Stop-Work Order Issued To Contractors On Mahwah Golf Course Project

MAHWAH, NJ — A stop-work order on a county-funded construction project at Darlington Golf Course in Mahwah was issued to a general contractor and subcontractor, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development said in a news release.

Investigators from the Department of Labor delivered the notices to Zenith Construction Services, of Orange, and subcontractor Gorilla Netting LLC, of Palm Harbor, Florida, to halt work at the Mahwah site.

Gorilla Netting President Dolvin Todd said that the department lifted the stop-work order nearly a week before it issued the news release.

"When we were first contacted by the Department of Labor, we immediately took steps to cure its concerns and did so in a matter of days, well in advance of the Stop Work Order being issued."

Zenith Construction was contracted by the county last year to complete a $5.98 million project to replace support poles on the Darlington Golf Course driving range with steel poles and a breakaway netting system, the county said on its website. Gorilla Netting was contracted by Zenith to install the netting system, the subcontractor said.

Zenith was cited and assessed penalties of $2,500 for hiring an unregistered subcontractor. Penalties of $2,500 each were assessed to Gorilla Netting for failure to register.

As an out-of-state contractor, Gorilla Netting, Todd said, "made every effort" to ensure compliance with New Jersey law and "believed it was in compliance" prior to beginning work on the project.

Neither Zenith nor the golf office at Bergen County Parks Department immediately responded to a request for comment.

“The NJDOL has been vigilant in ensuring contractors performing public works jobs are in compliance with prevailing wage and other laws relating to workers’ rights and safety, including prevailing wage, contractor registration, and making contributions to workers’ compensation and unemployment insurances,” Joe Petrecca, Assistant Commissioner of Wage and Hour and Contract Compliance, said. “We continue to make every effort to hold bad actors accountable, and work to make sure only reputable contractors are afforded the privilege of working on projects paid for by taxpayer dollars.”