What legal matters are the township dealing with regarding the East Warren Road bridge? Engineer Jonathan Snyder, owner of Effective Technical Applications Inc., has filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania State Police.
Snyder has committed to taking “appropriate action against the individuals who deceived” his company and “received payment for all of ETA’s design and engineering services” on the project, according to a letter, dated Sept. 22, to Timothy S. Wachter of Knox Law, the firm hired by two of the Bradford Township supervisors.
The Knox Law firm is another issue altogether that has stirred many in the township to ask more questions. Why did the township hire an outside firm rather than using the township solicitor they already pay for? According to Supervisor Mark Cline, “(the solicitor) said he had a conflict of interest.”
On Thursday, McKean County District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg Shaffer said that she was aware of the complaint filed by the engineer and stated, “It was referred to the Pennsylvania State Police for investigation due to a conflict within the township police department.”
The officers within the township report to the township supervisors, and the supervisors are part of the complaint lodged by Snyder.
A police report was filed on July 20 by Snyder. The Pennsylvania State Police Lewis Run Crime Unit received a report of theft — Snyder was not named in the report — on East Warren Road in the township. As of Thursday, the alleged theft remains an active and open investigation, according to Trooper Sierra Rooke.
Rooke said another trooper is the investigating officer and is still conducting interviews.
“If and when an arrest is made it will be made public,” Rooke added.
When asked how long an investigation like this one could take, Rooke said, “That depends on how many interviews and consultations the trooper has to do, so the timeline is uncertain.”
On the issue of the lawyer used by the township for this proceeding, Supervisor Steve Mascho has spoken about the issue of the contract and stated, “I called the solicitor, he had not read the contract prior to former township supervisor (Jim) Erwin signing it, with only $10K in insurance.” Mascho continued, “It can’t change after it is signed.”
After repeatedly telling those present at Monday’s township meeting that he wasn’t “allowed to talk about it,” Cline gave answers to some questions that were thrown in his direction.
For example, Bob Cummins asked repeatedly if there were “stamped drawings by licensed, certified engineers,” and Cline responded, “That’s what the lawyers are trying to decide right now.”
“So, you don’t have them?” asked Cummins.
“We could, we couldn’t, I don’t know, one guy said he did, one said he didn’t, when the lawyers give us the answer we will give it to you,” Cline said.
“You guys are in big trouble, here,” Cummins said. “I don’t know if anyone will cover that bridge if there are no stamped drawings by a competent engineer.”
He continued, “ I want that to go on the record. Something is wrong here. Like we told you a long time ago, but nobody listened, all you heard was you could build that bridge so cheap, so fast — but it didn’t happen.”
Snyder charges the following and has submitted documentation to The Era.
Two of the supervisors in the township, as well as the secretary/treasurer, have “supported and enabled Laurel Highlands Structural Consulting, LLC (LHSC) to overcharge the Township $40,000 and get paid $49,000 for design and engineering services performed by ETA for the Project.”
Additionally, “the Engineering Proposal Cost for the Project increased $40,000 from ETA’s July/August 2021 $60,000 Proposal to LHSC’s September 10, 2021 $100,000 Lump Sum Proposal, with no change in either the engineering scope of work or the Project’s scope of work,” Snyder claims.
Snyder also charges that many pieces of correspondence sent to the supervisors are not forwarded to Mascho, instances he can document from June 30 to Aug. 24, 2022.
These are only a few items on a long list of issues Snyder has against Cline, Supervisor LareeSue Behan, Secretary/Treasurer Sue Gibiser, and Laurel Highlands owner Owen Beachy.
For each of Snyder’s claims, the documentation comes directly from the contract, minutes from the township meetings, or email communications to and from various individuals dating back several years.
Township residents found out on Monday an additional invoice for over $375,000 was approved for materials on the project and were not pleased with the decision. One resident stated, “We’re spending all this money when we don’t know if we will be able to use the materials, and won’t be able to sue the supervisors for approving this. We the taxpayers are paying for this, and the screwups.”
Cline added, “I will say that the lawyer told me that anything that happens to that bridge is on (Beachy). That’s what our lawyer told me.”
Though the residents in the meeting did not believe the supervisor and retorted that Beachy is “not even certified,” “he doesn’t have insurance,” and other issues that had been addressed.
“That’s on him,” Cline said.
Thursday night, at the Bradford Area Public Library, several township residents, Behan and Mascho, came together to have a discussion about what matters most to the people of the township. The main question from all who spoke at the meeting was what to do now? Residents want answers, especially now that they realize they might be on the hook for a whole lot of money. They want the supervisors to take responsibility for what has occurred and be more transparent, give more details about the decisions being made before they are made, and they want the two against one to stop.
Much of the discussion was about the bridge.
Don Cummins expressed thanks to both supervisors for coming out to hear what residents have to say. But he added, “I don’t want this to be adversarial, I want everyone here to be able to feel heard, but we don’t think you (Behan) or Cline understand the ramifications of what has happened with this project.”
He continued, “You would not let a contractor in your home to do work with this many mistakes and no insurance.”
He and Bob Cummins explained the two kinds of drawings and why there is an issue right now, “The first set are the bid drawings and are usually marked that way. They are for bidding purposes only. Then, if awarded the job, a set of construction drawings will be marked ‘for construction use’ and these are the ones that the township doesn’t seem to have.”
Mascho reiterated that the only drawings are the ones done by Snyder and that they are the bid drawings not construction. This adds to the issue of insuring the bridge, added Don Cummins.
Though Behan was asked many questions, she did not say anything during the gettogether with constituents.
