Dear Mrs. Traxler:

Governor Haley’s office forwarded to me your recent correspondence regarding your contractual relationship with SCPRT and asked that we look into your concerns in this matter.

I would like to first assure you that SCPRT’s budgetary planning for the next fiscal year has no impact on the scope or execution of current contracts. While this planning may impact the scope of future vendor contracts, the terms and conditions, including conditions of payment, of the current contract are already established and, therefore, not subject to change.

Similarly, the acquisition of the Welcome Centers’ buildings and grounds management by SCPRT also has not altered the scope of work in the existing vendor contracts assigned from SCDOT. Because these contracts were already in-process when acquired, it is reasonable to expect that there would be some adjustments for all parties as SCPRT staff established new working relationships with the existing vendors. Part of this adjustment requires SCPRT staff to become familiar with the exact terms of the contracts; however, it is equally important for our vendors to understand SCPRT’s goals and areas of focus for the Welcome Center facilities – especially SCPRT’s heightened focus on aesthetic quality, which was a primary impetus behind the acquisition of this program. Establishing and maintaining an effective working relationship can be greatly facilitated by open, cordial communication by both parties, which can also greatly mitigate unnecessary confusion.

Upon initial review, it has come to my attention that there may have been instances where Traxler’s Lawn Care has been requested to complete work that falls outside the scope of the contract. Certainly, work that clearly falls outside the vendor’s scope of work specified in the contract is not the responsibility of Traxler’s Lawn Care. That being said, per the contract, Traxler’s Lawn Care is required to satisfactorily complete all work assigned for a specific month before payment can be issued for that month. To date, Traxler’s Lawn Care has been paid through April 2016. The May payment has not yet been issued because all work has not been completed for the month of May. It is my understanding that Traxler’s has indicated that this work will be completed on a subsequent visit to the Welcome Center; however, since that work was assigned for May, we cannot issue payment for the month of May until that work is satisfactorily completed. This condition is not unique to SCPRT’s contract with Traxler’s Lawn Care, the landscaping/lawn maintenance contracts for the Welcome Center program, or SCPRT contracts in general. Like all other state government agencies, we may not issue payment for vendor services unless and until those services are actually rendered.

I hope this letter will serve to assuage at least some of the frustration you expressed regarding your existing contract with SCPRT for the North Augusta Welcome Center. If you have any other concerns or questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Duane

Duane Parrish

Director

SC Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism

1205 Pendleton Street

Columbia, SC 29201

Phone: 803-734-0166

Fax:  803-734-1409

dparrish@scprt.com

http://www.discoversouthcarolina.com/