Playland Boardwalk Repair Delayed

Repair to the southern portions of the Playland boardwalk and pier that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy will be delayed, county officials reported during a legislative committee meeting last week. The county had originally reported that the boardwalk would be re-open by the start of the Playland season on May 11. It has been closed since Sandy devastated the area.

Public Works Commissioner Jay Pisco said that after the county had received emergency bids for the project, the county lawyer determined emergency bids would not be acceptable and the county would have to ask for bids through the standard procedure.  The set back is expected to delay the work by about two to three weeks, which means the boardwalk will most likely not open until June. Playland is still set to open on May 11 regardless of the state of the boardwalk and pier, and the rides will be open for business, County Parks officials said.

Democratic members of the Board of Legislators have questioned the administration’s claim that the emergency bids were invalid. They say the county’s emergency declaration should allow for the awarding of contracts prior to the formal approval of Bonding by the BOL.

In a press release last week, Chairman Ken Jenkins and Vice Chair Lyndon Williams questioned where things went wrong and why they did not find out about it until last week’s meeting. They claimed the emergency bids were not rejected until a minority owned contracting firm was the lowest, responsible bidder and that other firms not on the pre-qualification list were allowed to bid on the job.

“One has to question the validity of a claim by the Astorino Administration that the emergency contract provisions have not been met,” said Jenkins. 

The administration maintains that the county lawyer determined the emergency bids were improper and the process would have to go through standard procedure.