• Request for more funds sparks controversy in council.

By JEFFERSON WEAVER
Staff Writer

Whiteville officials plan to meet with engineer Leo Green next week to discuss Green’s request for an additional $172,000.

In a letter to the city Dec. 12, Green requested the contract with his firm, Green Engineering, be amended due to cost overruns and time delays on the wastewater treatment plant project. Green and the general contractor, Choate Construction, have been sharing engineering duties on the project.

Green could not attend Tuesday’s meeting due to ongoing health issues, Ray told the board. The engineer asked that the board appoint a delegation to discuss the matter at their convenience, then bring the matter back before the board.

Since the funding is part of a contract negotiation and will not involve a majority of the board, the meeting will not be open to the public, Ray said.

The request is not the first from the firm, although it is by far the largest. The city has already paid Green $272,776, although the contract was originally for $255,000.

Board members Harold Troy, Howard Jones, and Robert Leder, along with City Manager Josh Ray, attorney Carlton Williamson and other staff will meet with Green next week to discuss the request.

Jones closely questioned Ray on Green’s letter, and said he had not heard of the issue until council received their agenda packets. Jones distributed a copy of Green’s letter to the board, although a copy of the letter was already included in the board’s packet.

Leder was one of several board members upset with the request.

“I am concerned about this,” he said. “This contract was signed in 2004. I can see some changes … I can understand $2,000, $4,000 or maybe even a $10,000 amendment. Things happen. But $172,000 strikes me as being a bit much.”
The private meeting between Green and the city will be held Jan. 30.

Mayor Dial Gray excused himself from discussion of the issue, noting Green is his brother-in-law. Gray has excused himself each time a financial issue with the company has been discussed, although he remains with the council during general discussions and updates from the engineering firm.