BOE Hires Plow Company For $85 Hourly Rate

The Naugatuck Board of Education agreed Monday night to give a one-year snow removal contract to a Prospect plow company at a rate of $85 per hour during the upcoming winter.

School Business Manager Wayne McAllister recommended to the board Eagle Sweeping & Property Maintenance Inc., a company based on Route 68, despite the fact that Eagle’s hourly rate was $10 higher than the lowest bidder. Only two companies bid for the job, McAllister said.

The education board then agreed with McAllister’s assessment and unanimously approved the recommendation for a one-year contract to Eagle.

The school district has allotted $49,000 in the 2011-12 budget toward snow removal at all of the 11 school building parking lots, although its likely that number could fluctuate depending on the weather.

For example, in the 2010-11 school year, the district spent $86,000 on snow removal, McAllister said.

In explaining the rationale behind going with the higher cost, he said Facilities Manager Mike Lynch recommended Eagle because it had a responsible bid, and had been previously called in as a temporarily subcontractor during snow-removal efforts in March.

The company had also assisted in removing snow during the historic Oct. 29 storm.

Lynch also discussed the higher price with Director of Public Works James Stewart, who noted that the municipal snow plowing companies are paid $90 an hour, McAllister explained.

Also, the business manager said that former borough contractor Jim Trzaski — whose company JPT Services LLC worked as the main snow removal firm for the schools for five years — also now works as a subcontractor under Eagle.

Trzaski had cut back on his work schedule because he recently got married, McAllister said.

Eagle is a division of Eagle Auto Body, which has been in business for 38 years.