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New Hanover school board skips Cowper on school contract

The New Hanover County Board of Education's unanimous decision to decline the proposal submitted by Lee F. Cowper Inc. signaled the school district's willingness to pay a little more for the project if that meant hiring a company on better standing with local governmental entities.

Now, the school system will enter into a $1.5 million contract with Graka Builders Inc. for the renovation work, which includes an overhaul of two classroom buildings plus some additional on-site work, said Bill Hance, an assistant superintendent.

The bid by Graka Builders, which is headquartered in Whiteville, was about $2,000 more than that submitted by Lee F. Cowper Inc.

News that Cowper was seeking the construction contract touched off a debate over whether the school district should partner with someone who pleaded guilty to mail fraud in February after federal prosecutors accused him of illegally billing the county's Alcoholic Beverage Control board $43,000 for additional work while building a liquor store in Porters Neck. Prosecutors contended the money actually financed a detached two-story garage for then ABC Administrator Billy Williams, a structure that Cowper also built.

Before Tuesday's vote, the school board also agreed to send a message to companies with questionable track records by directing staff to formulate a set of guidelines for determining unqualified bidders and possibly a list of unpalatable companies and individuals that bars them from submitting proposals.

"Especially individuals we have had a bad experience with in the past, I want to make sure we have them on that list," board member Janice Cavenaugh said.

While board member Derrick Hickey made a strong case for developing the guidelines, he noted that the school system never had a poor experience with Cowper's firm in the past.

Initially, the board's staff and the project's design consultant, Bowman Murray Hemingway Architects, recommended awarding Lee F. Cowper Inc.'s bid for the renovations, a project expected to conclude by August 2012.

A few weeks later, staff reversed its decision, brandishing Cowper's firm a "non-responsible bidder" and suggesting the school board contract with a different firm.

On Tuesday, board member Dorothy DeShields sought to clarify that the recommendation to hire Cowper's firm came from administration, adding, "This board never considered hiring that company."

Williams, the former ABC administrator, has pleaded not guilty to a count of obtaining property by false pretenses in connection to the billing case and is due for trial starting Aug. 22, his attorney confirmed Tuesday by email. Williams faces as much as 30 months in prison if found guilty.

Moonhowlings » ABC Stores host tasting events

In keeping with our mission to provide excellent customer service, Va., ABC is proud to present the events of tasting store locations across the state, allowing customers to sample a selection of products before making a purchase. Each sample is limited to ½ ounces of spirits, with a maximum of three samples per person, or until a total of five ounces of wine. Please check weekly for new event postings.

Since July 1, 2010, Virginia, almost 90 ABC stores offered tastings, allowing customers to sample products.

Each two-hour ABC tasting.Liquor vendors choose the location and can sample up to three different products, explains Philippe Bogenberger with Virginia ABC.

Each sample is limited to 1 / 2 ounces of liquor or five ounces of wine, with a maximum of three samples of a person. The liquor must already be sold in Virginia ABC store.

“It’s more for the customer service aspect of it, to be able to allow people to have the opportunity to sample new products so when they’re walking through a store if they see that product they’ll think about buying that or trying something new because they’ve already tasted it,” Bogenberger says.

And sales are up at the Va. ABC. Gross sales in fiscal 2011 were $692 million, which is up from $675 million in fiscal 2010.

Tastings have been allowed in government stores since Virginia Senate Bill 26 was adopted last year.

Hopefully, Virginia will maintain control of  its ABC Stores and that McDonnell will get over his obsession of privatizing the liquor stores.  Most Virginians support their state stores.   The tasting parties sound very modern for a conservative state like Virginia.  I can’t believe it actually got through the Delegate Assembly.

Upcoming events

About a month ago, while at a stop light on 234 at WestGate Shopping Center, a car motioned for me to roll the window down. I thought they wanted directions to get somewhere. They wanted to know where to buy liquor. I pointed to the red ABC sign in the shopping center. They looked surprised and told me that’s now how it is in Maryland. Well, this Virginia girl politely reminded them that they were in Va. and we had a state ran stores. This is NOT Md. or DC!!

The flaw in your argument is that the ABC store does not encourage alcohol consumption. They do not advertize at all. They do not promote one liquor over the other. Show me encouragement. They provide it and regulate it. Even the distributors and manufacturers hold the taste tests.

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