School board awards plowing contract to Prospect company

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NAUGATUCK — The Board of Education chose Eagle Sweeping & Property Maintenance to plow snow on school properties, although the Prospect company was not the lowest bidder.

Board members unanimously approved the Eagle bid Monday because James Trzaski, a borough fire captain who has plowed for the school district for the past decade, is now a subcontractor for the company and will continue to oversee snow removal from borough schools.

“I was surprised that we didn’t see Trzaski’s bid here, but now that I know he’ll be working for Eagle, I feel much better,” board Chair David Heller said.

The board will draw up a one-year written contract to sign with Eagle, according to Wayne McAllister, business manager for borough schools.

Trzaski, as a subcontractor for Eagle, plowed borough schools after the October snowstorm, McAllister said. Until recently, Trzaski owned his own company, JPT Services, which the school board awarded a yearlong plowing contract last winter.

Eagle Sweeping & Property Maintenance will charge a rate of $85 per hour per vehicle, McAllister said. The only other bidder, a Waterbury company named SMC, bid at $75 per hour per vehicle.

Mike Lynch, the school system’s facilities manager, and borough Director of Public Works James Stewart recommended the board choose Eagle, McAllister said. Stewart pointed out the borough is paying all its plowing contractors $90 per hour per vehicle.

Board members said they trusted Trzaski, who will continue to command three plow drivers. He has won the school system’s bid for the past 10 years, except in 2008 when the board had him split the job with Integrity Landscaping, which was co-owned by then-Mayor Mike Bronko’s son.

After about two months, the board ended its contract with Integrity, saying the company was performing inadequately.

Eagle has plowed borough streets before. When the borough needed to remove piles of snow last March to improve sight lines at intersections, Trzaski called Eagle to bring in large plows and payloaders, which was another point in the company’s favor for the school board.

“Eagle has the big trucks that we may need when we have the big storms,” Heller said.