The decision by the Westport Island Board of Selectmen to award the towns snow removal contract to G & D Cromwell has left Evan Holbrook of Woolwich-based Holbrook Excavating frustrated.
Holbrook, whose company came in with a bid almost $6000 less than Cromwell’s, said he felt the board had already made their decision before the process began. The Westport Island-based Cromwell has handled the snow plowing for the past three years.
“It seems to me they made a choice before it happened,” said Holbrook on June 28. “I met all the criteria. The process wasn’t handled fairly.”
Despite Holbrook’s claims, Selectman Jerry Bodmer said the board was within its right to accept or reject any bid it received. On June 28, Bodmer said he anticipated backlash from residents over the board’s decision, but stressed it wasn’t a moral or ethical issue.
“We did what we thought was in the best interest of the town,” Bodmer said. “This was the best bang for the buck. Ultimately the people seemed satisfied with the issue and voted in favor of our decision.”
In their defense, the select board said Holbrook failed to provide a performance bond and did not have a space for storing sand.
“I had found a place to store the sand and apparently that did not get through to the selectmen,” Holbrook said. “As far as the performance bond, I was in the process and would have had no problem obtaining one. I was basically told not to bother because the decision had been made.”
At a June 20 board meeting, Selectman George Richardson said he had concerns over a new contractor handling the snow removal. Richardson cited public safety as a key issue, specifically children getting on and off school buses.
“I’ve plowed snow my entire life. Snow is snow no matter where you are,” said Holbrook. “The learning curve would have been maybe one storm at most. The implication that I wouldn’t look out for kids is wrong.”
The issue brought heated debate at the Westport Annual Town Meeting June 25 as residents accused the board of unethical behavior during the bidding process.
Voters also questioned why Cromwell was given $25,000 of the roughly $308,000 contract upfront, a highly unorthodox arrangement, said Holbrook.
“I’ve never seen or heard of that ever being done,” Holbrook said. “When you have a contract it’s spread out over the three years. Any repairs or maintenance is done within the year you receive the money.”
“To reject my bid without performing due diligence makes my effort pointless and mocks the competitive bidding process,” wrote Holbrook in a June 21 letter to the board.
Holbrook, who also handles snow removal for Arrowsic, said he would consider bidding for the Westport Island contract in the future despite his experience.
“I’d bid again as long as it was fair,” Holbrook said.
