05-25-2016 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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STAFF REPORT TO: Mayor Keis and Members of City Council FROM: Bill Dircks, Public Works Director DATE: May 19, 2016 RE: City Hall & Fire Station Landscaping Now that the concrete sidewalk work has been completed at City Hall, staff thought it would be a good time to freshen up the look of the landscaping around City Hall and the Fire Station. City Hall Michael Schumann of the Ramsey County Conservation District assisted staff with a plan that would include native plants with a good mix of color from spring to fall along with being relatively easy to maintain. He put together a nice plan that is included with this report. Staff wanted to concentrate on the front entrance area and the area near the employee entrance. The proposed plan would remove all of the existing vegetation and rock across the entire front of the building and over near the employee entrance. Mr. Schumann’s original plan that is included with this report did not include replacing the existing bushes along the angled wall between the main entrance and the employee entrance. Staff feels that these bushes should be replaced as part of the project as they are not in very good shape. The plan calls for mulch to be put in the planting beds rather than rock. It is Mr. Schumann’s opinion that the mulch will be better for the plants and acts as a weed barrier whereas fabric would need to be put down underneath rock to control weeds. Neither rock nor mulch is maintenance free but it is staff’s opinion that mulch will hold water better and keep the plants cooler than rock. I have attached some pictures of what the specified plants look like when they are mature. Staff believes the plan accomplishes the goal of creating some color while using native plants. Mr. Schumann provided his best estimate as to the cost of the materials. The estimate is included with this report but does not include the area staff recommends adding along the angled wall. All materials would be approximately $5300. Plants only would be approximately $3800. $12,500 has been budgeted for landscaping in 2016.