Oct. 3, 2002 – Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's announcement on Wednesday that he is waiving competitive bidding for supplies, equipment and contracted services to fix the territory's sewage system is fine with the chair of the Senate committee dealing with environmental protection.
But to the executive director of the St. Croix Environmental Association, the action appears to be a smokescreen. "SEA is very worried about this latest announcement," William Turner said Thursday.
Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole, who chairs the Senate Planning and Environmental Protection Committee, said he isn't nervous about the waiving of the bidding process. He said it is more important to fix a public health problem than to go through the normal lengthy procurement process. However, he said he would keep tabs on just what the Public Works Department is fixing. "We just want to make sure the funding is utilized," he said.
Cole said he plans to ask Public Works Commissioner Wayne Callwood about such matters at a meeting of his committee next Wednesday.
Turner, however, charged that while the move may appear to be a reasonable way to expedite much-needed and long-overdue repairs, it really is a political pre-election move by the governor.
If the governor truly wanted to speed up the work, he would have waived the competitive bidding process when District Judge Thomas K. Moore hauled him into court a year ago to explain why the government had not complied with earlier federal mandates to fix the problems, Turner said. At that hearing, Turnbull took full responsibility for the situation.
Turner said it is not the competitive bidding process but a lack of will on the part of the government that is behind its failure to fix the sewage system.
James O'Bryan, Turnbull's assistant for public affairs and policy initiatives, said the governor has had the power to waive bidding since he appeared before Moore last year. O'Bryan said he is not sure if bidding has actually been waived up to now. Normally, he said, three bids are required before a purchase is made or a contract is let.
A Government House release on Wednesday said the governor had authorized the Public Works Department "and all associated government departments" to obtain "supplies, materials, equipment and contractual services necessary for the repair of the public sewer system in the open market without observing the advertising for public competitive bidding requirements of the Virgin Islands Code." The emergency procurement procedures are necessary "to protect the public's health and welfare," Turnbull said.
The release also quoted the governor as saying that "as breakdowns occur during the repair and replacement process, the authorization of public exigency will assist in expediting the necessary repairs."
Turner said SEA within a few days will unveil an "environmental justice program" identifying the 10 or 20 worst sewage problems on St. Croix and calling for them to be addressed in the order of their severity. He said the project came about as a result of a meeting with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials, who asked SEA to undertake it.
Efforts to reach the local EPA representative, Jim Casey, at his office on St. Thomas were unsuccessful. Moore said through his secretary that he could not comment on the governor's directive.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
