TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Rick Otto, City Manager
FROM: Bonnie Hagan, Assistant City Manager / Community Services Director
1. Subject
title
Agreement with West Coast Arborists, Inc. for creek maintenance along portions of the Santiago Creek.
body
2. Summary
A four year agreement in the amount not to exceed $75,000 annually, for a total not to exceed amount of $300,000, to perform maintenance in the Santiago Creek. The objective is to maintain visibility and access, provide better flood control and fire prevention, and continue to reduce the incidents of trespassing and unlawful encampments. The scope includes annual or as needed clearance pruning of trees and shrubs, and removal of trash and debris along designated zones of the Santiago Creek.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
1. Authorize the appropriation of $75,000 from the General Fund unreserved fund balance to expenditure account 100.7022.51420.00000 (General Fund - Contractual Services);
2. Approve a four year agreement with West Coast Arborists, Inc. in the amount not to exceed $300,000 for creek maintenance and Authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute on behalf of the City; and
3. Authorize City Staff to file a Notice of Exemption to the County of Orange for the California Environmental Quality Act due to the minor nature of the project.
end
4. Fiscal Impact
The total expenditure for this four year agreement is not to exceed $300,000 and will be funded through General Fund (100).
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 1: Provide for a safe community
b: Provide and maintain infrastructure necessary to ensure the safety of the public.
Goal 3: Enhance and Promote Quality of Life in the Community.
a: Refurbish, maintain, develop and/or expand public use places and spaces.
6. Discussion and Background
Over the last several of years, the area between Grijalva Park and the SR 22 freeway of Santiago Creek had overgrown with non-native plant material and large amounts of debris had collected making the area inaccessible. The Orange Police Department (OPD) noticed an increase in unlawful encampments and requested an immediate clean up.
In October 2018, the City Council approved an agreement with Great Scott Tree Service to clean up four different zones (Zones 1-4) along the creek bed, specifically between Grijalva Park and SR 55 freeway. Location zone maps are provided for reference. The clean-up allowed easy access to the creek for fire prevention, for handling incidents of trespassing and unlawful encampments, and for maintenance work. The clean-up also helps preserve native habitat and prevent the proliferation of non-native trees and shrubs which force out native and other desirable plant life.
After the rainy season in the fall of 2019, the plant material quickly grew back and created concealed areas within the trees and shrubs in Zones 1-4. Based on the effectiveness of the initial maintenance, in November 2019, City Council approved an amendment to the agreement to allow for additional clearance pruning of trees and shrubs in the creek bed. The additional clean-up efforts proved again to be successful.
In addition to Zones 1-4, OPD identified the areas between Cambridge St. and Hart Park and the section of the creek bed east of Glassell St and SR 22 freeway as additional areas in need of maintenance, as they had become overgrown and provided areas of concealment for trespassers. These areas received clearance pruning in early 2020, and are identified as Zones 5 and 6 in the attached scope of work.
In a continued effort to maintain the creek, an annual maintenance program was developed. The scope of work includes removing low hanging tree limbs to allow for a 6-foot clearance from the ground and pruning of shrubs to ensure a clear line of site. Dead or damaged branches will be removed regardless of height and dead or non-native palm trees and other plants will be removed.
A request for bids (Bid No. 190-55) to complete all six zones annually, for four years, was advertised and four bids were received:
|
Rank |
Vendor |
Location |
Bid Amount |
|
1 |
West Coast Arborists, Inc. |
Anaheim, CA |
$330,000 |
|
2 |
United Pacific Services, Inc. |
Fullerton, CA |
$392,774 |
|
3 |
Great Scott Tree Service, Inc. |
Stanton, CA |
$602,165 |
|
4 |
Natures Image |
Lake Forest, CA |
$643,248 |
The lowest responsible bid is from West Coast Arborists, Inc. Staff verified the qualifications of the contractor with references provided. West Coast Arborists has also provided satisfactory tree service for the City for many years.
In an effort to best manage resources, while still accomplishing project objectives, a four year maintenance cycle was developed which identifies four zones per year to be serviced. The maintenance program has been set up to prioritize which zones will be maintained each year based on safety needs and concerns. Zones 1-4 are identified for year one. The year one bid amount to complete Zones 1-4 is $74,375.
The proposed four year agreement includes an annual not to exceed amount of $75,000. The contractor will be directed, based on the maintenance program, as to which zones to complete annually. The total not to exceed amount for all four years is $300,000.
An appropriation of $75,000 from General Fund unreserved fund balance is required to support year one of the agreement. Funding for years two through four will be included in the annual budget process. If funds are unavailable or not budgeted, the contract can be terminated or reduced to meet that year’s allocation.
The project is exempt from provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act under Section 15304, Class 4 (Minor Alterations to Land). The proposed project consists of performing crown raising or clearance pruning to trees and shrubs and will not involve the removal of healthy, mature, scenic trees and will not disturb the creek bed and slope grade. Staff is requesting authorization to file a Notice of Exemption, which is attached for reference.
7. ATTACHMENTS
• Location Zone Maps
• Bid Abstract Summary
• Agreement with West Coast Arborists - Santiago Creek Tree and Brush Maintenance Services
• Notice of Exemption