Bid approval target date faces delay
Although the Rotterdam Town Board has reestablished the Emergency Medical Board, who is going to sit on that board is still being debated.
After an executive session earlier in the evening, the Rotterdam Town Board held a special meeting on Wednesday, March 30, to discuss how the Rotterdam Emergency Medical Board would be organized from the number of people on the board to who would be represented to fairly have all parties involved.
The group was called to reconvene after around five years of inactivity to assist with the bidding process for the town’s primary emergency service provider. Many board members have stressed for months the town is losing out on advanced life support revenue at a time when money can’t be thrown away.
This board in no way is going to relinquish our control of what happens to this bidding process to another entity. We are up here to make the decision, and when it becomes time to make it we will make it,` said Councilman Wayne Calder. `We need to have this as joint venture with all of our medical services.`
Councilwoman Nicola DiLeva couldn’t attend the meeting, but she has pushed for the board to reconvene and assist in the bidding process. The two companies with a known interest in making bids are Rotterdam Emergency Medical Services and Mohawk Ambulance Service, which has led to heated debates on losing the town-based volunteer service.
`The reason why this board was put together in the past was to hash out any problems there were between the police, the paramedics, the fire department and EMS,` said Dean Ronca, member of REMS Board of Directors and past fire chief. `I hope the reason why this board is being reformed is so these agencies can interact together if there are any issues within agencies at calls. That is why the board was put together.`
Four of the eight district fire departments in the town are first responders, but the other half have paramedics at the scene first, which include more rural areas such as Rotterdam Junction. After the merge of White Eagle Ambulance and REMS, the emergency board stopped convening, although nobody at the meeting appeared to know the reasoning.
Deputy Supervisor Robert Godlewski said he was worried about the board getting too big and nothing getting done. Two representatives for the fire district have been chosen to by the Fire Chief’s Association to join the board. One member would represent the fire departments that are first responders and the other would represent the districts having paramedics on the scene first.
Godlewski said he wanted the board to represent all interested parties.
Supervisor Frank Del Gallo joked, `I don’t really care who is on it. I do want it to be representative but which ones, who is to say?`
Calder said there might be some ways to `whittle down` the board, but he wants to make sure everyone is represented.
`Everybody’s got to be represented because if we don’t do it that way, then they are not going to feel like they have a voice, and they need to have a voice in this thing,` said Calder.
Godlewski said he was not sure having two residents on the board would be necessary, but Councilman Matthew Martin said having residents would provide a needed perspective. How those residents would be chosen is still unknown.
`I think we just need two normal residents from the town on the board,` said Martin.
Del Gallo then joked, `That would be hard to find.`
Outside opinion suggested for bids
Near the end of the meeting, Godlewski said he met with the police department and paramedics on Friday, March 25, for a final review of the bid package before going public. Discussion eventually turned to who is going to be reviewing the bids, he said, which led to questioning whether an outside source should be attained.
Godlewski suggested using the consulting firm Holdsworth Pelton, which did a study for the town four years ago about privatizing paramedic services, but to come visit the town, the firm requested $2,300. Godlewski said the price was too high, but to fax the bids to a representative and have a teleconference giving an opinion would cost $1,000.
`I think we should think about it and talk about it, and actually all they will do is give us some advice,` said Del Gallo.
The board ultimately decided to think over the possibly of bringing in the firm for an opinion, but the board would need to approve the supervisor to hire and use the needed funds.
Godlewski hoped to take action that night since the next Town Board meeting isn’t scheduled until the Monday, April 11, agenda meeting, with the final bid decision the following Wednesday, April 13, during the regular board meeting. In the request for proposals published, the date for a decision was April 13.
`The board at the last meeting wanted to move forward and we did and we focused on acting on this bids by April 13, because of the ALS revenues,` said Godlewski. `It might be the cheapest $1,000 you ever spend.`
The board decided to have the town attorneys look into if the town can delay the April 13 target date, which was published. The bid package to any interested party having seven days to submit a proposal.
`I understand why we are trying to rush this thing, but I am a little leery of rushing, because it is so important,` said Calder. `We have waited so long now that I don’t think another few days or a week … is going to make any difference.“
