Politics & Government
Lacey Township Served Subpoena for its Business With Birdsall Services
Seaside Heights, Toms River, Brick and Ocean County were also served subpoenas
A subpoena was served to Lacey Township pertaining to the municipality’s business with Birdsall Services Group, a Monmouth County-based engineering and consulting firm that has been under investigation by the state.
The township received the subpoena during the afternoon on Wednesday, Aug. 22. The subpoena asks for any and all records relating to Birdsall Engineering, Township Administrator and Municipal Clerk Veronica Laureigh said.
“It doesn’t concern me because I know from my dealings with Birdsall, anytime we approved a contract with them, we’ve scrutinized them pretty closely,” Mayor Mark Dykoff said.
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On Wednesday, May 3, state investigators executed a search warrant at the offices of Birdsall Services Group. The exact reason for the investigation is currently unknown.
According to an NJ.com story, Birdsall did more than $28 million in business with towns, counties, the state and other public agencies throughout New Jersey in 2011. The company also donated $129,700 to dozens of Democrats and Republicans last year.
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“What happened in other towns, I can’t say. “We’ve always followed a fair and open process when we award a contract,” Dykoff said. “They’re just checking back on transactions and contracts that we had with Birdsall for a period of time.”
Currently, the only business the township is doing with Birdsall is a to be built in Lacey upon Oyster Creek’s closure in 2019, Dykoff said.
Birdsall is performing the study, which will assess existing conditions, development constraints and performing requirements for 798 South Main St., for $22,500.
Dykoff explained that the township’s engineering firm is O’Donnell, Stanton & Associates, Inc. but the municipality seeks work from other firms when an issue is outside of code.
The township solicits RFP's (requests for proposals) for special project engineers in the beginning of each year. The engineers are then appointed as needed, Laureigh said in May.
“Birdsall was selected for their expertise in the area of renewable energy and their familiarity with the power plant properties,” she previously said.
The firm submitted a proposal on April 18 and has been working on the study since.
The subpoena orders the township to provide requested documents for a state grand jury in Trenton at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6.
“If I don't meet the deadline I am in violation of the notice so of course we will meet the deadline," Laureigh said.
Subpoenas are not unusual, she said.
“Such things as subpoenas are part of the normal course of business so it does not phase me when we get subpoenas to produce documents,” she said.
Other municipalities served subpoenas for their work with Birdsall include Seaside Heights, Toms River and Brick. The Ocean County government also received the same order.
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