Tempers flared over questions about a sewer line replacement project, prompting one Lansford Borough councilman to walk out of the meeting Wednesday night.

Councilman Joe Butrie told council that the East Front Street sewer work, undertaken as an emergency project last fall, was complete, but another break was found in a line across the road.

He was going to meet with ARRO Engineering, the borough engineer, to discuss the new break, which is about 10½ feet down, and to inspect the completed sewer project.

Resident Tommy Vadyak questioned whether the engineer visited the site to review the replacement project, and Butrie said that he did, and Councilman Bruce Markovich asked when.

Markovich, the former council president, said he spoke to the engineer Tuesday, and the engineer knew nothing of the project and denied Butrie ever called him.

Markovich also called into question whether the East Front Street project was ever approved by council.

“Council never even approved that project,” Markovich told Butrie, who adamantly disagreed with him saying no and asking him to wait while he checked his records.

“Work is to be completed by Joe Hutta subject to ARRO Consulting review and approval,” Markovich said. “ARRO was never there.”

Butrie said the project was approved at the November meeting, and Markovich said it was tabled. Butrie corrected him, saying it was tabled in October and approved by council in November.

The project was then delayed until the spring at the request of the contractor, and Vadyak said he asked borough solicitor Bob Yurchak if the project then needed to be advertised and bid, and he agreed with him.

“By the way, Mr. Butrie, that project was never advertised. It was never bid by this borough,” Vadyak said.

Butrie told Vadyak that he was wrong and they did get quotes, and Vadyak said that he was going to prove Butrie wrong in Harrisburg.

“You do what you got to do,” Butrie yelled at him, and Vadyak asked him who he was yelling at.

Butrie said he was calm and attempted to explain that he had a letter from a contractor regarding availability for the project.

Time out

Vadyak then pivoted to Shane Monk, the borough’s code officer, who is acting as an inspector on the East Front Street project this year, and the exchange got heated again with council President Joe Genits banging the gavel and calling for a time out.

Genits began to explain that he directed the code officer, when Vadyak cut him off, saying, “He had no business to be down there!”

Genits told Vadyak that he had no business to tell the borough that, and Vadyak yelled that he had every right to tell them that as a taxpayer.

The heated exchange continued with Vadyak bringing up a case from years prior involving Genits.

“You’re out of line now,” Genits told him, and said that he sent Monk to Front Street to post the street for people to move vehicles, as borough workers were busy.

Vadyak said that Monk told him he was an inspector, and Genits said that he wasn’t inspecting anything and he had no reason to question him.

Action in November

Butrie then found the minutes from the November meeting, showing that council approved Joe Hutta to do the work, subject to ARRO’s review and approval.

Markovich asked Butrie if ARRO was down to review and approve the job.

“They weren’t even down there. I talked to Bill (McMullen of ARRO),” Markovich said. “They weren’t even down there. Bill is our sewage enforcement office.”

Butrie again referred to the minutes, showing the project was approved, along with a letter from a contractor regarding availability and that he was verbally told by another contractor that that firm was also busy with other jobs.

Butrie said that he checked with the state association of boroughs, which confirmed the project did not have to be rebid if it was under a year.

Markovich, however, said that council never approved the contractor to start the project, and Genits said that he checked with the solicitor and there was nothing wrong with what was done.

“Council never authorized it,” Markovich insisted. “There is no motion anywhere that says council authorized Joe Hutta to start the project on such and such a date.”

The Times News reported that council first approved the East Front Street project as an emergency in September, seeking quotes and agreeing to go with the lowest one.

In October, council received one quote from Joe Hutta for $19,000 and tabled it after residents said they needed three quotes and offered suggestions. At the time, Butrie said two other contractors said they were not available.

Then, in November, council approved the East Front Street project being done by Hutta for $19,000 under review and approval by the borough engineer, the Times News reported.

Genits pointed out that he was not on council last year, and they had the minutes to go by, and that he spoke to McMullen about the new sewer problem and that he would be meeting with Butrie on Thursday.

Markovich then suggested the project could now go over the $23,000 threshold for bidding and said that it should have been put out for bids. Butrie said it’s two separate projects, and Vadyak began chanting, “Bid rigging.”

Genits called Vadyak out of order again, and told him, “Just cut it for now. Just control yourself, Tommy. You’re not the eighth person on council.”

Vadyak said that he wasn’t the eighth person and told Genits that council could reorganize at any time and he’d no longer be council president and again said that project was never approved.

As the debate continued, Butrie gathered his things and said, “I’m out of here,” and walked out of the meeting just before 8 p.m.

Markovich said that the borough doesn’t have a contract with Hutta but only has a receipt or a bill for $19,000 from him.

“You don’t even have a signed contract,” he said. “I’m just saying you have to do better in the future with this.”

Genits said that it was approved under Markovich’s administration, not his, and Markovich said that it was started under Genits administration without council’s go ahead.

Yurchak, who arrived late due to attendance at another meeting, was then asked about the project. He said that he reviewed the minutes and council approved unanimously last year.

Vadyak then questioned Yurchak about a conversation they had regarding needing to bid the project because of the delay until the spring, and Yurchak did not recall it and was going by the minutes.

Markovich suggested they pay the bill and make sure they do things better in the future.

Council tabled payment of the bill from Hutta until the borough received an itemized invoice/bill for the work.