Special counsel investigating parks’ contract
The Metro Parks board of commissioners has hired an outside firm to conduct an internal investigation into an advertising contract from three years ago after receiving a typewritten anonymous complaint.
The board this month hired Drew Piersall, a labor and employment attorney with Zashin & Rich, to serve as special legal counsel to look into the matter.
The complaint, sent in September, alleges that the amount of the advertising contract involving the new Quarry Trails Metro Park was kept below a bid threshold.
The Dispatch asked about the contract. Metro Parks emailed paperwork, including a purchase order, on a $14,002 consulting contract from May 2017 with a Columbus company called Prociso that was requested by Tim Moloney, Metro Parks executive director.
Prociso was to provide digital advertising to “drum up excitement” about the new park, using Facebook, Instagram and Google, according to the purchase order. The campaign was to be two months, with each month costing $7,001. The first month's campaign was to target people older than 18. The second was to target specific interest groups, such as mountain bikers and rock climbers.
For contracts between $4,000 and $49,999, Metro Parks must receive three written quotes unless they are consulting contracts, and this contract was coded as such, according to Renee Telfer, Metro Parks' human resources director. “It's more of a professional services consulting contract,” Telfer said.
Anything more than $50,000 must be approved by the Metro Parks board.
“It's about an accusation that a bid was split to avoid a bidding necessity to bid the contract,” board member Jim Mcgregor said.
“We did not have to approve this,” he said of the board.
Metro Parks is developing Quarry Trails west of the Scioto River near Trabue and Dublin roads. Thrive Companies — Wagenbrenner Development — is building a mix of housing and other uses adjacent to the park. The park's total acreage will be 220.
The entire site, including the park, is more than 600 acres.
Board member JB Hadden said in an emailed statement: “As a board Member of Metro Parks for the last five years, I am not aware of any issue that would cause me to question the ethical standards of the Executive Director Tim Moloney,” Hadden said. “Director Moloney has provided strong and zealous leadership in directing Metro Parks toward achieving its goals and mission to serve the citizens of central Ohio.”
“It is the duty of the Metro Parks Board to review complaints with respect to the operations of Metro Parks brought to its attention,” Hadden said. “We received an anonymous complaint concerning the quarry project.”
Board member George Mccue said it is best to have a fact-finder to figure it out.
“It may be much ado about nothing,” Mccue said.