Rising Costs of Sandy Surveys Prompts Councilman to Speak Out

The total bills for three engineering firms to assess the impact of Superstorm Sandy keeps growing, and one councilman is claiming that these funds can be used for a better cause - specifically, directly benefitting victims of Sandy.

As reported two weeks ago on Patch, Brick officials authorized a $7 million special emergency appropriation for work after Hurricane Sandy - bringing the total of emergency appropriations to around $29 million.

Councilman John Ducey said at the last Council meeting he had a problem writing a "$7 million blank check," and noted some of the $15 million that has already been spent has gone to engineering firms that, in his terms, "walked around, leaving hangers on doors."  He was referring to three engineering firms that canvassed Brick homes to see about repair or demolition statuses earlier this year. 

Business Administrator Scott Pezarras assured Ducey - who was the only member of the council in attendance at the meeting who voted against the $7 million emergency appropriation - that he would give a break down of these expenditures.

With this additional information, Ducey issued a prepared statement released to Patch and other local media that he is is more convinced than ever that the money could have been better spent.

"As far as I know, Brick is the only town on the Jersey Shore that has retained highly-paid engineers to do this ‘door to door survey’ work, which is a complete waste of money. The engineering bills disclosed that employees of the three firms charge between $75 and $145 per hour," Ducey wrote in the statement.

Ducey said in total, at the point, $375,000 has been billed to the township, with more to come, as the mayor has approved up to $1 million in expenditures. One of the engineering firm's bills is supposed to be voted on tonight.

Ducey noted that one engineer working for the Alaimo Group, Daniel P. Hennessy, charged $135 per hour, and billed the township almost $25,000 in the month of May.

In the prepared statement, Ducey said, “The mayor has this guy going door to door, talking to people, for $25,000 a month. We could have paid a part time worker for an entire year for that amount of money.” 

Ducey also alleges in the statement that all three engineering firms - Alaimo Associates and French & Parello, and Remington & Vernick - donated to the Brick Republicans in the weeks surrounding the approval of the survey project.

Specifically, Alaimo Associates, French & Parello, and Remington & Vernick donated to Friends of Sangiovanni, Brando, Chadwick and Ciocco in the amounts of $10,400, $10,400 and $2,600, respectively, according to the statement from Ducey, who is running against Joseph Sangiovanni for mayor in the November election.

The contributions of $10,400 represent the maximum allowable contribution by law, attributing $2600 per candidate to Republican candidates Sangiovanni, Domenick Brando, Victoria Chadwick and John Ciocco.

In an interview with Patch yesterday, Sangiovanni denied any connection between these political contributions and the hiring of the engineering firms for the door-to-door survey, noting that the funds are done through the campaign's treasurer. 

He took issue with Ducey's characterization of the engineering expenses as "storm profiteering," and added, that those that contributed "might just like us better than they like him." 

At the last meeting Pezarras noted 90% of the funds would likely be reimbursed, and that all monies were being tracked through Sandy funding.