Threshold President Responds to Contract Challenge

Diana Gish/KMXT

Did the Kodiak Island Borough assembly break its own rules and unfairly issue a sole source contract to Threshold? Or did the assembly simply accept the only proposal it received for recycling services? Those are some of the questions remaining after Threshold’s contract was approved by the assembly and then challenged the next day.

KMXT’s Diana Gish has more.

Last week, Threshold Service’s contract was discussed, approved, signed and then formally questioned through a "motion to re-consider."

During last week’s Assembly meeting the Threshold contract discussion seemed to get hung up on language; specifically the difference between "bid" and "request for proposal" or "RFP. Chris Lynch serves on the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly and is president of Threshold’s board of directors. I asked her about the source of the confusion.

— (Threshold 1 :34 …not a bid process.")

So what about the concern that Threshold may have been given the contract unfairly?

— (Threshold 2 :19 "…went through the RFP with us.")

Did Threshold Services pull a classic "Bait and Switch" move? Promising to deliver the service for 150 dollars a ton and then later increasing the rate?

— (Threshold 3 :45 "…biggest cost is the shipping factor.")

If the recycling contract that was signed on Thursday is re-considered and then turned down, what would happen to Threshold Services?

— (Threshold 4 : 28 "…hard business decisions I think.")

I asked Lynch what she thinks about the motion that was filed to re-consider Threshold’s contract.

— (Threshold 5 :09 "…with the contract work shortly.")

So why should the Kodiak Island Borough invest the 200,000 dollars it takes to pay for a year of recycling service?

— (Threshold 5 :26 "…which in itself costs money.")

And finally,does Lynch have a predication about the outcome of this prolonged contract process.

— (Threshold 6 :20 "…we’re just caught in a process.")

I’m Diana Gish.