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Rodano’s supplies take-out food, snacks to work release inmates on no-bid contract.

When Luzerne County work-release inmates get the chance to order food once a week, they must buy from Rodano’s in Wilkes-Barre.
The candy bars and snacks all inmates buy in the prison commissary are also sold to the prison by Rodano’s.
The eatery’s owner, Frank Rodano, is a close friend of Luzerne County Commissioner Greg Skrepenak, and neither money-making venture was publicly advertised to give others the opportunity to apply.
Several tipsters have reported the matter to the media as the public becomes increasingly watchful of county spending.
Prison Warden Gene Fischi said he will accept inquiries from other businesses interested in either work opportunity, but stressed the prison didn’t violate any bidding requirements because inmates use their own money in both instances.
“We don’t bid, because it’s not taxpayers’ money,” Fischi said.
Minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban doesn’t buy that rationale, particularly with Rodano’s sale of goods to the commissary.
Urban said the commissary employs two county workers and is part of the prison, a public entity. The county’s much-touted purchasing policy adopted in 2004 said bids must be sought for all purchases exceeding $7,500. Quotes are supposed to be obtained for purchases between $3,000 and $7,500.
The policy also stipulates the county continually broadens the list of suppliers it contacts for quotes to give many “a chance to earn county business.”
Fischi estimated inmates buy $100,000 per month in goods, including clothing, toiletries and other items, from the prison commissary, and roughly 25 percent is for the candy bars and snacks sold by Rodano’s. Fischi said he did not have a breakdown readily available on what Rodano’s charges the county for each product.
Several attempts were made to contact Rodano and Skrepenak for comment.
Fischi said Rodano’s was asked to supply candy and snack foods to the commissary around 2004. He got the idea from a list of local businesses that had an interest in providing food delivery. The list was circulated when Skrepenak took office, but Fischi said Skrepenak had “absolutely no involvement” in his selection of Rodano’s.
Urban said he complained to Fischi about the no-bid commissary work when Rodano’s started supplying it in 2004.
“Someone informed me it was given to them because of their friendship with Greg,” Urban said.
Skrepenak’s father, also named Greg, publicly thanked Rodano in 2005 for showing him the ropes of the food service industry when the elder Skrepenak opened Big Ugly’s in Wilkes-Barre.
Fischi said he will ask the prison board to consider a change if another business quotes a better price. Businesses that want to sell to the commissary can contact his office at 829-7741, ext. 24, to receive a list of what items are sold.
The county is permitted to mark up the price of items sold in the commissary by 7 percent to 15 percent, Fischi said. The profit is used to pay for library books, legal books, haircuts, cable, athletic equipment and other items for inmates so taxpayers don’t have to foot the bill, Fischi said.
Fischi said he prefers to have a local supplier because the commissary must be restocked quickly and frequently due to the lack of storage space in the overcrowded facility.
The warden said he doesn’t know how much food is purchased by the work-release inmates, but typically, 40 inmates buy food from Rodano’s each weekend.
Fischi said there used to be other restaurants in the mix, but he researched the matter Wednesday and learned that Rodano’s is the only one at the moment.
He said he would consider adding other eateries on a rotating basis, but stressed that interested businesses would have to undergo a security screening to make sure no contraband is sneaked into the facility.
“We have to be able to trust them,” Fischi said.
The county doesn’t have to allow the work-release inmates to order food from the outside, but the option is offered as a “treat” for those who demonstrate good behavior, Fischi said.