The difference between All-Star and Shaw Sanitation’s prices is $1.53 for trash pick-up, leaf collection and recycling pick-up for each household each week. However, several Council members said there were more factors to look at than just the price.
Council member Gra Singleton referred to a news story by WRAL where Shaw Sanitation was questioned about whether workers were putting recycling in the same trucks as trash. He said he received conflicting answers from different Shaw Sanitation officials.
He also said the experience the two companies had was comparable. Although All-Star has not been in business as long as Shaw Sanitation, the Sims family who owns the contract-winning company has been in the industry for several years.
Singleton said technology was another of his issues with Shaw Sanitation. It took several months before the company updated the website and after each email he sent to the company, he had to call to get a response.
According to Singleton, the Council and town staff prefer to use email for the majority of their correspondence with the contractor, but they don’t want to have to call to follow up on each email.
Singleton also said All-Star planned to create a Garner team if given the contract, adding more equipment and manpower to the company.
Mayor Protem Buck Kennedy said this would make Garner All-Star’s premier client. He said the vote on June 29 was based on a difference in services.
The Council also addressed comments that they gave a political favor to the Sims family by awarding the contract to All-Star, which is run by Tommy Sims.
“I never have and never will give political favors,” Singleton said.
Council member Kathy Behringer said the conflict of interest claim was unsubstantiated.
Singleton said while the Council understands the cost for All-Star’s service is more money, there can be behind-the-scene and after-the-fact costs that citizens don’t realize are there. Often public works staff is used for this costing the Town more money.
Daniel Coleman believes it is important to spend money within Wake County.
“Please vote for Wake County,” he said to the Council.
Benny Moore said he knows the Shaw family and the company provides exceptional service.
“I see nothing wrong with trying to save a dollar,” Moore said.
As the only dissenting voice on the Council, Jackie Johns agreed with Moore.
“I looked at trying to save a dollar for the taxpayer,” Johns said.
Garner’s current contractor, Republic Waste Services, ends Sept. 30. The new contract will be in effect from Oct. 1, 2009 to Sept. 30, 2012.
Four-way stop retained for Heather Woods
The Town Council voted unanimously to keep a four-way stop at the intersection of Old Scarborough Lane and Hadrian Drive in the Heather Woods subdivision.
Town engineer Frank Powell agreed with some residents of Heather Woods that wanted to see the four-way stop returned to a two-way stop.
Powell said the four-way stop was put into place originally to control speeding cut-through traffic. Statistically, Powell said this should not be the purpose for stop signs because drivers tend to attempt to make up for lost time and increase speed even more after passing through the intersection.
However, Powell, who lives nearby the intersection, said many neighbors have children.
Former Raleigh police department member George Passley lives nearby by the four-way stop and said one child hurt would be a tragedy.
“I can’t think of a better location for that stop sign than that intersection,” he said. “We can’t afford to lose one child.”
Passley’s neighbor Allison Ballentine said a speeding driver killed her husband nearly six years ago and she thinks there is no harm in keeping the sign. It’s important to her to keep the stop for the children in the neighborhood, but also the adults.
“Until you experience it, you don’t know the meaning of slow down,” Ballentine said.
The Council agreed. Behringer said safety was the most important component in the decision.
“We do not have any children to spare,” she said.
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