FOX 2 Detroit Questions DWSD Sludge Hauling Contract

FOX 2 Detroit has a new story raising questions about DWSD's sludge hauling contract with Bankston Construction. This contract was let following termination of the City's contract with Synagro in 2009, and before DWSD began soliciting contracts for a new BioSolids Management Services Contract (PC-781).

Detroit Sludge Hauling Deal Up to Snuff?: MyFoxDETROIT.com

Update: The Bankston contract was approved during the February 23, 2011 Water Board Meeting.  See, Approved Meeting Minutes (here) at pp. 22-23.

For more about DWSD Update, click here.

DWSD Receives a Dozen Proposals for New Biosolids Contract (PC-781)

At the conclusion of today's Water Board Meeting, Deputy Director Darryl Latimer reported that DWSD had received (and was currently evaluating) 12 responses to the Department's RFP for Biosolids Management Services (PC-781).

Responses to the RFP for Contract PC-781 were received on August 17, 2011 from the following teams:

• DTEES/NEFCO
• GeoEnvironment Technologies
• GreenGro Renewables, LLC
• Lakeshore Group
• Praxair, Inc.
• Terra Sync International, LLC (f/k/a American Biodiesel Resources, LLC) 
• Tooles Contracting
• Trinity Environmental Solutions, LLC
• Veolia Water
• ViTag Michigan, LLC
• Waste Management
• We Care Organics

There was no discussion about when a decision might be made about this project.

For more about DWSD Update, click here.

DWSD Proposes to Overhaul Operations at WWTP to Address Permit Violations

In response to Violation Notices issued by the State of Michigan DNRE on November 12, 2009 and again on April 14, 2010,  the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department has submitted a 28 page Corrective Action Plan (CAP). 

The CAP outlines DWSD's plan to bring its waste water treatment plant (WWTP) back into compliance with the City's NPDES discharge permit. The permit violations, discharging high concentrations of sludge (TSS),  are primarily the result of the City's inability to dewater and dispose of sufficient quantities of biosolids (sludge). 

Earlier reports have identified multiple causes of this problem, including equipment failures, inadequate preventive maintenance, lack of spare parts, and limitations on off-site disposal. The Synagro contract, canceled  in January, 2009 under the cloud of scandal, was designed to alleviate some of these problems.

Monica Conyer's Sentencing Delayed (Again)

The Detroit Free Press reports (here) that the sentencing date for Monica Conyers, in connection with her guilty plea in the Synagro Scandal, has been pushed off again to March 10, 2010, from January 15th. The disgraced former City Council Member admitted earlier this year accepting a $6,000 bribe for voting to approve a $1.2 billion contract for sludge hauling contract. 

James Rosendall Sentenced to 11 Months for Role in Synagro Scandal

Earlier today, former executive, James Rosendall, was sentenced to 11 months in federal prison for his role in the Synagro sludge scandal. Rayford Jackson was sentenced to 5 years in prison earlier this month, as reported here. Disgraced former Council Member, Monica Conyers, is due for sentencing on her guilty plea in January.

Rayford Jackson Sentenced to 5 Years for Role in Synagro Scandal

On Friday, November 13, 2009, Detroit businessman Rayford Jackson was sentenced to a 5-year prison term for his role in the Synagro sludge-hauling bribery scandal that also ensnared former Councilwoman Monica Conyers. The 5-year sentence was the maximum that Judge Avern Cohn could have imposed.

Synagro Woes Continue: City of Houston Terminates Contract

Six months after the City of Detroit terminated Synagro's sludge contract for convenience (T4C), following allegations of corruption, allegations which were followed by convictions here and here, the City of Houston has elected to terminate its $28 million contract with Synagro. The issues in Houston, however, center on how Synagro was handling the sludge it was contracted to recycle. Apparently, Synagro was disposing of the sludge in landfills instead of hauling it off to be recycled.

If you're interested in reading the underlying correspondence from the City of Houston, the documents have been posted on the Houston Chronicle's website here.

Monica Conyer's Resigns

Earlier today, "Council Member A," Monica Conyers, submitted her letter of resignation. Enough said.

Synagro Scandal: The Timeline

For those of you who are following the Synagro Scandal, or want more of the back story, the Detroit News updated its blow-by-blow timeline of the scandal (here) to include Monica Conyer's recent conviction.

Update (11/18/2011):  Apparently the Detroit News has moved the above cited story behind a pay wall. Not to fear. The Detroit Free Press published a similar timeline in July, 2010, which is still an active link here.

 

Synagro Scandal, "Council Member A" Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy Charge

Ending months of speculation, Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Monica Conyers pleaded guilty today to a single charge of conspiracy to commit bribery in connection with approval of the $1.2 billion Synagro sludge contract in 2007. Ms. Conyers accepted payments totaling $6,000 in exchange for her vote.

In his statement, U.S. Attorney Terrence Berg closed the door Friday on additional prosecutions of elected Detroit City Council members in a corruption probe in connection with a sludge-hauling contract.

“Today’s guilty plea by Ms. Conyers marks the completion of the government’s investigation of the role that elected members of the Detroit City Council had in approving the Synagro contract, though the investigation regarding the Synagro contract continues as to others,” he said. “This investigation has not uncovered evidence sufficient to support charging any other elected members of the Detroit City Council with taking bribes or engaging in acts of corruption relating to the Synagro contract.”

Click here for the rest of the story from Crain's Detroit Business, and here for the Detroit Free Press story.

Synagro Scandal, Monica Conyers Identified as "Council Member A"

Crain's Detroit Business is reporting that Monica Conyers is "Council Member A" in the Rayford Jackson indictment. Council Member A allegedly received $6,000 from representatives of Synagro to vote in favor of the sludge contract in the Fall of 2007.

Synagro Scandal, Second Conviction in Tainted Sludge Contract

Earlier today, Detroit businessman Rayford Jackson pleaded guilty in federal court to paying more than $6,000 in bribes to an unnamed Detroit City Council member in order to influence the award a contract to Synagro. Below is a copy of the charges that were filed against Mr. Jackson in May, and recently unsealed. A copy of Mr. Jackson's plea agreement is here.

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In January, DWSD formally terminated its contract with Synagro following the conviction of James Rosendall.

Synagro, City of Detroit Agree to Void Tainted Contract

Within days of James Rosendall's guilty plea in federal court to bribery charges (reported here), Synagro Technologies and the City of Detroit have reached an agreement to terminate the $1.2 billion sludge contract at the center of a still-unfolding public corruption scandal.

As outlined in a DWSD Press Release (here) and as reported by the Detroit Free Press on January 29, 2009:

"City officials called Synagro President Robert Boucher this morning and asked if Synagro would agree to terminate the contract. Boucher immediately accepted, understanding the taint that former Synagro vice president James Rosendall’s guilty plea put on the deal.

“I think they recognized that the contract could not be allowed to continue,” Detroit Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. said. “If we have a contract that has been let and approved by the City of Detroit and we have a representative … who has pled guilty in a court of law to paying bribes, the contract at least on the surface obviously appears to be tainted.”

"Darci McConnell, a spokesperson for Synagro, issued a statement on behalf of the company, expressing its disappointment.

“We reached this mutual decision with the city because it was appropriate under the circumstances,” she said. “We at Synagro take our, legal, ethical and environmental obligations seriously, and we are confident that the controls we have in place will ensure that inappropriate behavior will not be repeated.”

"Synagro’s agreement to terminate the contract without a fight saves the city from what would have been a costly legal fight to void the contract."

Click here for the rest of the story

This story is reported by the Detroit Free Press (here and here).