ARTICLE: Hacienda Heights to reject trash contract
Stop Athens
Hacienda Heights to reject trash contract
By Amanda Baumfeld, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/25/2009 04:18:24 PM PDT
HACIENDA HEIGHTS - County leaders could reject a bid for a seven-year trash contract with Athens Services that is opposed by dozens of Hacienda Heights residents, officials said Wednesday.
After postponing a decision six times, the Public Works Department wants Los Angeles County Supervisors to reject a bid from Athens and five other trash haulers and start from scratch, according to a March 24 letter.
"(The contract) grew a little bit old," said Fred Rubin, deputy director of public works. "We wanted to cover a little more carefully some of the green issues ... It's been awhile and we want to freshen up our contract."
Unless instructed differently by the supervisors, public works will send out rejection notices by April 6, according to the letter. Then a new request for proposals process will begin.
Athens was the lowest bidder out of six that responded to the Aug. 6 request for proposals. The contract was meant to replace existing residential services provided by Valley Vista Services and Waste Management.
"We followed the process exactly as they wanted us to," said Athens spokesman Mike Lewis. "Now it looks as if someone is trying to say `let's give it to somebody else.' I don't understand that."
Lewis said they will be looking into legal recourse.
Supervisor Don Knabe, who represents Hacienda Heights, postponed voting on the contract several times.
Knabe's office said the supervisor will stand behind the public works' recommendation.
"The supervisor wants what's in the best interest of the residents," said Knabe's spokesman Dave Sommers.
The contract sparked fury with many Hacienda Heights residents, who want to maintain their current trash hauling service.
Many of these residents attended Board of Supervisors meetings to express their opposition to Athens.
"(Athens) had a lower price but they were selling a lesser product," said resident Suzanne Fratto. "There is too much going on with government at every level. We need to speak up and be informed and be vocal..."
The Hacienda Heights contract will award exclusive trash-hauling rights to a hauler for about 17,000 households in the unincorporated community. It is part of a countywide attempt to get away from the free market system and have exclusive contracts in each community.
It is unclear on when the county will begin the new proposal process.
"Everybody spent a lot of money responding to the (request for proposals), Lewis said. "It is very costly to come back and rebid it. I don't know how likely it is that things will change very much now that everyone knows how everyone bid."