LAWRENCE COUNTY LaGrotta raises questions over bids

The company owner contributed to an authority member's campaign.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- State Rep. Frank LaGrotta has asked that the Lawrence County Housing Authority place a hold on awarding a contract to do painting and lawn care at authority properties.
This week the authority board awarded a $236,133.22 painting contract and a $93,330 lawn-care contract to A. General Maintenance of New Wilmington.
But LaGrotta is questioning bids submitted for the job.
Wecare Lawn Care of Youngstown, Ohio, was the only other bidder, according to Robert Evanick, executive director of the housing authority.
No record of listing
LaGrotta said he had questions about Wecare because telephone directory assistance has no record of a telephone listing for the company in Youngstown or the surrounding areas.
Evanick said late Tuesday afternoon that the company's full name is Myer's Drywall and Wecare Lawn Care and it is at 1239 Elm St. in Youngstown.
A telephone number supplied by Evanick to The Vindicator had an automated answering system for Myer's Drywall, Plastering and Supply.
Kevin Myers said he is the owner of Myer's Drywall, Plastering and Supplies. Wecare Lawn Care is owned by his brother-in-law, whom he refused to identify, but said he is also from Youngstown.
Myers said he was not asked to submit a bid and he does not know the other bidder or any of the housing authority board members.
He said they put in a bid after seeing it advertised in The Vindicator legal ads.
"We were joint-venturing on this project," he said.
Myers' bid for both painting and lawn care was $560,000 -- about $250,000 more than the low bidder.
Questioning company
LaGrotta said he is questioning the company that was ultimately awarded the contracts, A. General Maintenance. Last week, Evanick said it was owned by Steve Catale.
Catale is a friend of housing authority board member Gary Felasco's, who is also Lawrence County's treasurer. Felasco recently came under fire when The Vindicator revealed he had not paid property taxes on his Cunningham Avenue home since 2000. The property escaped the yearly tax sale when a "court stay" was improperly placed on it the county computer system. The Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the matter.
Felasco was fired by county commissioners as the appointed tax claim bureau director, but remains the elected county treasurer and on the county housing authority board.
Election office records show that A. General Maintenance owner, Steve Catale, contributed $600 to Felasco in the 2003 election.
LaGrotta said the Pennsylvania Department of State's Corporation Bureau reported it was incorporated just 35 days ago, on April 14. The state lists the company director as Cherie Catale.
Awarded in April
The Lawrence County Housing Authority board initially awarded the lawn and painting contracts to A. General Maintenance on April 8 -- about a week before it was registered with the state -- but the bid was rejected by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development because it was the sole bidder.
Evanick said HUD officials told him they needed to advertise for the work in three newspapers, not just one local one.
Evanick said they advertised again -- this time in three newspapers -- and five companies picked up the bid specifications, but only A. General Maintenance and Wecare submitted bids. Evanick said the other companies did not explain why they did not submit bids.
A. General Maintenance submitted a bid that was $19,890 lower than its original one in April.
LaGrotta has asked for all contact information, including the names of owners of companies, their complete addresses, telephone numbers and all other pertinent information.
Evanick said the information will be given to LaGrotta. He noted that the authority's solicitor is looking at the bidding process to determine if anything needs to be done.
Earlier situation
This isn't the first time LaGrotta has questioned housing authority practices. In March, LaGrotta asked the Pennsylvania Civil Service Commission to investigate the authority's hiring practices since 2000.
"In light of the many questions surrounding housing-authority practices, I have an obligation to the taxpayers to seek answers. I intend to get them one way or the other. If my questions are not answered satisfactorily, I will ask a judge to place a hold on this contract."
cioffi@vindy.com