Post by onthejob on Jun 23, 2014 13:24:19 GMT -5
Nassau tree-trimming bill balloons
June 23, 2014 by CELESTE HADRICK / celeste.hadrick@newsday.com
Nassau has paid nearly three times more than expected for routine tree trimming in the last nine months to a Huntington company that earned more than $60 million from the county for Sandy clean up work, records show.
Looks Great Services, Inc. has been paid $629,523 by Nassau for non-Sandy tree trimming from September 2013 through May even though the administration estimated the work would cost $216,000 a year.
Jostyn Hernandez, a spokesman for county comptroller George Maragos, attributed the higher than expected expense to severe winter weather that caused more tree damage than usual.
The county Legislature's Rules committee approved a "blanket purchase order," to Looks Great for tree trimming and stump removal on Nov. 5, 2012. The order was unrelated to superstorm Sandy. Blanket orders are used to pay for repeated services.
The administration estimated the one-year contract, which could be extended to three years, would cost an estimated $215,865 annually and requires Looks Great to pay prevailing wage.
About the same time, the Rules Committee also approved $68.8 million in emergency purchase orders for Looks Great to clean up damaged trees and haul debris from Sandy. The county, which ultimately paid Looks Great $60.4 million for storm clean up. Nassau officials said Looks Great did not have to pay prevailing wage for the emergency work.
Earlier this month, Looks Great Services Inc. pleaded guilty in criminal court in Suffolk County to underpaying employees for Sandy clean up work in violation of prevailing wage laws. In February, the firm agreed to pay more than $186,000 to other workers it had underpaid.
To date, none of the Sandy workers employed on Nassau County projects have been found to have been underpaid, Hernandez said.
Some Nassau legislators in April questioned why Looks Great cut trees around the county legislative buildings.
"Every tree along the county side of West Street (in Mineola) was cut down," said Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick). "On the other side of West Street, the trees stayed up. Somehow the trees were only bad on the east side, not the west side. It makes you wonder."
The county said the trees were buckling the sidewalks.
This week, Looks Great felled trees and tore up bushes around the county jail in East Meadow. The work was in addition to the $624,500 already billed.
Salisbury civic leader Helen Meittinis, chairwoman of the county jail advisory committee, said neighbors originally wanted the trees to help hide the jail from the neighborhood. She said the county needed to take down trees for safety reasons and planned to replace them with a slatted fence. "It should look nice when its done," she said.
A spokesman for legislative Presiding Officer Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow) said the trees removed were either dying or interfered with jail security tower sight lines.
Rules Committee member Legis. Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury), said she was dismayed to learn that costs for routine tree trimming had ballooned so much higher than legislators were told. She said lawmakers should have been informed. "There is no way to have checks and balances if they're going to completely disregard the blanket order," she said.
June 23, 2014 by CELESTE HADRICK / celeste.hadrick@newsday.com
Nassau has paid nearly three times more than expected for routine tree trimming in the last nine months to a Huntington company that earned more than $60 million from the county for Sandy clean up work, records show.
Looks Great Services, Inc. has been paid $629,523 by Nassau for non-Sandy tree trimming from September 2013 through May even though the administration estimated the work would cost $216,000 a year.
Jostyn Hernandez, a spokesman for county comptroller George Maragos, attributed the higher than expected expense to severe winter weather that caused more tree damage than usual.
The county Legislature's Rules committee approved a "blanket purchase order," to Looks Great for tree trimming and stump removal on Nov. 5, 2012. The order was unrelated to superstorm Sandy. Blanket orders are used to pay for repeated services.
The administration estimated the one-year contract, which could be extended to three years, would cost an estimated $215,865 annually and requires Looks Great to pay prevailing wage.
About the same time, the Rules Committee also approved $68.8 million in emergency purchase orders for Looks Great to clean up damaged trees and haul debris from Sandy. The county, which ultimately paid Looks Great $60.4 million for storm clean up. Nassau officials said Looks Great did not have to pay prevailing wage for the emergency work.
Earlier this month, Looks Great Services Inc. pleaded guilty in criminal court in Suffolk County to underpaying employees for Sandy clean up work in violation of prevailing wage laws. In February, the firm agreed to pay more than $186,000 to other workers it had underpaid.
To date, none of the Sandy workers employed on Nassau County projects have been found to have been underpaid, Hernandez said.
Some Nassau legislators in April questioned why Looks Great cut trees around the county legislative buildings.
"Every tree along the county side of West Street (in Mineola) was cut down," said Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick). "On the other side of West Street, the trees stayed up. Somehow the trees were only bad on the east side, not the west side. It makes you wonder."
The county said the trees were buckling the sidewalks.
This week, Looks Great felled trees and tore up bushes around the county jail in East Meadow. The work was in addition to the $624,500 already billed.
Salisbury civic leader Helen Meittinis, chairwoman of the county jail advisory committee, said neighbors originally wanted the trees to help hide the jail from the neighborhood. She said the county needed to take down trees for safety reasons and planned to replace them with a slatted fence. "It should look nice when its done," she said.
A spokesman for legislative Presiding Officer Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow) said the trees removed were either dying or interfered with jail security tower sight lines.
Rules Committee member Legis. Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury), said she was dismayed to learn that costs for routine tree trimming had ballooned so much higher than legislators were told. She said lawmakers should have been informed. "There is no way to have checks and balances if they're going to completely disregard the blanket order," she said.
