In the wake of a funding flap over the $159,000 widening of Center Street, city councilors said they are determined to ensure they know the particulars of every significant project before they’ll approve it.
City Councilor Cliff Block said that reviewing project requests ahead of time will ensure “we’re not told something that’s not true” ever again.
Block said the council was “somewhat misled” in August when city officials mistakenly said the state had provided the money for the Center Street project.
It turned out that the city itself had sold bonds to pay for the work five years ago. The intervening time was needed to come up with a design, conduct a traffic study and secure backing from necessary municipal panels, including the council.
The council agreed to award the contract to the Vernon-based VMS Construction Co. last month, with only city Councilor Kevin McCauley dissenting.
McCauley got his colleagues to support the creation of a new panel to review projects that cost more than $100,000 but the details were fuzzy.
“It was vague,” McCauley admitted.
It appears that the mayor’s five-year capital project committee will serve as the review board for projects to ensure they’re still worth pursuing before contracts are handed out, though that could change.
City Councilor Frank Nicastro pointed out that the Center Street project had been in the works for seven years before a construction contract was ready for approval.
He said that the city had already spent a fair amount of money and time on the project because officials had thought at every step that it was worth doing.
McCauley said that projects need to be looked at again in part because of the difficult economy.
McCauley said it’s important the city refrain from signing contracts until projects have been reviewed thoroughly and the facts surrounding them made clear.
But he did not ask colleagues to reconsider the Center Street project.
McCauley said he wants to “make this a positive” by focusing on the review process for upcoming projects.
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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
52 comments:
Block got snookered again. He is a joke as a representative.
If it wasn't for the two months before elections, nothing would ever get discussed or questioned.
so is mccauley who is curling up his tail and slithering into the background on this.
Wary Ward? Art'$ Heart?
MR. block you and the mayor`s staff should go if you don`t what to to your job for the public, Evey job should be reviewed not just in bad times But good times to Thanks MR McCauley you should run for Mayor.
THESE POLITIANS IN BRISTOL CANT FIGURE ANYTHING OUT. THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND. NOT ONEOF THEMCAN GET ANYTHING DONE.
BLOCK RIMKOWSKI AND MCCAULEY TRYING TO ACT SMART BUT JUST CANT MAKE IT. NO CLUE JUST A BUNCH OF NOISE WITH NO SUBSTANCE.
WHOS RUNNING THE CITY THE UNIONS.
Bring back Bill
WOW !!!!! Someone actually watching out how the City wastes OUR money ???
Burn him at the stake .
"THESE POLITIANS IN BRISTOL CANT FIGURE ANYTHING OUT."
At least they can spell, use proper grammar, punctuation, and know how to unlock the shift key...
10:13 AM - let's not...
the whole council is a big joke they certainly do not care about the citizens of bristol.
As a city employee, I remember more than once, Stortz asking about a project or request. "what is the 5 year impact. and are there any other costs associated with this request, such as personnel etc?.
That put a squash on a number of requests.
We need that approach even more so now.
12:31 Thank God your such a Pro at gramar Did you get the point. time to pay attention to whats going on . Not trying to showoff your skills in gramar. YOU MUST HAVE A LOT OF TIME ON YOUR HANDS. GET A LIFE.
Who said they could spell. They cant add. Cant lead.
Ward is lost and leadership not in the cards.
"the whole council is a big joke they certainly do not care about the citizens of bristol."
Uh hello...the whole council is from Bristol. I kinda tend to think the reason they're on the council is because they do care about Bristol. It's the citizens who make these stupid. pointless comments about them that are the real joke.
blah-blah-blah-no-leadership-blah-blah-blah...You're the one who really needs a life...(oh, BTW while you're working on getting that, maybe you could bone up on your spelling and grammar?) Good luck! ;0)
12:33
If we don't we end up with Ward again.
Is that what you want?
3:09 PM,
Sorry, but I can't give much credence to the opinion of someone who can't spell or use proper English.
"Thank God your such a Pro at gramar Did you get the point. time to pay attention to whats going on . Not trying to showoff your skills in gramar. YOU MUST HAVE A LOT OF TIME ON YOUR HANDS. GET A LIFE."
Are you the slightest bit embarrassed at your ignorance? A fifth grader is expected to have a better command of the English language than you are displaying. It's because of people like you that Asia is eating our lunch. Unfortunately you are probably a product of Bristol schools.
Thanks for 5:43 such a brillant mind.
5:43 IS INCONTROL OF THE BLOG .Must try to get a life. He must be very lonely.
This town needs a change in Nov. Ward must go! and also some of the council we need new blood.
Tell the blog policeman go to the new VIP STORE and buy some toys to take up some time. We do have rights even if we went to bristol schools.
3:09 must be friends with 5:43 should buy some toys at vip store maybe it would relax you.
Cliff Block should learn to take better aim at the urinal or dry off his shoes.
McCauley is a Joke...now he is worried about money? He voted to give his union boy's a nice big raise. talking out of both sides of his mouth!
McCauley give call Zoppo and find out what to do next!
5;43 cannot spell,rationalize or contribute anything positive to this dialogue so it might be quite appropriate to write this person off as a loser/loner seeking an identity; hopefully, they never realize a successful accomplishment of their goal.
McCauley for Mayor please!
Mr sept 12 6:22 Must be Mr Mayor makeing that quote Just do your job and stay of the blog.
5:55 AM - 6:22 is not the mayor, but you sure sound a lot like McCauley???
Mr sept 12 6:22 is a liar. McCauley abstains on all votes about the fire department, and he voted against the budget.
We all know McCauley does as he's told.
the whole city council is a joke i do not see the meetings on tv anymore i wonder why?does'nt matter when i did watch it was a joke the mayor never listened to the public anyway i could tell every word was going in one ear and coming out the other
I TIVO'd the meeting because I was out of town last Tuesday night and watched it twice (ouch!) and I still do not know if the City Council is going to do this review, or the Mayor's Capital Expenditure Committee. Does anyone know?
6:34 - probably bothered you that there weren't any info-mercials - your smarts probably can't understand $9.99.
6:34 PM - Once again, your repetitious, nonsensical and poorly spelled ramblings are merely taking up space here on the blog. Even if you had a cogent thought, you're totally unable to express it. Please consider taking some adult ed classes, but then it'll probably just go in one ear and out the other. Too bad!
The city council isn't a joke its real.No education this is what we get. Just a bunch of guys running wild.
Ward still goes to the country club for lunch and to discuss projects. Hard times? Apparently not for him!
You really want to know why McCauley didn't ask the council to reconsider? Why don't you ask the mayor. My understanding is he already signed the contract making any effort by McCauley a moot point, but God forbid the mayor lets any of the citizens who elected him know about it. McCauley's doing what he should be doing and the mayor is not. Start asking questions, folks!
"My understanding is..."
Uh, the problem is that you obviously DON'T understand. McCauley is a puppet. Plain and simple.
Ward has always done things behind the councils back and makes deals, he sometimes can't keep. Like the time he assured Tobacco a city project and couldn't deliver. I think the Mayor of Bristol should be investigated.
How can we get Stortz on the ticket?
It's public record when Ward signed the contract, since the date of signature is right next to it. I wonder if anyone on the Council has the guts to ask to see the contract?
9:30
Or the media???
Where was Kloko and the Board of Finance???
Steve, I was at the council meeting and I don't believe your statements regarding McCauley were quite accurate. McCauley said that he didn't want to discuss the subject in defference to the mayor who was not present and would need to be. McCauley wasn't avoiding anything. He didn't feel it was appropriate to proceed without the presence of the mayor since the mayor signs the contracts in this town.
poster 7:55 9/16. How can McCauley be a puppet when he is clearly speaking against something that the mayor advocates? Your ignorance is apparent. Apparently the previous poster's comments struck a nerve. Ouch!!
The mayor returned before the meeting ended. If McCauley had something he wanted discussed with the mayor present, that could have happened.
"How can McCauley be a puppet when he is clearly speaking against something that the mayor advocates"
...because that was what his master told him to do. Get it now?
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