From the BCCT.
Boondoggle to make sure that union members get the jobs, or responsible government regulation?
The idea has merit, but I question why any council member would spend their time on an issue like this when the borough is taking a second turn around in the swirling water of a financial toilet. Is this really a pertinent issue today?
If it's about being "responsible", does this mean that there's no responsible bidding process already in place? Or that the bidding contractor is not already held responsible when placing a bid? If so, that's a glaring hole in the borough process and that needs to be addressed.
Maybe it would be better to see five shovels in the ground bringing jobs back to Morrisville rather than one perfectly trained shovel working to government specification?
I know this: All things being equal, if I have the chance to hire a local contractor over a contractor from somewhere else, the local guy wins. I want to spend my money here at home.
Council to consider contractor ordinance
By DANNY ADLER
The Morrisville council will consider a law that supporters say is designed to ensure all public construction and maintenance contracts are awarded to responsible, qualified firms that meet a long list of requirements and participate in an apprenticeship program.
Similar responsible-contractor laws have been criticized for their apprenticeship requirements, with critics saying such a rule restricts contracts to union shops. Backers say that isn’t true.
One backer of the borough’s proposed responsible-contractor ordinance is Councilman David Rivella, a union journeyman electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 269.
Rivella, a member of the borough’s ordinance committee, said the proposal will add another layer of security when the council awards contracts worth $10,000 or more. He said the ordinance in no way is meant to promote union work, or IBEW work.
“It’s about being qualified,” Rivella said. “This ordinance is for all trades.
“I don’t know why, but some people like to say that apprenticeship means union,” he added. “People like to try to tie it to that. There’s not one word in the ordinance that says union.”
As of Wednesday, there were 10,890 union apprentices and 1,430 non-union apprentices in Pennsylvania’s construction industry, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Councilwoman Jane Burger, chairwoman of the ordinance committee, said the ordinance could hurt smaller businesses that don’t have apprenticeship programs and could negatively affect smaller local contractors.
She also called the proposal limited, saying, “This does not cover all of our bids.”
Several other municipalities in Lower Bucks County have similar laws.
A responsible-contractor law was criticized by some Lower Makefield residents when the township enacted its version.
Under Morrisville’s proposed ordinance, contractors would have to confirm that they hadn’t defaulted on any project or been prohibited from bidding on any federal, state or local government contracts in the last three years. In addition to having an apprenticeship program, they’d also have to be free of “willful violations” of federal or state safety laws.
One provision in the eight page ordinance says contractors must confirm that “all employees are United States citizens or properly documented legal aliens (who can legally work in the U.S.).” Another provision would require contractors to adhere to prevailing wage rates and fringe benefit requirements.
Once a bid is awarded, the borough would have 30 days to determine whether the contractor is qualified under the ordinance. The contractor’s responsibility certification, list of subcontractors and their responsibility certifications would be available for public review.
“This actually protects taxpayer dollars because you know who you’re dealing with upfront,” Rivella said. “Basically, if the contractor has not been debarred or defaulted on any projects or doesn’t have any serious law violations, they have nothing to worry about. This is designed to weed out the unscrupulous firms with bad track records.”
The draft ordinance likely will be discussed at the borough council’s 7:30 p.m. Tuesday meeting in borough hall, 35 Union St. The council could vote on the proposal at its regular 7:30 p.m. meeting March 16 in borough hall.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Locks of Love and Gym Night
From the BCCT.
Thank you to all of the staff and students. Job well done!
Lots of donations for Locks of Love
More students than ever participated in the event this year.
By MANASEE WAGH
At least five feet of hair will soon be flying through the mail from Morrisville.
Three students and three teachers got their ponytails lopped off Friday in front of the entire student body in Morrisville Middle/Senior High School. The hair will be donated to Locks of Love, which fashions it into hairpieces for children who have lost their own hair due to medical conditions.
“I wanted to get my hair cut anyway, and I also wanted to do it for the cause,” said sixth-grader Maggie Colon, 11. Wearing the school colors, blue and gold, in her tie-dyed knee socks, and sporting blue paw prints on her cheeks, she left the event gripping several inches of hair in her hand, secured at one end by rubber bands.
Other students wearing blue and gold saturated the gym with cheers and school spirit during the school’s annual Gym Night, a primarily athletic competition pitting one half of the student body against the other.
The afternoon event started with some students and a teacher playing the national anthem on electric guitars. During a variety of games, students in grades six through eight ran in relay races, shot hoops and participated in other contests. In the evening, grades nine through 12 had their own Gym Night with similar events, including dance and cheerleading competitions and an art contest.
Kids were judged on sportsmanship and school spirit, the teachers said.
It was the third Gym Night where staff and students had their hair cut for Locks of Love, said French teacher and National Honor Society adviser Elizabeth Glaum-Lathbury. Each time she has organized the charitable event, the response has grown, especially from students, she said.
“This is a fun event and a great cause,” she said, adding that many students said they wanted to participate next year when their hair would be long enough. Locks of Love requires a hair donation to be at least 10 inches long.
The donors sat in folding chairs over a sheet of blue tarp for the quickest haircuts of their lives.
“I’ve done it twice already. I’ve been wanting to do it again,” said senior Nichole Kamann, 18, holding up a hank of dark brown hair in her fist.
Students from the National Honor Society sold more than $100 of raffle tickets to the student body for a chance to cut a teacher’s hair. The school is sending a $200 check from ticket sales and other donated funds to Locks of Love, along with the ponytails.
While the ponytails came from female heads, teacher Kevin Jones got his head shaved. It’s not enough to donate, but his gesture did raise more money through ticket sales. The rest of the time, Jones ran around dressed up as the school’s bulldog mascot and pretended to cut the hair of people in the crowd with oversized plastic scissors.
After understandably unprofessional cuts, the kids got a chance to have their hair snipped and styled by Barbara Girton, a hairdresser in a Morrisville barbershop. She volunteers to help clean up after the pony tail snips every time the school holds the event.
One of Girton’s daughters was diagnosed with leukemia a couple of years ago, so helping a Locks of Love event is more meaningful than ever to her. Her daughter is now in remission from the cancer.
“This town was very supportive through all of that,” she said. “Anytime I can do this, I don’t mind.”
Thank you to all of the staff and students. Job well done!
Lots of donations for Locks of Love
More students than ever participated in the event this year.
By MANASEE WAGH
At least five feet of hair will soon be flying through the mail from Morrisville.
Three students and three teachers got their ponytails lopped off Friday in front of the entire student body in Morrisville Middle/Senior High School. The hair will be donated to Locks of Love, which fashions it into hairpieces for children who have lost their own hair due to medical conditions.
“I wanted to get my hair cut anyway, and I also wanted to do it for the cause,” said sixth-grader Maggie Colon, 11. Wearing the school colors, blue and gold, in her tie-dyed knee socks, and sporting blue paw prints on her cheeks, she left the event gripping several inches of hair in her hand, secured at one end by rubber bands.
Other students wearing blue and gold saturated the gym with cheers and school spirit during the school’s annual Gym Night, a primarily athletic competition pitting one half of the student body against the other.
The afternoon event started with some students and a teacher playing the national anthem on electric guitars. During a variety of games, students in grades six through eight ran in relay races, shot hoops and participated in other contests. In the evening, grades nine through 12 had their own Gym Night with similar events, including dance and cheerleading competitions and an art contest.
Kids were judged on sportsmanship and school spirit, the teachers said.
It was the third Gym Night where staff and students had their hair cut for Locks of Love, said French teacher and National Honor Society adviser Elizabeth Glaum-Lathbury. Each time she has organized the charitable event, the response has grown, especially from students, she said.
“This is a fun event and a great cause,” she said, adding that many students said they wanted to participate next year when their hair would be long enough. Locks of Love requires a hair donation to be at least 10 inches long.
The donors sat in folding chairs over a sheet of blue tarp for the quickest haircuts of their lives.
“I’ve done it twice already. I’ve been wanting to do it again,” said senior Nichole Kamann, 18, holding up a hank of dark brown hair in her fist.
Students from the National Honor Society sold more than $100 of raffle tickets to the student body for a chance to cut a teacher’s hair. The school is sending a $200 check from ticket sales and other donated funds to Locks of Love, along with the ponytails.
While the ponytails came from female heads, teacher Kevin Jones got his head shaved. It’s not enough to donate, but his gesture did raise more money through ticket sales. The rest of the time, Jones ran around dressed up as the school’s bulldog mascot and pretended to cut the hair of people in the crowd with oversized plastic scissors.After understandably unprofessional cuts, the kids got a chance to have their hair snipped and styled by Barbara Girton, a hairdresser in a Morrisville barbershop. She volunteers to help clean up after the pony tail snips every time the school holds the event.
One of Girton’s daughters was diagnosed with leukemia a couple of years ago, so helping a Locks of Love event is more meaningful than ever to her. Her daughter is now in remission from the cancer.
“This town was very supportive through all of that,” she said. “Anytime I can do this, I don’t mind.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)