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http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/0...4b081093372.txt

Valpo firm's contract with city stirs debate

A view of the City Hall greenery Wednesday. Photo by Matt Field
By Matt Field
Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, September 2, 2010 5:11 PM CDT
MICHIGAN CITY — A Valparaiso landscaping firm submitted a much cheaper bid for a city contract in March than its local competitors, causing some to wonder now how it was able to do so.

Lakeshore Landscaping Inc. submitted a $23,255 bid for landscape maintenance at city hall and other areas. That’s a third of the $75,000 locally-based Eastport Lawn Maintenance bid for the project. Another local firm, De Lau Landscape Maintenance Inc., bid $50,800 for the project.

Common Councilman Ron Meer, who has brought up concerns about Lakeshore Landscaping in past public forums, said he had trouble understanding how the Valparaiso firm could submit a bid so much lower than the local firms.

“We should be hiring a local landscaping firm,” Meer said. “I understand that they were the lowest bidder, but it should be lowest and best bidder.”

Calls to Lakeshore Landscaping employees went unreturned.

Mayor Chuck Oberlie, who serves on the board of works, which awarded the landscaping bid, said local companies win bids, too. The contract will be up for bid again in the future.

“To begin with, (Lakeshore Landscaping) is doing work for a significant number of businesses in Michigan City and has a strong track record of performance,” he said, “and secondly, we have an obligation to look out for the financial interests of the city.”

The firm has done work for the city on Franklin Street between Coolspring Avenue and 11th Street since 2003, according to a 2008 letter it sent to the board requesting a contract for another season. That city business helped the firm win even more private business.

Tim Bietry, Michigan City Historical Preservation Foundation board chairman, said the nonprofit association has a contract with the firm to maintain planters in Franklin Square.

“We thought we could benefit from the economy of scale,” he said. “They already had all of Fifth Street they were doing, and they had all of Franklin Street down to Coolspring.”

Oberlie said he didn’t know why the local firms’ bids were so much higher than that of Lakeshore Landscaping.

The wife of Eastport Lawn Maintenance’s owner, Ryan Fly, said she was puzzled by Lakeshore Landscaping’s low bid.

“How are they going to do that?,” said Fly’s wife, who would not give her name, “cause if you look at the plan, there’s no way you can do it for $25,000.”

David De Lau, president of De Lau Landscape Maintenance Inc., said his firm submitted a bid that seemed appropriate.

“I really can’t speak for either side,” he said. We submitted what (we) thought they were asking for.”

[Dave]

Tim Bietry, Michigan City Historical Preservation Foundation board chairman....

Actually, the name of that organization is the Michigan City Preservation and Education Foundation.

Just so as to not confuse it with any other groups with similar names.