TOWNSHIP APPROVES LEAF HAULING CONTRACT AFTER DELAY, COMPLAINTS

Leaves collected by the Township that will now be removed

We told you weeks ago about the delayed approval of the $100,000-plus contract to haul away leaves collected in recent months by township workers.

You may recall that six firms bid for the project, but when the two lowest were deemed unqualified, the third lowest bidder was chosen to receive the contract. That bidder was S. Rotondi & Sons Inc. of Chatham.

But at the last February Township Committee meeting, one of the other lower bidders -- Mazza Mulch Inc. of Tinton Falls -- objected to the award, claiming they could handle the work. The TC chose then to table the award until a review could be done.

See the background on that HERE.

But the TC decided to stick with Rotondi & Sons, voting at their most recent meeting on March 7 to award the contract to that firm.

That did not come without another potential delay when the third of the three lowest bidders -- Marilyn Haggerty Farms of Washington, N.J. -- spoke up at the March 7 meeting and complained that it was not given a "fair shot" at providing evidence of its qualifications.

"I wasn't sure that I got a fair shake in that because it all should have come to light in the initial bid," said Leonard Haggerty, owner of Haggerty Farms. "I felt that if I had received the winning bid I would have had a month to get that rectified."

But Township Attorney Roger Desiderio said he had not received any new information from Haggerty. The TC then voted to award the contract to Rotondi & Sons at a rate of $6.94 per cubic yard or $110,040.