a regional, coordinated program,” said Louisville Mayor Amy Stolzmann. “The logistics of community members managing that work on their own for a disaster of this size will not only be more costly to the community and individual homeowners, but it is likely to take much longer and create significant impacts on staff and the broader community.”

“I’m not sure what we’ll do if we can’t get federal funding for foundation removal,” added Superior Mayor Clint Folsom. “The cost is high, but the cost to the community of not proceeding with coordinated debris removal and rebuilding could be much higher. Any delay causes a toll not just on the residents who want to move back home, but on everyone who is living here amidst the devastation. We’ve got to do everything we can to help people move forward with rebuilding.”

Additional information on the coordinated debris removal program will continue to be released as new information is known. Information will also be posted on the program webpage at www.BoCo.org/Marshall-Debris-Cleanup.

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