Details about this story

• Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
• Date: August 03, 2008
• URL: Read the story
• Bylines: Danielle Cervantes , Dana Wilkie , Brooke Williams
• Topics: Local Government , Disasters
• Data Types: Local Data
• Description/Excerpt: After October's wildfires destroyed their homes in an exclusive Rancho Bernardo community, the Buckenmayers and the Skillerns – next-door neighbors on Aceituno Street – embarked on different cleanup paths. The Buckenmayers, who lost a 7,000-square-foot house in the Trails, took the advice of their insurance company and hired a private contractor. The Skillerns, who lost a 5,000-square-foot home, worked through a program the city of San Diego organized that promised speed, efficiency and professionalism. The Buckenmayers' bill: $77,693. The Skillerns' bill: $224,506. The city hired two companies, which billed by the ton. They removed more debris from 112 homes than the city anticipated and more than many private contractors believe would have been possible. Ultimately, A.J. Diani Construction Co. of Santa Maria and Watsonville-based Granite Construction Co. charged an average of nearly $83,400 per home, according to a San Diego Union-Tribune analysis of the companies' contracts and invoices. The total program cost was at least $9.4 million.