Lexington
During his report to Lexington City Council last week, City Manager Tom Carroll updated council on the costs incurred by the city’s Department of Public Works related to the aftermath of the Labor Day Weekend wind shear event.
According to his report, which covered work done through Oct. 6, the department had totaled more than $134,000 in expenses related to work done throughout the city, most notably at Oak Grove Cemetery.
The department spent $45,486.63 related to equipment costs in that time frame, and more than $38,000 each for labor (regular hours) and wood processing, respectively. Additionally, just over $8,000 had been spent on overtime pay and more than $3,600 has gone to fuel.
Those costs, Carroll noted, don’t include any costs related to the repair or replacement of damaged headstones in the cemetery or the approximately $3,000 the city has spent on advertising related to the emergency.
Carroll also informed Council that the city has made inquiries to both its property insurance carrier and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management about what costs, if any, can be reimbursed. The city is also looking into engaging the services of a local timber processer to recover usable lumber from the Preston Oak that fell at the cemetery.
