Witness: Botti's dad hid cash while IRS talked

The City didn't like the bids on meals for senior because Ken's restaurant was not the low bid. The City change the rules by saying, your Co. must be
within 1 1/2 miles of the Senior Center. In my opinion this shouldn't have happen, the City should have taken the lowest bid and give them the contract. Shame on the City.

Scooby wrote:

The City didn't like the bids on meals for senior because Ken's restaurant was not the low bid. The City change the rules by saying, your Co. must be
within 1 1/2 miles of the Senior Center. In my opinion this shouldn't have happen, the City should have taken the lowest bid and give them the contract. Shame on the City.

Sorry Scum Scooper, you are incorrect!!

I may disagree. Why does the city feel that the caterer must be within a certain distance?

As I see it, the caterer must only be able to meet the needs, which may include food arriving at appropriate temperature and similar factors.

This does seem to raise concerns... we don't need any back-door deals going on.

Linburger addressed the council’s decision back on Nov. 17 to rebid the senior meals program. A point of contention with Linburger was the distance requirement stipulated in the current bid that Linburger alleges wasn’t in previous agreements. The current bid requires bidders be within 1.5 miles from the Maxwell Center located off of Center Street. Linburger contends that the distance requirement limits who can bid on the contract and restricts competition from otherwise qualified bidders. In a later response, Deer Park City Manager Ron Crabtree clarified this stipulation:

“Previous contracts for this program called for the meals to be delivered to the Maxwell Center by the supplier of the meals. However, in fact the staff who deliver the meals to the home bound seniors had been picking up the meals at the restaurant and delivering them from there in order to maintain better temperature control of these home delivered meals. While the bids that were rejected on the 17th were rejected for other reasons, when we reviewed the specifications for this program before advertising for new bids, we noticed the specifications still stated that the vendor would deliver the meals to the Maxwell Center. That has not been the practice in the past and that is not what we wanted in the future. We changed the bid specs to state that the city staff would pick-up the meals for delivery to the home bounds seniors and that the provider of the meals would have to be located within 1 ½ miles of the Maxwell Center. This was added in order to manage the city’s costs of picking up the meals and further to aid in maintaining proper temperatures for the meals.”

Have you eaten one on the meals that Ken's provided?:(

OK... in that case, I STILL don't understand why they would require a 1.5 mile limitation to the Maxwell Center.

If a staff member is picking up the meals and delivering to homebound seniors, it's irrelevant, unless the staff member has to return to the Maxwell Center between every stop (for some silly reason). The "added costs" of picking up the meals would be marginal to overall costs.

To insure proper temperatures were maintained is also a moot point, as there are products made specifically for the purpose of keeping food at the proper temperature for such mobile catering services.

It sounds like someone may be spending a dime to save a nickel.

If the city is going to use staff members for the delivery, rather than relying on the vendor to deliver the meals, then they should invest in the proper equipment to transport the meals. If that is cost prohibitive, then perhaps they should contract with a vendor that is properly equipped for such catering services.

Otto and Pretzel,

I cannot understand a 1.5 mile requirement.
Is this a 1.5 radius or driving distance?
How many vendors meet this requirement?
Do all drivers start out from Maxwell?

Are these the same meals that Becky referred to as one of the reasons that DP did not need HCT?

Are these meals the ones that are delivered in the Parks and Rec vehicles?

"This was added in order to manage the city’s costs of picking up the meals" Yet DP drives to Lowes in Pasadena with two people in the truck to pick up a few pieces of lumber. Get Real.

If meals are delivered daily to a clientele living within a certain distance of the Maxwell Center, it seems reasonable to find a meal provider within that same area in order to limit driving costs for the deliverers.

You've got to make some kind of restriction on location. Otherwise, it would be possible for a company in Tomball to win the Deer Park contract and ask your drivers to come pick up the meals for delivery to the geezers.

So someone makes a decision about the location limitations on the contract proposals and the Deer Park birther morons criticize them. That's what I love about this forum.

the city changed the rules AFTER (BROTHER-IN-LAW)resturant did not get the contract as usual.

red dawn wrote:

the city changed the rules AFTER (BROTHER-IN-LAW)resturant did not get the contract as usual.

Please explain

its called kick-backs bill-- hand in the cookie jar cash under the table

Hezekiah wrote:

If meals are delivered daily to a clientele living within a certain distance of the Maxwell Center, it seems reasonable to find a meal provider within that same area in order to limit driving costs for the deliverers.
You've got to make some kind of restriction on location. Otherwise, it would be possible for a company in Tomball to win the Deer Park contract and ask your drivers to come pick up the meals for delivery to the geezers.
So someone makes a decision about the location limitations on the contract proposals and the Deer Park birther morons criticize them. That's what I love about this forum.

As usual, you try to jump in and talk about something that you know absolutely nothing about.

By the same token, it doesn't matter where the food is prepared. There are caterers all over the Metro area that are well equipped to prepare and deliver meals, kept at the proper temperatures. So, it's really a moot point. If the city can blow a million dollars every year to support a golf course, we can surely come up with the funds to either hire a professional caterer or purchase the proper equipment to keep the food at the proper temperature, if they insist on having our own personnel handle the task of delivery.

red dawn wrote:

its called kick-backs bill-- hand in the cookie jar cash under the table

Tell me you are joking! Certainly you don't really believe that might happen in our fine city. The only kick back I got was with my saw.

Cornbread has better food than Ken's. Bill khows that kick backs happen in our fine City.

My family receives these meals here in DP now. They used to get the ones in LaPorte, when they lived in LP. They rave about the ones here in DP and compliment the courtious people that deliver them to their door. Now, my Father (garbage disposal as we loving call him) will eat just about anything, except for the meals that used to come to them from LaPorte. He just couldn't handle them.
We are fortunate to have these available to our families. I know it saves me quite a bit of running and cooking; donations are accepted and made, at least by my family, which helps with the expenses that P&R takes on by having such wonderful meals. I really do not care how the bids are done or who wins them. Just make the food edible and nutritous for our seniors so they aren't starving. There are too many seniors who cannot take care of themselves and who may not have family to do so either or take the time and this may be their only "good" meal. Applaud them for that service !!!

DPTX wrote:

<quoted text>As usual, you try to jump in and talk about something that you know absolutely nothing about.
By the same token, it doesn't matter where the food is prepared. There are caterers all over the Metro area that are well equipped to prepare and deliver meals, kept at the proper temperatures. So, it's really a moot point. If the city can blow a million dollars every year to support a golf course, we can surely come up with the funds to either hire a professional caterer or purchase the proper equipment to keep the food at the proper temperature, if they insist on having our own personnel handle the task of delivery.

I don't know much about this but I guess it is a bit comical to want to save a little money with the food delivery when lots could be saved in other areas. But hey, I guess you gotta start somewhere :-)

red dawn wrote:

its called kick-backs bill-- hand in the cookie jar cash under the table

Surely you jest. Surely there is no "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" goin' on...

Deer Park seems to be a bastion of Socialism.

Isn't anyone mad about your tax money being stolen from your pockets just to feed a bunch of geezers well past their functional use to society?

HEZ-- deer park feeds the geezers food-- all you want to feed them is socialist B S.

Hezekiah wrote:

Deer Park seems to be a bastion of Socialism.
Isn't anyone mad about your tax money being stolen from your pockets just to feed a bunch of geezers well past their functional use to society?

I think in your case, HEZ, we need to stop feeding YOU NOW because you are ALREADY past your functional use to society no matter what age you may be.

I'm on your side, notmesezi. I'm also a Socialist who believes we should take care of people who need help.

I'm just wondering why the usual suspects aren't howling about their tax money being stolen to feed your peeps.