Dear Readers…For all of you who opened your Choice garbage bills over the last few days to find the franchise fees…and those who see an inequity between single/multi-family and commercial…along with the per dwelling unit charges…This writer wrote about it…This writer warned the companies at the table on 2/24/09 (see below) this outrage would happen and even talked to Asst. TM Olinzock after the meeting…My efforts fell on deaf ears…
Sad to say, I had much faith in Choice and was rooting for them, thinking they were a standup company…Now I am not so sure. I had a good rapport with them and believed them throughout the RFP process and after they were awarded the contract when we discussed this per unit nightmare that if enacted by the Town would produce the ire of the residents incurring the extra costs…I was assured by not just one Choice representative but a few that said they were required to bring in all of the cans to not breech their contract with the Town …but they [Choice] had worked out a deal with the Town where Choice would be allowed to go to each property and allow an “exception” thereby alleviating the extra cans…and I assumed the extra cost….I am now being told that the properties may have less garbage cans BUT must still pay per dwelling unit!…I have been unsuccessful with receiving a call back from Choice…and it is quite a shock!…I hope they have not been told as the outgoing Fire Marshal was that they are “not allowed” to speak to me, a taxpayer and a customer!… One quite interesting point made by a totally inept Asst. Town Manager on the 24th of Feb……He said the Town was leaning towards carts rather than dumpsters at multi- family properties …quite surprising to re-read especially after the 1 cubic yd dumpster was introduced last meeting by the administration to alleviate the “too many cans” problem…Hmmmm…You will also see below the difference in the old contract and the 2009 Colon Waste RFP ….contrary to the “story” being told by Comm. Clottey and the Administration of dirty deals happening with the previous provider…The changes that we are dealing with come directly from the Town Manager and her unilateral decisions…It’s her contract changes and her desire for more fees…plain and straight!..
Of Note…This was one of the many RFPs that were read aloud at the time the bids were opened…YEP!…
Here’s The Scoop…LBTS Pre- Proposal Conference For Waste, Bulk Waste and Recycling Services….Including…. ALERT FOR DUPLEXES….FOURPLEXES…..CODE/ FEE CHANGE….
Tuesday Feb 24,2009…Non- Manadatory Pre- Proposal Conference….10 am-Jarvis Hall…
(previous public notices RFP-below)
TOWN of LBTS
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
RFP 09-02-01
FOR SOLID WASTE,BULK,WASTE,AND RECYCLING COLLECTION SERVICES
specifications may be obtained at a cost of $10 from the office of the Clerk Town Hall
A NON-MANDATORY PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE will be held at Jarvis Hall at 10 am on 2/24/09…Proposal shall be received on or before 2 pm 3/10/09 where shortly thereafter proposal will be opened and read aloud. 1 original and 5 copies must be submitted in sealed packaging and all clearly marked on all outer package and/ or envelope “Sealed Proposal RFP #09-02-01 Solid Waste , Bulk Waste and Recycling Collection Services. Late proposals not to be considered.
RFP includes the following-
Section 1-Background information/Sec. 2- General instructions/Sec. 3- Terms & Conditions/ Sec. 4- Qualification Package Forms/ Sec. 5-Cost Package Forms/ Sec. 6-Agreement
The Town of LBTS reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, to waive any and all informalities, and to accept or reject all or any part of ant proposal as they deem to be in best interest of the citizens of LBTS or the Town of LBTS may reject proposal and re-advertise. June White, Town Clerk
The meeting was a little late in starting…due to the hall being locked…and the staff unaware of the meeting itself…although it was published in the Sentinel…
After a visit to Town Hall for a second time…Asst. John Olinzock arrived around 10:15 offering up reasons for his tardiness…being noticeably “under the weather” and already behind in a very busy day that includes “Taste of the Beach.”…
Arriving to the conference were three companies…Waste management -our current provider represented by Tony Spadaccia, Government Affairs and an attorney…John F. Ferguson of Choice Waste…and Republic Services attendee, Damon Stinson,Director of Municipal Affairs
Choice e-mail: [email protected]
http://www.republicservices.com/
It was most unfortunate to watch how the Town was represented in this conference with many issues coming up in need of clarification above the Asst. Manager’s pay grade and issues about the requirements themselves being vague…. out of date…. or just plain wrong….
ALERT……MULTI-FAMILY UNIT OWNERS…..
The one that really caught this writer’s attention is the one that will certainly raise the ire of multi-family unit owners….
The present LBTS TOWN CODE…..
ARTICLE II. CONTAINERS AND RECEPTACLES
Sec. 10-27. Required.
CFC – a fluorocarbon with chlorine; formerly used as a refrigerant and as a propellant in aerosol cans; “the chlorine in CFCs causes depletion of atmospheric ozone”
HCFC, hydrochlorofluorocarbon – a fluorocarbon that is replacing chlorofluorocarbon as a refrigerant and propellant in aerosol cans; considered to be somewhat less destructive to the atmosphere
pollutant – waste matter that contaminates the water or air or soil
fluorocarbon – a halocarbon in which some hydrogen atoms have been replaced by fluorine; used in refrigerators and aerosols
Freon – any one or more chlorofluorocarbons (or related compounds) that are used as an aerosol propellant, organic solvent, or refrigerant
greenhouse emission, greenhouse gas – a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation
|
MARCH 10,2009 ….CHOICE BID…(full post in scoops cat)…..
5. Choice Waste Services-Plantation, Fl-Bond -$50,000./ Res sing. fam.-Duplex $17.92 per mo./ Multi- fam.- $16.97 per mo./ Res. dumpster- $899.42 per mo./ Comm. dumpster- $816.11/ Compacted comm. dumpster- $1436.41 per mo./ Roll out dumpster-$454.00/ Emergency preparedness- vegetation & transport- $20.00 per cubic yd.-debris- $25.00 per cubic yd.
BC- Choice Waste is currently the waste service provider for Fort Lauderdale…with service for recycling town wide …and is just about to be the solid/ bulk waste contractor for the entire city as well…….
The Town had a formula to be followed for the costs…based on the sizes…from a 96 gallon toter-8 cubic yards….to be added to the pick-ups per week…those totals were divided by 30 to come up with the averages…of the costs per mo….they include the franchise fees….
While they included the cost for compacted commercial dumpsters the rep. from Waste management informed me there are currently no such compactors in town to do this….
APRIL 14, 2009 ….CONTRACT GOES TO CHOICE….(LBTS Agenda/Meetings cat.)…
4/14/09 …Town Manager Report…
8. Discussion and/or action regarding RFP 09-02-01 Waste haulers (Manager Colon)
Last month (previous LBTS agenda/meeting category post) Choice Waste Services won the job…now it comes down to the negotiations…and the agreement…contained in the backup online (link below)…The Commissioners threw out some terms they wanted included …but they were not voted on at the time of the meeting…they were just the inclusion desired by that particular dais member…such as Vice Mayor McIntee saying 2 times he wanted new trucks only…NOT in the agreement……He also asked in his “grilling” of the companies if they would take less than a 5 year contract…which does appear in the agreement …with 3 years. to begin with three-3 year renewals…..But did the Commission actually decide to go for less than 5?…Also brought up by Comm. Dodd but not included in this agreement… the 96 gallon toter being the only size allowed…Still in the RFP is the required 96 toter along with recycle bin PER ” dwelling unit”…in a multi-family thus enacting a change from the present choice (pun intended) that lets landlords/owners decide how many toters are truly required by their tenants and on their limited lot size properties…undoubtedly increasing their costs as well….UPDATE…THIS WAS ADDRESSED AND WILL CONTINUE AS IS ALLOWED PRESENTLY….The waste employees will get an additional holiday off…in addition to Xmas…New Years Day…(this needed to be voted on to allow)…The recycle bins and containers will have the Town logo on them and will be replaced by Choice if stolen or damaged beyond repair…in an unlimited number of replacements with no charge to the resident or Town…garbage toters will be repaired or replaced within 2 days…also no charge to residents or Town…Asked for and included “portalets” for special events…(4th of July…with the real number required per the County?)….The Town has the right to change the size of the toters and frequency of pick-ups and Choice “shall adjust accordingly’…with the customers being responsible for the increase or decrease in the costs…The Town can change the billing practices at anytime…(there was discussion at the CIC Town Hall meeting to put it on our ad valorem taxes)……”Corporate Goodwill”…Choice will pay Town upon award the current franchise fee rate on gross single family/residential collections portion of this agreement 3.76% …1X per month will be electronic waste pickups…..a rebate of $20 +/- per ton on all recycled products from Town owned and operated buildings….5 recycled computers (if available) for the Senior Center….Admin. fees $3.76 gross single fam/res. on agreement…The final numbers…Residential Single Family $17.92/ Multi-family $18.37…(the rest of the costs in the backup material…link below)…The Law firm representing Choice Waste Service…Rothstein,Rosenfeldt and Adler…http://rra-law.com/
June 1,2009 is the date to begin…It is 30 days before the Waste Management contract ends…but we hear Waste Management will refund for that 30 day overlap…
Public comment is welcome…Multi-Family Building owners may want to speak up!….UPDATE…A READER GAVE THE HEADS UP…UNDERLINED WAS THE PRESENT ALLOWED LESS TOTERS. PUT IN THE NEW AGREEMENT…..Thanks…Reader…
From angry residents…there is definitely more to come…
Tags: Choice Waste Services, Lauderdale By The Sea Town Manger Esther Colon, local government, Local Politics, Scoops
