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D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray’s office today provided DCist with a letter from Peter Schultz, the president of Bowie landscaping company Eastern Gardens Maintenance, in an attempt to clear up allegations made by the Washington Times that Gray failed to obtain proper permits for the installation of an aluminum fence around the perimeter of his home in D.C.’s Hillcrest neighborhood.

In an undated letter (PDF here), Schultz confirms that Gray paid him $572 to coordinate and supervise the installation of the fence with another contractor, Mid-Atlantic Deck and Fence Co. The Washington Times reported today that neither Mid-Atlantic Deck and Fence Co., which is located in Gambrills, Md., nor Eastern Gardens is licensed to perform work in the District of Columbia.

“Recognizing the busy schedule you maintain, I offered to coordinate the landscaping work with the fence installation for a ‘Fence Installation Contractors Fee’ of $572,” Schultz wrote. “This fee included all requirements associated with the installation so that when the project was finished you would have a completed landscaping job and a newly installed fence. You agreed and I assumed responsibility, in return for the aforementioned fee.”

While the letter implies that Gray could have reasonably expected that Eastern Gardens was taking care of any necessary permitting and paperwork, it leaves a couple of questions open. For one, did Gray have a prior relationship with Schultz, either personal or professional? How did he come to decide to contact this particular company? Keep in mind that the Washington Times story today indicated Gray may have gotten a pretty significant price break on this fence — he paid $12,000 for something that another major fence builder said they thought was worth $25,000. For another, did Gray know when he hired Eastern Gardens that they were not licensed to work inside the District? Did Schultz ever make a representation to Gray about this one way or the other?

In response to the above questions, Gray’s office provided the following statement:

“Chairman Gray chose a company just like any other homeowner would, trusting that it would do good work, have the proper licenses and handle everything required, including permits; and like any other homeowner, would not have used them if aware that they were not up to speed on all fronts,” Gray spokesperson Doxie McCoy said.

Schultz did not immediately return a call from DCist.

It remains to be seen what further questions the Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs might have in light of this disclosure. The D.C. Office of Campaign Finance is already investigating Gray’s home repairs.