The Village of Port Washington North and the Village of Sands Point are currently the only villages in Port Washington to have geographic restrictions on bids for services, a survey by the Port Washington Times shows.
Port Washington North has a 10-mile geographical bid restriction for snow removal and salting that has been in place for the last six years, according to village Clerk Palma Torrisi.
“The geographic restriction was put in the contract to assure the contractor’s ability to respond and perform in the village promptly in the event of a snow or ice storm,” Torrisi said.
The law states: “The contractor shall maintain and staff an office, maintain sand and salt storage, vehicle storage, and repair and maintenance facility within ten (10) miles of the Village. The office will be equipped with a telephone, which throughout the duration of any snow event/storm will be answered in person (answering equipment not acceptable) by an individual specifically trained and knowledgeable in “customer relations.”
Torrisi said the village didn’t have a problem with contractors prior to approving the policy, but that the Board of Trustee thought it would be prudent to have the mileage provision.
“In the past 32 years there have been two contractors, Dejana Industries Inc. (31 years) and Cow Bay/Dom’s (one year),” Torrisi said. “To the best of my recollection, there was no difference in price when the mile restriction was added.”
Brian Gunderson, Village of Sands Point Highway superintendent and supervisor of the Water Department, said Sands Point has always had a geographical restriction in place for snow removal contracts.
Gunderson said the restriction is for the snow removal contracts due to weather conditions and allow convenience.
“We don’t want companies from let’s say, Connecticut, bidding,” Gunderson said. “We don’t want people crossing bridges to get here.”
There are no geographical bid restrictions for the villages of Flower Hill and Baxter Estates, according to officials.
“We do not have geographical mile restrictions on anything procured as long as the entity can provide the required insurances such as worker’s compensation and a certificate of liability,” Baxter Estates village clerk Chrissy Kiernan said.
Village of Manorhaven Attorney James Toner proposed a law barring geographic restricting at a Board of Trustees meeting on March 24, saying the practice had cost village taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars when in effect between 2008 and 2013.
Toner said the change prevented trustees from considering a proposal from Meadow Carting Corp. of Westbury to renew its yearly contract at the same price — $469,000.
The board, instead, approved a proposal by the Dejana Industries of $563,000 — $94,000 more than Meadow Carting’s offer. The Dejana contract was later extended to four years with yearly price increases included in the new contract.
Manorhaven village Trustee Priscilla Von Roeschlaub said she didn’t know about the four-mile bid restriction at the time.
“I didn’t know anything about it until the meeting,” Roeschlaub said, adding that she will vote for the new law to forbid geographical restrictions.
“Sounds logical to pass it,” Roeschlaub said. “It’s ridiculous to have it.”
The Village of Manorhaven will hold a public hearing on April 21 on a proposed law that forbids the village from imposing geographic restrictions on bids.
Port Washington North Village records show that at a Sept. 6, 2011 meeting proposals were presented for snow plowing, sanding and salting of village streets for a three years contract for 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 by Dom’s Lawnmaker Inc. and Dejana, with both companies located within the 10-mile restriction.
According to village records, Dejana Industries bid $236,400 and Dom’s Lawnmaker bid $225,000.
Village records show that on Oct. 4, 2011 the village board awarded Dejana the contract — even though Dom’s Lawnmaker had a lower bid.
Village Attorney Stuart Besen recommended the selection of Dejana Industries, saying that the company was the lowest “responsible” bidder. The board voted unanimously to select Dejana.
The board also approved a contract with Dejana Industries for a three-year contract for 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 for Dejana’s bid of $249,000, which was lower than Dom’s Lawnmaker’s bid of $275,000.
The Village of Sands Point currently has a five-year seasonal flat fee contract with Dejana where the bidder provides the sand, salt and storage at a cost per year —$400,000.00 for 2015-16, $402,000.000 for 2016-17, $404,000.00 for 2017-18 and $406,000 for 2018-19.
The cost of the contract for 2019-20 will be based on a formula that not yet been computed.
