KINGWOOD — The work to free streams and creeks in Preston County that are blocked because of Hurricane Ida and present a flooding danger to structures should be done by Thanksgiving.
Representatives from six contracting companies attended a pre-bid meeting for the project on Thursday morning.
The project involves eight sites in two general areas — Rowlesburg and Terra Alta — according to Ross Tuckwiller, a watershed design specialist with the West Virginia Conservation Agency.
The WVCA has assisted Preston County as it goes through the process of clearing the streams, which County Administrator Kathy Mace said is a new process for them.
Tuckwiller said the WVCA will be on-site to help whichever company wins the bid and to make sure things go smoothly.
The deadline for bids to be submitted is the end of business on Nov. 1, with a period for any questions before then. The bids will be opened and awarded at the regular county commission meeting on Nov. 2.
Mace said the work needs to be done before Thanksgiving and, after some discussion, it was determined the work would begin roughly a week after the bid award — somewhere between Nov. 8-10.
The quick turnaround is because of the increased risk of flooding presented by the blockages, said Clark Nicklow, addressing and flood plain coordinator for the Preston County Office of Emergency Management/911.
“In case there’s another storm, ’cause some of those structures are definitely, there’s a potential if we get a heavy rain there’s at least two of them that will flood without much rain at all,” Nicklow said.
Tuckwiller said the project is generally pretty cut-and-dried and involves moving sediment and rock to restore the creek channels to their natural flow. Some of the sites will involve hauling to a dump location, which the contract specifies cannot be in a flood plain.
The contractors had the option to visit the eight sites with Nicklow on Tuesday; however, none did. A few asked about visiting independently, which Mace said would be fine with a 24-hour notice, so homeowners could be alerted.
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