New Haven Independent: "My Stop & Shop Bill Has More Detail"

“My Stop & Shop Bill Has More Detail”

by Paul Bass | March 19, 2008 5:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

The owner of fire-ravaged downtown properties laughed off a $1.85 million demolition bill — and said he’s not paying the city until he gets more detail.

Paul Denz of Midblock Developmment LLC made the statements in a letter sent to City Hall Wednesday. It was the latest salvo in an ongoing dispute over the clean-up and future of the middle of the block of Chapel Street between Church and Orange, which was destroyed in a Dec. 12 three-alarm blaze.

New Haven government’s Livable City Initiative (LCI) sent Denz a half-page “preliminary draft” on March 14 of a bill for tearing down his properties (against his wishes) after the fire. The bill doesn’t actually specifically list what he owes. But it tallies a $2.35 million total cost, then notes that demolition of the adjoining Spector building, which Denz did not own, cost $494,000. Presumably, if one subtracts the Spector cost from the total cost, that leaves $1.85 million for Denz’s portion.

That would comport with the $1.85 million figure listed in a demolition lien the city slapped on Denz’s properties in February.

“My Stop and Shop bill has more detail” than the half-page bill the city sent him, Denz wrote in his letter Wednesday.

He wrote that before he’d pay it, he needs to see a breakdown of costs, such as:

Invoices from the two contractors hired by the city, Manafort Bros. and Laydon industries, with drop tickets detailing deliveries and unit costs of materials, times delivered, “the location of where the material came from.”

• Labor invoices with hours and names of all people who worked on the project.

• Costs per hour of equipment used, including “overhead and profit.”

• Copies of contractors’ licenses and insurance certificates.

“I’ve been in the construction business for a long time. What’ I’m asking for is typical,” Denz said in a conversation Wednesday afternoon. When he hires contractors, they know they “don’t get a check” until they provide this kind of information, he said.

Click here and here to read the latest exchange of letters and judge for yourself.

LCI chief Andy Rizzo sounded a conciliatory note when asked about Denz’s missive.

“What [information] we have, we’ll be happy to give” him, Rizzo said. “I think we have” what Denz’s asking for.

48 Hour Deadline

Denz’s letter addressed a second issue as well: Whether the fill trucked in to his site by the city’s contractors is polluted. Denz previously sent the letter studies asserting that the fill is polluted; the city responded that its own test of a sample showed the fill is clean.

“If your office does not address the soil contaminaton issue within 48 hours I will have no other option, but to seek redress with the State of Connecticut,” Denz wrote.

Asked what that means, Denz said later that he’ll probably start by contacting the state Department of Environmental Protection. His concern: Trucking away polluted fill could cost him $350,000 to $500,000.

“I haven’t gotten a resolution yet” on the contamination issue, Andy Rizzo said Wednesday. “The information we have so far indicates the soil was tested and it was not contaminated.” But his office is looking into the matter further. Click here for a previous story on the issue.

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Comments

Posted by: Your Tax Dollars at Work | March 19, 2008 5:51 PM

If the city settled for half of what it's claiming and got the whole mess settled quickly, the property could be developed, go back on the tax rolls and we taxpayers would come out on the winning side.

Posted by: Webblog 1 | March 19, 2008 7:11 PM

It appears Denz's request for all payment invoices and all supporting environmental test studies is reasonable and customary before reimbursement to the city could be considered.

The city has placed a lien on the property, however, a lien does not insure payment. This case will have to be decided in a court of law.

The city may have been within it's right to eliminate a hazardous condition quickly, but Denz is well within his rights to have been consulted concerning the decision to determine how and who would carry out this function. The city did not provide this fundamental right to Denz, or, to Spector.

I do not think the matter will be resolved quickly and I definitely do not believe the taxpayer will come out on the winning side, as Your T$$ At Work believes.

Posted by: James | March 19, 2008 10:33 PM

"I think we have" what Denz's asking for.

Rizzo, come on. Really? Well, actually I wouldn't be surprised if this backwards-ass city didn't have any handle on simple issues like overhead and profit. I would not be at all surprised if the City's record were in such horrible shape and their staff so complacent that they don't even know what they've paid for.

Aside from the names of the individuals working on site (usually their function and hourly rate will suffice) nothing here is anything out of the ordinary. If the City doesn't have this information right off the bat, and it sounds as if they will need to dig a bit to find it, how did they make the decision to pay the bill at all? Is anybody scrutinizing invoices at City Hall? Or do they just get a piece of paper that looks like a bill and pay it? If so, I'm getting out my Crayons and some construction paper and paste and sending the City a bill for a MILLION BAJILLION DOLLARS. Sounds like they might pay it.

Every day it seems to me to be more and more obvious that our City government is nothing but a welfare and patronage system. Please, please, won't somebody of worth run for Mayor next time?

Posted by: robn | March 20, 2008 9:07 AM

I'm very uneasy with the City doing what appears to be a backdoor eminent domain. These costs seem unreasonable for partial demolition and waste removal.

Posted by: dwightstreetrenter | March 20, 2008 10:21 AM

Why is the city in such a hurry to clear that space? It WAS private property...is this a new plan by City Hall to take over properties downtown, hire their own contractors for demolition and stick the bill with the property owner, and then take over custody of these lots when the owners fail to pay the inflated bills?

I just wonder why the city was in such a hurry to clear out that site. There are plenty of derelict buildings in this city; Sherman Ave and Water St have some buildings that need to be torn down too!

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“My Stop & Shop Bill Has More Detail”

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