Lincoln Place Project Awarded Amidst Heated Words

The Lincoln Place improvement project got the nod by the Borough Council at its meeting on Monday night, as three of four contracts were awarded.

However, although the rejected bid was legally unacceptable and the three awarded contracts passed either unanimously or with one dissenting vote, the process was not without friction.

The project, the survey and design portion of which was handled by Pennoni Associates of Cedar Knolls, has been through several presentations at the council level. At all meetings with the project on the agenda, members of the business community made up a large portion of the audience, many voicing their support to see it go forward.

Monday night was no different in that respect, with Brad Cramer, owner of Cramers Carpet One and chairman of the Downtown Development Commission, and owner of Stewart-Morris and Chamber of Commerce President John Morris among those who spoke.

"We're looking forward to its completion as soon as possible," Cramer said.

Different this time, however, was the discussion at the council level between Councilman Sam Cerciello and other members regarding the bidding process. As he has at numerous other meetings, Cerciello told the council he didn't like how things were being done and that he felt there could have been better materials for lower cost.

This time however, instead of telling Cerciello he could work with the borough engineer Bob Vogel in cases where that applies as they have in many instances in the past, members, in particular Mayor Mary-Anna Holden and Robert Conley, shot back.

Cerciello said he wished the contract would have been awarded to someone who would use Cambridge pavers with ArmorTec, which he said would last longer than the ones in the awarded contract.

"I'm concerned with how Grinell, which is the supplier, was the only bidder in this town," Cerciello said.

Attorney Vincent Loughlin, who is the planning board attorney and was stepping in for Joseph Mezzacca on Monday night, cautioned Cerciello not make comments about the bid winner and the process in a public session.

Holden told Cerciello that the bidding process was properly advertised and that he was specifically told about it so he could tell any contractors the process was open.

"At that time, and there were several meetings that were held, several meetings I was a part of where we were in Mr. (Borough Administrator Ray) Codey's office," Holden said. "You were given two bid packages, you were told if you had people who would supply Cambridge, here are the bid packages for them to bid on the project. They chose not to bid, or you did not forward the packages to them. Now, to come back with a quote, which you can't just go out and quote, you have to follow the public bidding law."

Cerciello continued to criticize the the use of non-Cambridge pavers throughout the discussion.

"As far as the pavers, they are the No. 1 paver out there," Cerciello said. "That's why I'm having a problem with the contractors. They are coming in here and we are not getting our money's worth."

Conley joined Holden in telling Cerciello his comments did not go along with state law.

"I would just suggest one thing," Conley said. "I'm a patient person, and my patience is running short. I think it's time Sam needs to contact that league and find out when he can take the next course related to public bidding."

Conley explained that the rules for a governing entity are much different when it comes to construction than for corporations and private citizens.

The contracts awarded were for the redevelopment to Tec Con for $608,970, concrete pavers to Grinnell Recycling for $16,640, and Victorian lamppost fixtures to Turtle & Hughes for $89,700. The rejected bid was for lampposts, and the resolution to reject it stated the sole bid received was "non-responsive because the vendor did not meet the bid specifications." Vogel said the bid did not comply with specifications.

The contracts for the redevelopment and lampposts passed 5-0 in the consent agenda. The contract for the pavers passed 4-1, with Cerciello's "no" being the lone dissenting vote. Councilman Dr. Vincent Esposito was not in attendance, as he was unable to get back from vacation in time for the meeting.

Pennoni, with the help of the business community and Main Street Executive Director Jim Burnet, was able to give the council multiple priced improvement options, allowing it to select the lesser option if the members felt it was necessary given the budget climate in the borough and throughout the state. The contracts that were awarded Monday night were part of the the lower-cost option.

There is still a possibility that PSE&G will help the borough financially in the mill and overlay portion of the improvement project, as they would have had to pave a portion of the road already after necessary maintenance work the company needed to do.

PSE&G already accelerated its schedule to do work on the gas lines underneath the road to help accommodate the Lincoln Place capital project. That work was done in late April. At that time, Borough Administrator Ray Codey said the company agreed to the borough's request, as it did not want to reconstruct and mill and overlay the road and then have PSE&G come in and rip it up for the project later on. The possibility of PSE&G financially aiding the project is still not finalized.