TOMS RIVER – The township increased its contract with a FEMA consulting firm that is working to get projects funded after Superstorm Sandy.
The contractor is doing all the grant paperwork to get projects paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Agency after Sandy, business administrator Paul Shives said.
Specifically, the resolution amended a purchase the town made through a state contract with O’Brien’s Response Management Inc. for FEMA reimbursement coordination and monitoring services. The original purchase order was for $1 million in 2012. In 2015, it was increased to $1,980,000. In August, it was increased to an amount not to exceed $2,480,000.
The firm has been helping with almost $40 million in projects, Shives said. For example, there is debris removal (approximately $5 million), and capital projects like the lifeguard building, roads, storm sewers, and bulkheads.
The firm works to make sure that these funds will be reimbursed by FEMA, he said. Then, their own fees are also eligible for FEMA reimbursement.
