On-Call Tree Services Contracts:
In April 2024, Change Orders #3 allocated the remaining Forestry funding for Fiscal Year 2023/24 to bring the contracts of our tree service companies (Community Tree Service, Tope’s, and West Coast Arborists) to $325,000, $350,000, and $250,000, respectively. The overall tree services budget totaled $925,000.
Change Orders #4, FY 2023/24:
In order to balance expected invoices to close out the FY 2023/24, while leaving the overall tree services budget unchanged, the following Change Orders #4 are proposed. Upon Council approval:
· Tope’s Tree Service’s FY 23-24 contract for FY 23-24 will decrease by $40,000 (from $350,000 to $310,000).
· Community Tree Service’s contract for FY 23-24 will increase by $35,000 (from $325,000 to $360,000).
· West Coast Arborists FY 23-24 contract for FY 23-24 will increase by $5,000 (from $250,000 to $255,000).
Change Orders #5, FY 2024/25:
In June 2024, Council approved a budget of $1,197,000 for tree services for FY 2024/25. The Forestry Division is proposing Change Orders #5 to allocate $999,000 of the tree services budget, which would be dispersed equally among the 3 tree contractors ($333,000 each).
By allocating $999,000 of the approved $1,197,000, this would allow for $198,000 of flexibility in the coming year due to natural uncertainties, such as possible future winter storms, the differing timeframes within which companies are able to complete task orders, and forthcoming performance assessments of each tree contractor. A future Change Order will be brought to Council to allocate the remaining $198,000.
With Council approval, the following chart incorporates Change Orders #4 and #5:
Contractor
|
Original Contract (FY23)
|
Change Orders #1 (FY23)
|
Change Orders #2 (FY 24)
|
Change Orders #3 (FY 24)
|
Change Orders #4 (FY 24)
|
Change Orders #5 (FY 25)
|
CTS
|
$30,000
|
$39,997
|
$175,000
|
$150,000
|
$35,000
|
$333,000
|
Topes
|
60,000
|
-14,388
|
175,000
|
175,000
|
- 40,000
|
333,000
|
WCA
|
60,000
|
7,647
|
175,000
|
75,000
|
5,000
|
333,000
|
Totals
|
$150,000
|
$33,236
|
$525,000
|
$400,000
|
$0
|
$999,000
|
In FY 2023/24, the City received a comprehensive inventory of our City trees from Davey Resource Group, our consulting partners in the Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP) process. This inventory data, summarized below, has illuminated the need for an extensive “catch-up” plan to maintain the trees we have, remove those which are aged or in poor condition, and replace those which are removed with a priority for native species of Monterey pines, coast live oaks, and cypresses, to ensure a thriving city in a forest by the sea. The City tree crew is capable and able to perform this work, however the sheer amount of work in addition to specialized equipment needed (crane, large bucket truck, masticator, etc.) requires outside contractors to meet the current needs of the forest.
The $1,197,000 for FY 2024/25 will be well used. It represents the beginning of what the City anticipates will likely be a three-year catch-up plan. Once the UFMP is complete, Davey Resource Group will include a calculation of the total funding needed to catch up on the deferred maintenance as well as a recommended schedule. In the meantime, Forestry Staff estimated this amount to be over $3,000,000 relative to current prices projected for FY 2024/25.
Condition of City Trees (Per 2024 Inventory)
|
|
Excellent
|
Good
|
Fair
|
Poor
|
Very Poor
|
Dead
|
TOTALS
|
Public Rights of Way (PROW)
|
119
|
4,827
|
4,886
|
726
|
127
|
186
|
10,871
|
Medians
|
17
|
44
|
15
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
86
|
Parks (Estimate)
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
~3,000
|
TOTALS
|
136
|
4,871
|
4,901
|
728
|
130
|
191
|
|
On-Call Landscape Maintenance Services Contract:
In October 2022, Council awarded a $175,000 On-Call Landscape Maintenance Services contract to Town and Country Gardening and Landscaping. In FY 2022/23, $141,000 was allocated to Town and Country contract work, and in FY 2023/24, the full $175,000 was allocated, matching the contract limit.
In June 2024, Council approved $229,200 for landscape services for FY 2024/25, which incorporates roughly $40,000 in expected costs for landscaping and irrigation work along the Scenic Pathway.
With Council approval, the following chart details Change Order #1:
Contractor
|
Original Contract
(FY 22/23 and FY 23/24)
|
Change Order #1
(FY 24/25)
|
Town & Country
|
$175,000
|
$229,200
|
Our contractor performs work that our City personnel would be otherwise unable to, given the extent of the 23 locations the contractor currently maintains. The City employs one Gardener/landscaper who continues to contribute to landscaping in the City, however this Maintenance Worker is also a critical member of the City’s tree crew. Given the extensive needs of Forestry staff at this time, the City is allocating appropriate funds to landscaping services to allow for our tree crew to focus primarily on maintaining trees in the public rights of way, while balancing landscaping work as needed.
The following is a list of the 23 locations our contractor maintains, with the supervision and input of our City Forester and gardener/Maintenance Worker, respectively:
1. Boardwalk and Viewing Platform Located at Del Mar Parking Lot and Ocean Avenue
|
2. Public Works & Carmel Police Department
|
3. Tennis Courts and Parking Areas in Forest Hill Park
|
4. Vista Lobos Park
|
5. First Murphy Park & House Garden
|
6. Sunset Center North Lot
|
7. Forest Hill Park: Lower Section
|
8. Flanders Mansion Grounds and Driveway Circle
|
9. Lower Ocean Avenue Pathways: North and south sides of Ocean Avenue between Monte Verde and Del Mar
|
10. Upper Ocean Avenue Landscape and Path: Junipero Avenue to East City Limits
|
11. Ocean Avenue Medians: Between Junipero Avenue and Monte Verde Street
|
12. Harrison Memorial Library Park Branch
|
13. City Hall
|
14. Rio Road medians between Junipero and Lasuen Pathway
|
15. Lester Rowntree Native Plant Garden
|
16. Pathway at San Carlos Street and Second Avenue
|
17. Fourth Avenue Pathways between Monte Verde Street and San Antonio Street, including boardwalk and stairways
|
18. Post Office Plaza and Parking Lot
|
19. Harrison Memorial Library
|
20. Jane Powers Walkway
|
21. Devendorf Park
|
22. Lincoln Between Fourth and Fifth Avenues
|
23. Carmel Beach
|
Environmental Evaluation
This action does not constitute a project within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act under Public Resources Code Section 21065. It has no potential to cause either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment and, therefore, does not require environmental review.