RIDGEWAY – Fairfield County Council members Clarence Gilbert and Douglas Pauley say they were surprised to see an S.D. Clifton, Inc. contractor sign go up Oct. 6, on property near Ridgeway for construction of Council Chairman Moses Bell’s proposed Ridgeway rec center.
“While the bid totals are posted online,” Pauley said, “[council] has not seen the bids or been consulted about a construction contract. And we certainly didn’t approve any contract.”
So far, none of the bids or contracts for construction of projects paid for with Dominion’s $99 million settlement have come before council before they were signed and awarded.
After receiving a photo of the newly erected sign last week, The Voice called, then emailed Bell and Councilwoman Shirley Greene to ask if the county had signed a contract with S D Clifton, Inc. Both texted back to contact county administration for that information.
The Voice emailed Whitaker, asking how the contract could be signed without the bids and contract first having been sent to council for approval.
Whitaker replied via email, “I have a different understanding of the process. I will research your concern and get back to you next week. Have a great weekend.”
Asked to explain his “different understanding,” Whitaker never answered.
By mid-week, Whitaker has not responded with the results of his “research.”
According to the county’s procurement manual, which was adopted in 2014 and amended in 2019, “The acquisition of all supplies, equipment, services and construction necessary for the everyday operation of the County is the responsibility of the Office of Procurement, operating under the direct supervision of the County Administrator, pending Council approval for purchases over $25,000. With the exception of items approved by Council in the annual budget.”
The settlement projects, including the Ridgeway rec center were not approved in the budget.
The county website lists the four bidders on the Ridgeway rec center project. The lowest bidder was S D Clifton, Inc. at $2,386.000.
On the day the contractor’s sign went up, The Voice spoke with Jordan Gray, vice-president of S D Clifton, Inc.’s Columbia office. Gray confirmed that Whitaker had hired the firm and signed a contract to proceed with construction sometime this week.
“How can Mr. Whitaker approve the low bids and sign contracts for the $99 million settlement projects without council’s approval, without council even seeing the bids or contracts?” Pauley asked. “We need some answers to this before it goes any further. We have not even seen plans for the community center. None of this has been discussed, nothing in council.”