Why does this city issue the contracts for sidewalk repairs to
contractors who are not domiciled in Gilroy?
“Why does this city issue the contracts for sidewalk repairs to contractors who are not domiciled in Gilroy? Would it be a prudent and wise use of the local taxpayers’ money for the city to use local contractors and their employees for these repairs instead of awarding the contracts to companies located outside our local trading area? Case in point: the sidewalk repairs near Eliot School being awarded to a company from San Mateo.”
Red Phone: Dear Bring It Home, It would be nice to give local contractors the first crack at winning bids, but unfortunately the city is often limited by state and federal laws in the contractors it uses. This was the case with the sidewalk upgrades near Eliot Elementary School, which received both state and federal funding, said City Engineer Don Dey.
“The city follows the public bidding process,” he said. “We put together plans with the specifications and advertise for them. Any bona fide contractor who meets the requirements can bid on it. We don’t limit it. But we can’t give preference when doing public bids.”
The city welcomes local contractors to bid on projects, but it is required to go with the best proposal, Dey said. Sometimes that means a bigger company with more resources will win out.
Where are recycle bins from?
“What are the green bins around town? Are they for donations or recycling and who placed them there?”
Red Phone: Ready To Recycle, The recycling bins are distributed by 7-G Recycling. They are primarily used for used clothing that is too worn out to be donated to a thrift shop.
“Textiles are forgotten recyclables,” said Ken Nijmeh, whose wife, Charlene, formed the company three years ago. “It is very difficult to recycle used clothing because if people throw them in with other recyclables they could get soiled. The idea with the bins is to have them conveniently located to let people recycle items they would normally throw out.”
There are about 15 bins in Gilroy, and about 300 total between the company’s two locations in the Bay Area and Southern California. Once the items are dropped off, they are taken to the company’s warehouse in San Jose, where they are graded and sorted. Any usable items are packaged and shipped to needy people overseas, and everything else is recycled into items such as mop heads and rags.
For more information about the company or to house a recycling bin in your organization, call (866) 606-5192 or e-mail
in**@7g*********.com
.
