Town council approved proposals to award a $16,000 contract for reverse-911 emergency communications, renew the contract for planning services, and award a snow-removal service contract at its December 17, 2013, meeting.
The meeting agendas and related materials are here. Video of the council meeting, downloadable and indexed so you can quickly find the topics you’re looking for, is here. (The council’s conference meeting at 6:30 p.m. was cancelled due to snow conditions.)
The administration had asked council approval to award the reverse-911 emergency communications annual contract to Emergency Communication Network LLC (ECN) of Ormond Beach, Fla. The proposal was withdrawn from the December 3 council meeting agenda. The resolution says the police contacted several vendors for the service, with this company providing the lowest bid for required services.
Find out what's happening in West Orangewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
A second vendor using a different process had a potentially lower bid in the first year, according to a police analysis discussed by town Chief Financial Officer John Gross. He said, however, that the costs could exceed ECN’s cost in subsequent years and that the ECN system was easier to use and had more features. The cost of the service is 83% higher than last years, following ECN’s acquisition of the town’s previous vendor.
Council also extended an existing six-month contract to 12 months for planning services from Phillips Preiss Grygiel LLC of Hoboken. West Orange originally engaged the firm in 2012 when the town’s planning director was out ill. She has since retired, with the firm continuing to provide planning services. The firm is paid from fees of planning and zoning board applicants, plus additional services capped at $2,000 per month.
Find out what's happening in West Orangewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Mr. Gross said that while the acting planning director, Paul Grygiel, had not attended three recent planning board meetings, two of the meetings did not require his presence. He was on vacation for the December 4 meeting, a “courtesy” hearing on Essex County’s application for a path around the Orange Reservoir at the South Mountain Recreation Complex. (The meeting is a “courtesy” by the county because, as a separate municipal entity, it’s not required to meet town land-use rules.)
Council approved the administration request to award a snow-removal contract to Grabowski Construction Inc. of West Orange. The competitive bidding process produced one additional bid that the town public works department found non-responsive to specifications. The town plans another competitive bid to obtain additional help.
Business Administrator Jack Sayers said the bid specifications expanded the potential work as the town sought more privatization and increased efficiency. Grabowski bid for hauling services with prices unchanged from last year, Mr. Sayers said. Separately, Mr. Sayers said the town had run out of road salt that day after a cancelled delivery but was able to obtain supply from Essex County.
Council approved four ordinances on second and final reading:
- Reapproval of an amendment to a December 2012 $1.6 million bond ordinance. Mr. Gross said the re-vote was required by a faulty advertisement prior to the previous vote and has no practical consequences.
- Authorization to pay the town’s emergency services coordinator (the fire chief) a $4,500 stipend.
- Creation of several commercial bus stops on Pleasant Valley Way.
- Creation of a handicapped parking space on Dean Street.
In other proposals, the council approved:
- A six-month extension of a $29,900 matching Municipal Alliance grant to prevent alcoholism and drug abuse. The town will provide $7,475 in cash and $22,425 in-kind to receive the grant.
- Authorizing competition for funding from the 2014 Essex County Community Development Block Grant program. The administration’s priorities are road construction on Cherry Street and Orange Place.
- Distribution of $2,000 in grants to various community groups to provide services to senior citizens.
If you’d like to contact the council with your thoughts on any of these issues, please send an e-mail to council@westorange.org or call 973.325.4155 to leave a message.
I’m a West Orange Township councilman since 2010, reachable at jkrakoviak@westorange.org. I'm a business communications consultant in my spare time.
