Superior Board Of Trustees Pleads With Boulder County Over Marshall Fire Debris Removal Lawsuit
SUPERIOR, Colo. (CBS4)- Homeowners wanting to rebuild after the Marshall Fire could be facing even longer delays after a lawsuit was filed over debris removal. Boulder County Commissioners chose DRC Emergency Services based out of Texas for the job.
The deal called for work to get started at the beginning of March and be completed by July 1. Now a company named Digs is suing, claiming the county violated open meetings laws when it chose DRC Emergency Services for the job.
Two members of the Superior Board of Trustees sent a letter to the county, stating that debris removal is essential to the community rebuilding after the devastating fire destroyed more than 1,000 structures just before New Year's Eve.
Those trustees claim that the lawsuit adds insult to an already unspeakable tragedy.
"We're 64 days after disaster, the Town of Superior has only issued 11 debris permits, we have two lots that have cleaned up themselves. We're more than two months into this and this coordinated debris removal was supposed to be the process to get everything moving forward," said Superior Trustee Neal Shah. "Folks were just starting to see the light in terms of a path forward and now we're on a delay cycle again."
The nonprofit filing the lawsuit was formed by Michael Brown, the former FEMA director who resigned amid criticism over his handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
A status conference hearing is set for March 7 before a retired judge from Larimer County.