Subject:
Title
Request to increase FY19 spending with Ross Tree Expert Company, dba RTEC Treecare, for tree maintenance and removal.
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EXPLANATION AND SUMMARY:
The Department of Parks and Recreation requests additional FY19 spending with Ross Tree Expert Company in the amount of $15,000. To date, Parks & Recreation has issued PO 20190103 in the amount of $30,000 for tree maintenance and removal. The current FY19 purchase order of $30,000 has only $5,300 remaining. This additional funding will adequately address contracted pruning and removal of Town-owned trees that may pose a threat to public and personal property.
PO 20190103 $30,000
Requesting Additional $15,000
YTD Total $45,000
Several factors have contributed to increased tree expenses this early in the fiscal year:
* The weather has been particularly tumultuous this year, from a dramatic wind storm earlier, in the year during which the Town lost dozens of trees, to the historic amount of rain that the Town received, which also makes trees much more likely to fail.
* In addition to the weather, the Town has been dealing with an invasive insect called the Emerald Ash Borer, which has killed every ash tree in Town (and in surrounding areas). When this insect kills an ash tree, the tree very quickly becomes brittle and hazardous and must be addressed as soon as possible in the interest of public safety. The Town also has lost a large number of Norway maples due to an undiagnosed root pathogen, which is more than likely due to consistently waterlogged soils.
* Perhaps the most obvious cause of these early expenditures, however, is the increased prices of Ross Tree Expert Company. Additional expenses include crane rentals and wood disposal; those expenses were included by other contractors in years past. Even with these increases, Ross was the low bidder. Parks and rec did ask for additional funding during the FY 2019 budget process to cover this increase.
Departmental Recommendation: Recomm...
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