Concerned citizen accuses Damascus supervisors of negligence

By TOM KANE

DAMASCUS, PA - Rolf Beck has had it in for Damascus supervisor Bill Gager for a long while now.

He has accused the Damascus road master of improper procedures in the bidding process at least once before and now he is doing it again. But this time, he is aiming his accusations at all three supervisors - Gager, Arthur “Jim” Freiermuth and Jeff Dexter- and adding the voices of other concerned citizens.

However, Beck refuses to identify who the concerned citizens are.

“We’re afraid of reprisals,” Beck said.

At the township meeting on November 19, Gager said that the supervisors had the right to know who their accusers were and be able to face them.

Beck said that he and the concerned citizens have engaged the services of a law firm, Keder, Brooks and Hailstone of Scranton, and are requesting a meeting with the Wayne County District Attorney. District attorney Michael Lehutsky said that he was going to assign one of his staff to the matter, but as yet no meeting has been held.

In preparing this article, Gager said he would not comment until he talked to the township attorney. Dexter was away from the township for a week and was unavailable. Freiermuth did not respond to phone calls.

Beck accuses Gager and the supervisors of ignoring the bidding process that is part of the Class II Township Code. Specifically, he alleges that the purchase and spreading of a dust-reducing emulsion, which cost over $30,000, was not awarded properly because the township did not demand a contract and a bond, which the law requires.

“First, they said the bidding process was not required because the cost was under $10,000,” Beck said. “Then, he [Gager] changed his story and said that the job was done through the COSTAR program. When I challenged that, he said that the job was done through the Northern Wayne COG (Council of Governments).”

Beck’s position is that none of these answers was accurate, and that the job was bid improperly.

Beck further accuses the supervisors of impropriety in two other biddable projects involving the spreading of some material on township roads and the spreading of red cinders on Pintler Road. In both instances, he claims that the bids for the job were opened in private, which is an illegal procedure.

He claims that one bid came in from the Leeward Company at $9,850 and the other was from the Bar Hill Company at around $41,625 and that the project was awarded to Leeward. Even though the low bidder got the project, Beck said the supervisors didn’t follow the rules because the bids were not opened in public.

In an ad that the township ran in the Wayne Independent, the supervisors claim that a meeting was held on September 18 with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (Penn DOT), all the principal contractors involved in the questioned projects, the three supervisors, Beck, Grady and township secretary Karyle Woods. At that meeting, Gager claims that PennDOT found no wrongdoing on the part of the township.

“When I tried to get a copy of the minutes of that meeting, I was told that the minutes were not taken,” Beck alleged.

Supervisor-elect Charles “Chuck” Grady added his voice to Beck’s accusation but said he is not a member of the concerned citizens.

“Rolf is right,” Grady said. “I agree with his accusations about the lack of a contract and bond in the dust-reduction emulsion and for the private opening of those other bids. Rolf is a good watch-dog. I expect him to jump on me if I don’t follow proper procedures. We need that in local government.”

“I have seen a mockery made of democracy in this town for years and I’m willing to take the lead to make it stop,” Beck said.