Warren County owes $56,250 over carpet installation deemed shoddy

A New Jersey appeals court panel says Warren Countymust pay a contractor $12,250 for an outstanding bill related to a 2007 renovation project, plus more than $44,000 in legal fees.

The three-member panel on Monday upheld a state Superior Court judge's 2011 ruling that while the contractor breached its contract by doing a shoddy job installing some pieces of carpet in a county building, Warren County erred when it withheld a payment without a written explanation.

"Based on a technicality, that's where the decision went against the county," said Freeholder Director Ed Smith, who was not on the board at the time of the project or original court filings. "Obviously it's an unfortunate decision but I supposed the silver lining here is we were able to get the litigation fees significantly reduced."

The contractor, Knowlton Township-based Aire Enterprises Inc., had sought more than $180,000 in legal fees.

State Assemblyman John DiMaio, a freeholder at the time of the project, said Monday night he vaguely recalled the dispute, but couldn't speak to the technicalities of the county's complaint.

"It's a shame," he said of the upheld ruling, "because if you don't see good quality workmanship you should be able to have it remedied."

Then-Director Everett Chamberlain said he couldn't recall the details of the project and declined to comment. Freeholder Rick Gardner, also on the board at the time,and county attorney Joseph J. Bell did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

The issue at hand revolved around the renovation of the former warden's house, an early phase of a larger projectat the Warren County Court House.

According to the court decision released Monday, Aire Enterprises began the $300,000 renovationin 2007. As part of the project, the contractor installed about 400 carpet tiles.

At one point, 30 to 50 tiles began lifting from the floor and Aire repaired them without issue, the court said. Later, about 20 more tiles began pulling away.

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Warren County owes $56,250 over carpet installation deemed shoddy