Almost two years after first wondering ‘Hey, what’s with that giant green crane?’ Derby Alderman Art Gerckens finally has his answer.
It involves the annual July 4 fireworks, the alleged “hot-wiring” of heavy machinery, and a hint of a lawsuit.
The crane was removed Monday, but, as Gerckens said, “there’s always a story behind the story.”
And here it is.
At an Aldermen’s meeting in July 2013, Gerckens asked if anyone in City Hall knew anything about a large green crane parked next to a municipal parking lot between Caroline and Factory streets.
Gerckens, an active parent at the St. Mary-St. Michael School, had attended a school-sponsored race in the area, and Gerckens felt the crane was in the way.
According to meeting minutes, then-Mayor Anthony Staffieri told Gerckens the crane had been moved there to make room for the annual Derby fireworks show.
The crane remained parked there for the next 17 months, even though Gerckens kept asking why.
Gerckens asked again in September. The Aldermen voted to have corporation counsel Thomas Welch look into the matter.
The city tracked down the owner, Old Colony Construction, LLC, of Westbrook, and sent a letter to the company Oct. 24. The city gave the owner 30 days to get rid of the crane, or else the city would do it and send a bill.
Old Colony Construction general manager Vincent Neri responded with a letter Nov. 17 saying yes, the crane belonged to his company — but the crane had been damaged because of actions by the city.
Gerckens shared the letter and a police report with the Valley Indy.
According to Neri, the crane had been parked in a lot next to the Derby Greenway, and yes, the city had asked him to move it away from the Derby river walk in 2013.
But the company apparently did not act quickly enough, because Neri said he arrived July 3, 2013 and found the crane had been moved to the spot between Caroline and Factory.
Derby companies F. Pepe Construction and Tracy’s Garage moved the crane, Neri alleged.
Neri told police the ignition was damaged and there was a smell coming from the clutch.
Derby police spoke with an employee from Tracy’s Garage in Derby, who said the former Derby mayor’s office had contacted the business and told them to move the crane.
“The crane was in the blast zone of the Derby-Shelton fireworks that were scheduled on 7/3/2013 and needed to be moved in order for the fireworks to continue,” according to a summary in a police report.
Police told Neri the matter was a civil matter, not criminal.
The company then opted to simply leave the crane in Derby.
Neri said the crane incurred $40,000 in damage and that his company “intends to recover these damages from the City of Derby.”
“… it remains in its current position due to actions of the agents and employees of the City of Derby, who, unilaterally and without providing proper notice, ‘hot wired’ and moved the crane without authorization,” Neri’s Nov. 17 letter states.
While Neri’s letter clearly hints at lawsuit, the city held its ground and told the company to take the crane and go. After several more delays in November, the crane was finally hauled away this week.
No one has filed a lawsuit.
Gerckens said the former administration didn’t give straight answers when he first asked point blank at a meeting about the crane.
The fact it took 17 months to get answers is frustrating, he said.
“Did you ever get the feeling you’re swimming against the current?” Gerckens asked. “I asked a simple, innocent question a few years ago and I got the runaround. What’s with the secrecy?”
At an Aldermen’s meeting Thursday, Gerckens thanked Welch for spending time researching and resolving the matter.
