BY RAY SCHAEFER
Enquirer Contributor
CRESCENT SPRINGS -- Plans for a gate and archway above the city's new park were slammed shut Monday, and one city official said the project shouldn't have started in the first place.
City Councilwoman Claire Moriconi said Monday the city should not have spent $10,000 for engineering work at the entrance to the park at Buttermilk Pike and Collins Road without first soliciting bids.
At issue is a $10,000 check to Stewart Iron Works Co. of Covington listed in a report of expenditures from the city's park fund. City Administrator George Stewart said the gate and archway were not subject to state law that requires competitive bidding for contracts of $10,000 and above because nothing was ordered.
Mrs. Moriconi, who is running in the mayoral election in two weeks against Mayor Ken Robinson, said at a special caucus meeting she did not know what had happened until she looked at city records on Friday.
"And I was very curious and concerned about it because we have to put that out for bid," Mrs. Moriconi said. "That's state law."
Mr. Robinson said the city had the authority to spend the money because the budget to build the park was approved.
"And I thought it was pretty clear that engineering studies had to be done, plans had to be drawn up," Mr. Robinson said. "Once the plans and engineering was done, we were told what the cost was. It was too expensive; we canceled the order."
Said Mr. Stewart: "We had no idea what the engineering was going to cost. You don't know. We probably should have written the check for $9,000 or something maybe, I don't know. It was just money to put up there to cover the engineering."
On Sept. 10, Public Works Director George Ripberger signed a purchase order from Mr. Stewart for the gate from Stewart Iron Works. The purchase order listed the cost at $34,582.09, with a credit for a $10,000 deposit and a $1,500 credit for design concept, leaving a total due of $23,082.09.
A list of payments from the park fund showed a check for $10,000 paid to Stewart Iron Works. "Down payment" is the listed reason for the expenditure.
A second document prepared on Sept. 10 by Stewart Iron Works and signed by Mr. Stewart, Mr. Ripberger and Stewart partner Mark Rottinghaus also lists the $34,582.09 purchase price.
Mr. Stewart said Monday that an order was never placed. He also said the city may receive only about $6,500 back because $3,500 had already been spent.
"The only thing we did was to give them some money to engineer it," he said. "That $34,000 is really an estimate. That's not a firm offer."
Mr. Stewart also said the gate and archway ultimately did not fit the dimensions of the entry and that it would have cost about $56,000 to build one that did fit.
Mrs. Moriconi and City Council candidate John Mullen also said the city should have sought information from other companies that do iron work. But Mr. Stewart said Stewart Iron Works is the only one he knew of that did the type of custom job required.
Mr. Stewart has no connections to Stewart Iron Works.
Mr. Mullen also said the city should have prepared monthly reports detailing what was spent from the park fund since August. Mr. Stewart said the city is waiting for an audit of last year's budget to be completed before new accounting software can be installed to provide the reports.
