Median troubles are nothing new for Svoboda

The Lincoln Journal Star has an extensive article today about how Ken Svoboda has had frequent problems with fulfilling his landscaping contracts with the city of Lincoln.

Letters between Svoboda and various city officials show that the city was displeased with his company’s performance on a number of contracts to install and maintain landscaping on certain city medians. Ray’s received written notices threatening to terminate the contracts unless it corrected problems with its work on medians on North 27th Street, West Highlands Boulevard, South 70th Street and 84th Street.

Eventually, it seems, Ken ceased all pretense of trying to do the job:

According to minutes of the meeting, “Jerry Ziems feels that he has done everything he can to get Ray’s Lawn and Home Care to complete this project and it has come to the point where Ken Svoboda from Ray’s Lawn and Home Care is no longer returning his phone calls. He believes there are only two options left: Public works can take legal action against Ray’s Lawn and Home Care or they can take the remaining money from the contract and hire someone else to complete the job.”

In the end, the City gave Ken one more chance and he reportedly spent the entire week doing the work himself.

You have to wonder if anybody other than a sitting city councilman would have received as many second chances.