A small Texas engineering firm has pulled out of its contract to assist in auditing Jefferson Parish's plan to close its public landfill for the next quarter century. Parish President Steve Theriot said the firm, MSW Resources of Texas, landed a new contract elsewhere, rendering it unable to provide engineering advice to Postlethwaite & Netterville, the Baton Rouge accounting firm...
A small Texas engineering firm has pulled out of its contract to assist in auditing Jefferson Parish's plan to close its public landfill for the next quarter century.
A compactor rolls over garbage at the Jefferson Parish landfill in Waggaman.The Parish Council could select MSW's replacement, Providence Engineering and Environmental Group, at its Wednesday meeting at the Joseph S. Yenni Building in Elmwood.
MSW's exit is the latest wrinkle in a saga that began in 2008, when River Birch Inc., which owns a private landfill next door to the public one in Waggaman, offered to dispose of the bulk of unincorporated Jefferson's residential waste for the next 25 years as long as the Jefferson landfill shut down.
River Birch owner Fred Heebe has estimated the deal could save the parish $60 million.
But controversy arose after River Birch said it bought insurance from Lagniappe Industries, a firm owned by former Parish President Aaron Broussard's top aide, Tim Whitmer. Broussard and Whitmer resigned in January. A federal investigation into the matter is still ongoing.
Brian Griesbach, MSW's founder, couldn't be immediately reached Thursday.
Unlike MSW, Providence Engineering was not one of the eight firms to show interest through a public proposal process, Theriot said.
Theriot said Postlethwaite selected Providence Engineering as a subcontractor and the parish Environmental Affairs Department made sure the firm had no connections to River Birch or Waste Management Inc., the current operator of the public landfill. The new agreement still requires council approval.
"I don't believe they were one of the originals that submitted one," Theriot said. "But my understanding is they are a large firm that doesn't have any ties to River Birch or Waste Management."
Partnerships with the two landfill operators had put the kibosh on other firms' attempts to land the audit contract. Postlethwaite finally won the deal in June after the parish officials eliminated the first two choices, Joyce Engineering of Richmond, Va. and Environ of New Orleans, for their ties to Waste Management.
Theriot said the switch in subcontractors won't delay the audit more than a week or two. He said he expects Postlethwaite to provide him and the council with results in the next six to eight weeks.