Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger on Monday, March 10, called on the Public Works Department to pick up the pace on approving right-of-entry forms being submitted by the public as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begins to increase its presence in the Eaton fire burn area.
Barger and Col. Sonny Avichal spoke during an online community meeting held for Altadena residents. Prior to a question-and-answer period, Barger and several county and federal departments provided updates on the recovery and rebuilding effort.
Barger said she’s heard concerns about the rate that ROE forms are being approved and said she will be keeping a close eye on the process.
“It is unacceptable and public works is expected to get it done in real time,” Barger said. “You all deserve quick, efficient work by the county so we can work through the debris removal process and to get rebuilding under way.”
Emiko Thompson from Public Works said the department has increased the number of staff members working on ROE applications. So far, more than 3,600 forms have been transmitted to the Army Corps.
The goal is to approve about 200 ROE forms per day, Thompson said.
To track an ROE application’s status, visit LA County’s Recovery website.
The Army Corps cannot begin work on a property until they receive an approved ROE form from the county.
Avichal said that last week the Army Corps had about 35 crews working in the Eaton fire area, and as of Monday there were 65 crews. He said within the next four to six weeks the operation will hit its plateau of 80-100 crews working in the area.
“We are ramping up at a good pace right now,” Avichal said.
The Altadena Golf Course will be used during Phase-2 as a temporary debris storage and reduction site, Barger and Avichal said. It will handle clean concrete, metal and vegetative debris. There is no debris at the site yet but the Army Corps has been working to prep the site to begin that work.
Avichal said no fire ash debris will be taken to the golf course and the concrete transported there will be tested prior to its arrival to ensure it is safe.
“The act of reducing the debris and loading it onto larger trucks will end up having at least 50% fewer trucks having to travel from the Altadena area to the landfill, which is important for traffic as well as safety,” Avichal said. “It will also allow us to cycle more smaller trucks to and from the project sites to increase production.”