A $54,000 per year contract with the Colorado-based Environmental Firm of William T. Carlson was unanimously approved by the Oxford Village Council Tuesday night.
The three-year, $162,000 contract will be paid for with monies from the village’s Sewer and Water Fund.
“The village staff does not have sufficient expertise to comply with federal and state (environmental) requirements without the assistance of a professional environmental expert,” wrote Manager Mark Slown in a memo to council.
Only two firms submitted bids for environmental services. The other one, Clayton Group Services, proposed a three-year contract with a cost of $103,500 in 2004, $101,000 in 2005 and $99,000 in 2006.
“It was a very good proposal. Unfortunately, it was a little out of our price range,” said village President Steve Allen.
The village’s previous environmental contractor, CTI and Associates, chose not to submit a response to the request for bids, according to Slown.
Carlson, who was originally recommended to the village by its attorney Robert Bunting, has more than 33 years environmental health experience, a majority of which was spent with the Oakland County Health Department.
He presently works as the senior environmental planner/environmental health officer for the Town of Vail in Colorado.
Under his contract with the village, Carlson will be responsible such things as implementing safe guards to the municipal water system; setting up and conducting laboratory tests as part of a random monitoring program for early detection of misuse (i.e. illegal dumping of hazardous wastes) of the village sewer system and storm water drains; advising village administration of available environmental grants and assisting in the timely applications on behalf of the village; and advising and being involved in the implementation of, “when authorized by the village,” the best practices for storm water management.
Because he lives in Colorado, Carlson’s contract states he will appear “at any village council meeting. . . to respond to environmental issues” provided he’s given “five days written advance notice” and “will be on site within 72 hours if required for a bonafide emergency.”
Carlson will also “be available by teleconferencing on short notice for consultation concerning environmental issues that come to the attention of (village) administration.”
The contract states Carlson will “carry a minimum of $1 million in comprehensive liability insurance” for his “advice and performance of services.” This “protection and indemnification” is something the village attorney “advised (council) to seek,” Slown said.