News
Apr 27 2010
Defunct company fined for ditching equipment
A construction firm is being fined after it apparently abandoned a stimulus road project here and left heavy equipment behind.
Planert Utility, out of Scottsville, did not come back to finish a signal improvement project at Broadway and Bloomingdale Avenue, which was about two-thirds completed last October.
The company and has since gone out of business, according to village and state officials.
Thousands in Fines
Saranac Lake Village Police have issued $9,300 in parking tickets and impounded three vehicles: a bucket truck, stake rack truck and utility trailer.
"The Police Department has attempted to contact them, but there's nobody to contact," Mayor Clyde Rabideau said. "The company went out of business; the phone is disconnected."
Village officials initially thought the company would come back and finish once winter weather cleared.
Trustee John McEneany inquired about a possible parking violation.
"Like everyone else, I thought the company would return and get their vehicles and finish the work, but it became apparent that wasn't happening, so I called our Police Department to take care of the situation," he said in a statement.
Police found registration on each of the vehicles has expired and initiated an abandoned-vehicle seizure process.
Rabideau said police sent certified letters to the last-known registered owners and leasing companies, advising them of the seizure and a $9,300 parking ticket.
Impoundment fees have continued to accrue at $10 per day, per vehicle since April 20, Rabideau said.
Paid Partial Amount
New York State Department of Transportation Region 7 spokesman Michael Flick confirmed Planert is no longer in operation.
"It is our understanding they've gone out of business."
The signal project — generally referring to work on signals, signs and guide rails — was contracted using federal stimulus funds, which are paid out only as work is completed.
"The whole contract was $500,000 for signal replacements throughout the region. There were three in the Tri-Lakes area, and the job is about two-thirds of the way done."
Flick did not know what caused the company to close. But he confirmed that Planert was paid only for work it had completed.
"We typically run an estimate every two weeks, and a check comes out the door sometime after that only for the work that's been done."
Abandoned Vehicles
The heavy equipment had been sitting idle in a parking lot near the job site at the intersection of Bloomingdale Avenue and Broadway since last fall.
"There could be a significant financial benefit for the village if these vehicles are claimed," McEneany said. "(We could) sell them as abandoned property or use them in-house."
Under abandoned-vehicle law, the village could assume title if there is no prior lien, Rabideau said.
"We're going through the motions. If the company is bankrupt, I don't think we would see any cash, but the utility trailer alone is worth $5,000 to $6,000."
Workers Surprised
A person who answered a Planert Utility phone number in the Albany region would say only that the company went out of business suddenly on Jan. 8, without any prior notice to employees. Public records show William Planert owned the company, but the phone number in Scottsville has been disconnected.
Job Completion
Flick said DOT is working to put the signal project in Saranac Lake back online.
"We are currently working with their (Planert's) insurance bonding company to find someone else to finish the job. It should be all wrapped up and completed by the end of summer."
He estimated six to eight weeks of work are left on the site.
Planert Utility, out of Scottsville, did not come back to finish a signal improvement project at Broadway and Bloomingdale Avenue, which was about two-thirds completed last October.
The company and has since gone out of business, according to village and state officials.
Thousands in Fines
Saranac Lake Village Police have issued $9,300 in parking tickets and impounded three vehicles: a bucket truck, stake rack truck and utility trailer.
"The Police Department has attempted to contact them, but there's nobody to contact," Mayor Clyde Rabideau said. "The company went out of business; the phone is disconnected."
Village officials initially thought the company would come back and finish once winter weather cleared.
Trustee John McEneany inquired about a possible parking violation.
"Like everyone else, I thought the company would return and get their vehicles and finish the work, but it became apparent that wasn't happening, so I called our Police Department to take care of the situation," he said in a statement.
Police found registration on each of the vehicles has expired and initiated an abandoned-vehicle seizure process.
Rabideau said police sent certified letters to the last-known registered owners and leasing companies, advising them of the seizure and a $9,300 parking ticket.
Impoundment fees have continued to accrue at $10 per day, per vehicle since April 20, Rabideau said.
Paid Partial Amount
New York State Department of Transportation Region 7 spokesman Michael Flick confirmed Planert is no longer in operation.
"It is our understanding they've gone out of business."
The signal project — generally referring to work on signals, signs and guide rails — was contracted using federal stimulus funds, which are paid out only as work is completed.
"The whole contract was $500,000 for signal replacements throughout the region. There were three in the Tri-Lakes area, and the job is about two-thirds of the way done."
Flick did not know what caused the company to close. But he confirmed that Planert was paid only for work it had completed.
"We typically run an estimate every two weeks, and a check comes out the door sometime after that only for the work that's been done."
Abandoned Vehicles
The heavy equipment had been sitting idle in a parking lot near the job site at the intersection of Bloomingdale Avenue and Broadway since last fall.
"There could be a significant financial benefit for the village if these vehicles are claimed," McEneany said. "(We could) sell them as abandoned property or use them in-house."
Under abandoned-vehicle law, the village could assume title if there is no prior lien, Rabideau said.
"We're going through the motions. If the company is bankrupt, I don't think we would see any cash, but the utility trailer alone is worth $5,000 to $6,000."
Workers Surprised
A person who answered a Planert Utility phone number in the Albany region would say only that the company went out of business suddenly on Jan. 8, without any prior notice to employees. Public records show William Planert owned the company, but the phone number in Scottsville has been disconnected.
Job Completion
Flick said DOT is working to put the signal project in Saranac Lake back online.
"We are currently working with their (Planert's) insurance bonding company to find someone else to finish the job. It should be all wrapped up and completed by the end of summer."
He estimated six to eight weeks of work are left on the site.
