Lowest Bidder Snags Street Sweeping Contract

A company that recently signed street sweeping contracts in Mission Viejo and Newport Beach has now done the same in Lake Forest.

On Tuesday evening, the City Council voted 3-1 to award a one-year contract to lowest bidder Athens Services, with Councilman Peter Herzog casting the dissenting vote. (Councilman Mark Tettemer was absent from the meeting.)

City staffers recommended the council select Athens, which is based in the city of Industry, after rating it higher than its main competitor, Irvine-based Sunset Properties.

City Manager Bob Dunek said the recommendation was based on a technical review and interviews of each bidder, as well as subsequent negotiations during which Athens dropped its bid from about $295,000 annually to about $292,000.

Supporters of Sunset Properties, which has been sweeping Lake Forest streets since 1994, attended the meeting to speak in favor of allowing it to continue its services.

Speakers, including former mayor Helen Wilson, expressed dismay at staff's recommendation in favor of Athens, citing Sunset employees' familiarity with city streets, good track record and community involvement as reasons to give it another year's contract in Lake Forest.

John Howhannesian, president of Sunset, noted that his company had initially made the lowest bid, but Athens dropped its price below Sunset's offer after the bids had been made public.

"We don’t want to be the biggest, we just want to continue to be the best," he said.

Herzog proposed going against staff's recommendation and keeping Sunset on, but was overruled by his colleagues who voted in favor of giving Athens Services the one-year contract, with the option of two one-year extensions.

Athens' Chief Operating Officer Gary Clifford responded to Herzog's concern about making a transition to a new company in the two weeks before Sunset's contract expires Jan. 31 by telling the council that the company is prepared to begin work in Lake Forest by that date.