Published September 10. 2015 04:00PM
Sealed bids were opened on Tuesday night for a new four-year contract to haul garbage and recyclables for Penn Forest Township. The lowest bid was $185 per pull and $75 per ton and was awarded to Waste Management.
Two other bidders, Advanced Disposal Services and J.P. Mascaro each bid lower per ton, at $65 per ton, but the supervisors felt that their per pull quotes of $285 and $275, respectively, were too high and that the overall contract would be less if the township went with Waste Management."We had Waste Management in the past," said former supervisor Paul Montemuro. "We never had any service problems with them, but their billing was a nightmare."Township solicitor Thomas Nanovic said the contract requires billing to be made in a particular way and that hopefully that would take care of the problem.After the meeting, Montemuro said he hoped the current supervisors would pay close attention to the tonnage numbers billed by Waste Management."I remember when we originally replaced Waste Management, our tonnage number dropped significantly, bringing down costs. This is something they need to be vigilant about."Supervisor Judy Knappenburger voted against the contract with Waste Management.The township also opened bids for line painting on 20.7 miles of township roads. The contract was awarded to DeAngelo Brothers of Hazleton for $18,637.34.Also on the agenda was the purchase of two Honda generators as emergency backups for the traffic lights located at Exit 87 of Route 476. The board agreed to spend up to $2,000 for the generators.In other business, the township will hold a grand opening ceremony of the new recreation park located along Route 903 in the township. The ceremony will be a simple ribbon cutting and sign unveiling and will take place at 10 a.m. Sept. 19.