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Item No: 8B Meeting Date: March 12, 2012 Type of Business: Consent Agenda Administrator Review: ____ City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Honorable Mayor and City Council From: Nick DeBar, Public Works Director Item Title/Subject: Resolution 7916, Approving Contracts with 4 Seasons Tree Care, Inc. and Upper Cut Tree Services for Tree Removal and Trimming Services Background: As part of the Urban Forestry activities, the City removes trees on public property (rights-of-way, parkland, and grounds) that pose hazardous conditions to the public. Some common hazards from these trees include dead trees or branches, located too close to roadway or too overgrown making traffic signs difficult to see or interfering with vehicles, and miscellaneous tree defects from improper growth, lightning strikes, etc. Diseased trees on public property are also removed as part of Chapter 605, Tree Disease Control, of the Municipal Code. Private property owners are also required to remove any trees infected with Dutch Elm Disease or Oak Wilt. If the trees are not removed in a timely manner, the City will remove the diseased tree and invoice the private property owner for the removal costs. The City also performs tree trimming for trees on public property (rights-of-way and parkland) during winter months. Winter is often the best time to trim trees since no active growth is occurring and frozen ground provides better access to remote trees and minimizes restoration. Trees require regular maintenance, like trimming, to remain healthy and prevent damage from storms, high winds, insects, and disease. Some common hazards from boulevard trees include dead or overgrown branches making traffic signs difficult to see or interfering with vehicles sightlines at intersections. Discussion: The City contracts with licensed tree contractors to perform the above tree removal and trimming services. Quotes were solicited for tree removals with good vehicular access (boulevard, front yard, parks, etc.) and without vehicular access (back yards, etc.). Removal costs are based upon tree diameter at 4.5 feet off the ground, and each of these conditions has two tiers of tree size to base the unit price. City staff and the forestry consultant solicited quotes in March 2011 from qualified tree contractors with current arborist certification. Three quotes were received from the solicitation as follows: Vehicle Access Quotes No Vehicle Access Quotes Contractor Up to 35” dbh Over 35” dbh Up to 28” dbh Over 28” dbh 4 Seasons Tree Care, Inc. $14.25* $25.00* $25.00 $39.00 Upper Cut Tree Services $24.00 $35.00 $24.00* $35.00* Precision Landscape & Tree $15.00 $23.00 $35.00 $50.00 *low quote price dbh=diameter at breast height The City also solicited quotes from the two low tree contractors to provide a two-person crew, bucket truck, chipper, and a chip truck as follows: 1. 4 Seasons Tree Care, Inc. (Pierz, MN): $130 per hour 2. Upper Cut Tree Services (Forest Lake, MN): $150 per hour