WORCESTER, MASS. (WHDH) - The joint venture company in charge of constructing Worcester’s Polar Park baseball stadium has agreed to pay $1.9 million to resolve allegations that it made misrepresentations regarding its allocation of work to disadvantaged businesses, Attorney General Maura Healey announced Thursday.
The assurance of discontinuance, filed Wednesday in Suffolk Superior Court, alleges that Gilbane/Hunt, a joint venture between Gilbane Building Company and Hunt Construction Group, Inc., violated the state’s False Claims Act and consumer protection laws by falsely stating in its bid for the Polar Park project that it planned to maximize participation of woman and minority-owned businesses (W/MBEs).
Once selected to manage the project, Gilbane/Hunt then allegedly misrepresented the status of W/MBE participation to the Worcester Redevelopment Authority (WRA) until the project was substantially complete.
“Construction companies in Massachusetts must live up to their promises to create opportunities for women and minority-owned businesses on public projects,” AG Healey said in a statement. “If a company says that the inclusion of diverse businesses is a priority in an effort to win a public contract, we are going to ensure that they are held accountable for those representations.”
Under the terms of the settlement, Gilbane/Hunt will pay $1.9 million to the state. The AG’s Office will return $500,000 to the City of Worcester as restitution, and thecCity has agreed to...
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