Trash hauler threatens lawsuit against Ridley Park over contract termination

The former trash hauler in Ridley Park has threatened a lawsuit after the borough ended its contract one year early.

On Monday, Borough Manager Trish Hollabaugh received a letter from lawyers representing Raymond T. Opdenaker and Sons Inc. claiming the borough is in breach of a 2023 agreement to haul waste and bulk collections in the community.

The borough ended the three-year contract when it entered an agreement with Ridley Township to handle trash, and expected to save as much as $275,000 with the change.

Lauren Law of Lamb McErlane PC claims in a letter dated Jan. 12 that the borough’s agreement with Ridley Township was carried out without complying with a state intergovernmental cooperation law and cannot displace the existing contract with Opdenaker.

The letter claims the breach of the agreement has caused Opdenaker direct financial harm and asks the borough to reinstate the agreement or pay over $2 million to cover the remaining value of the contract.

Law said the termination appears to be based on a claim that the borough’s lack of notification, four months before the end of the year, is spurious. Both parties mutually waived strict enforcement and the agreement continued without interruption, she said.

The letter requests the borough to confirm in writing within 10 days.

In October, then-council President Dane E. Collins said the agreement with Ridley Township would save taxpayers nearly $275,000 and streamline bulk and yard waste collection.

Late Thursday, an official at the borough, who did not want to be named because they weren’t authorized to speak, said officials were not concerned, believing there wasn’t much to the case.

A request for comment from the borough solicitor Ron Kolla has not been returned.