LAGUNA NIGUEL : City Hires Private Firm for Street Work

The city will be the first in Orange County to use a private contractor for street maintenance--a move officials said will eventually save as much as $170,000 annually--after the City Council’s vote Tuesday night to turn away from county-employed crews.

Everything from repairing potholes to installing sidewalks to emergency debris cleanup will be handled by the Santa Ana-based Charles Abbott Associates after July 1.

Even though Abbott Associates was not the lowest bidder, council members said the company would give the city more flexibility of service, a full-time street superintendent and added control over street repairs.

The council voted 4-1 in favor of a contractor.

Councilman James F. Krembas said he felt strongly that renewing the maintenance contract with the Orange County Environmental Management Agency would have been a backward step.

“There was a point where I came to a real strong belief that (picking a private contractor) was what was going to happen, and is going to happen in a lot of cities,” Krembas said. “I don’t mind being on the cutting edge.”

But Councilman Mark Goodman, who voted against the move, said abandoning the county service and its proven quality amounts to an unnecessary gamble for the city.

“I think losing county service will be harmful to the city, almost certainly in the short run and--hopefully not--possibly in the long run,” Goodman said.

But the other council members voiced confidence in the recommendations given Abbott Associates by two of their clients, the cities of Rancho Palos Verdes and Palos Verdes Estates.

Public Works Director Ken Montgomery said two private contractors submitted bids for the contract, Abbott Associates and MCE Corp. MCE had the lowest bid, at $799,600, contrasted with the $823,348 estimated by Abbott and the county’s figure of $969,000.