City Council Takes Issue with Public Works Department
The Port Angeles City Council questioned Glen Cutler, Public Works Director, over a contract with Exeltech Consulting Inc. This is the same company that oversaw the construction of the Eighth Street Bridges and Gateway.
But the Council was questioning a proposed $164,800 contract with the same firm for the design of a pedestrian bridge. Max Mania said: “This seems like an awful lot of money for a pedestrian footbridge.”
Cherie Kidd said: “It really seems excessive.”
The Council ended up approving the contract 4-3. Brad Collins, Cherie Kidd and Max Mania voted no.
But the Council was questioning a proposed $164,800 contract with the same firm for the design of a pedestrian bridge. Max Mania said: “This seems like an awful lot of money for a pedestrian footbridge.”
Cherie Kidd said: “It really seems excessive.”
The Council ended up approving the contract 4-3. Brad Collins, Cherie Kidd and Max Mania voted no.
Labels: Exeltech Consulting, Glen Cutler
posted by Tom Harper at 5:10 PM
13 Comments:
We don't have city and county engineers here that can design things so we have to pay outrageous amounts of money to outside firms to design them for us?
I see, carry on then....
Wait a minute, fire our damn overpaid engineers that can't design a simple pedestrian bridge !!!
Just to be very clear on this: The amount in question is just for designing the bridge, not for actually building it. Rather than use their own staff, or even hire a new engineer, Cutler wants to pay $164,000 (which would probably pay the saleries for TWO engineers for a year) to an outside firm.
The same firm that had such wonderous cost overruns on previous projects. Their pay is already 25% of the cost of this little bridge - but would anyone really be surprised if it went higher?
Thank God we at least have some people now who are willing to ask questions of the peevish Mr. Cutler. The Devil is in the details.
Thank you, council members, for pulling this item off the routinely rubber-stamped "consent agenda" and taking a closer look at it. It's amazing what staff can consider so minor a matter that it needn't be considered individually, but rather can be lumped together with other "minor" matters to be collectively consented-to!
Sadly,under the City's new policy of preparing only short "action minutes" for council meetings, there will be no official written record describing the specific concerns the council members raised, or Glenn Cutler's responses. So, I'm glad the PDN story supplied these details.
why are we doing this at all? Seems like a colossal waste of money to me
How about Mr. Cutler being quoted that "...state law prohibits bids on professional services." That is NOT correct. State law does not REQUIRE bids on professional services, but it certainly does not PROHIBIT them. I heard the County even offered to use one of their road engineers to design the bridge for the City, but was rebuffed.
There is a retired engineer in Sequim, his name is Robert M. Norman, he worked for many years for JPL Labs on NASA projects. He's a egotistical and cranky old fart but he may be willing to design a simple bridge just to keep his mind active.
I sure would like too have the fancy still on a trailer that he designed and had built. Hell, I would like to have the shop he designed and had built.
Did anyone read Thursday's letter to the editor in which a resident questioned the wisdom of Russ V's selection of his neice to be on the P.A. Chamber of Commerce? The PDN passed the letter on to Mr. V for further comment and comment came there none.
wow, they published a letter?
I don't think there is much love between Russ and the PDN, so that doesn't surprise me.
I'd like to see them publish a letter about Barb.
The way things have been handled at the city has been suspect for a long time. I like seeing the city council take issue with public works, but watch the city circle the wagons. The second player here is the city attorney..you'll see more interference from him if this continues. He's part of the problem.
Yes, I was surprised to see that letter making it into the "Leters" section, but not at all surprised that Mr. V declined to comment on his blatant nepotism ... nor surprised to see that our "newspaper" declined to follow up on this matter.
The PDN is a disgrace and is also part of the larger problem that afflicts Port Angeles. The Gottlieb-Brewer twins are in cahoots with the Cabal, and one member of the Cabal in particular.
Has anyone heard Edna's ads, if you want to call them that, on KNOP lately? Sweet haysoos, what has that woman been smoking?
Sweet haysoos, what has that woman been smoking?
I have no idea but I know where she can get a half pound of 'sweeps' for fifty bucks.
I said that I know where she could get them, I didn't say I would tell anyone where.
"How about Mr. Cutler being quoted that "...state law prohibits bids on professional services." That is NOT correct. State law does not REQUIRE bids on professional services, but it certainly does not PROHIBIT them. "
Yeah, I see how the PDN was RIGHT ON THAT!
What a bunch of worthless city bootlickers the folks at the PDN seem to be. They just print what they are told, without question.
Great.
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