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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Item - 2009-06-18 CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO CITY COUNCIL MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor Jack D. Hoffman City Council Alex D. McIntyre, City Manager FROM: Jordan Wheeler, Management Analyst SUBJECT: FAN Alleys Restoration Project, Alley Landscaping and Clearing Work DATE: June 18, 2009 This memorandum is to update you on the progress of the First Addition Alley cleanup project and the start of the next phase of the project, the landscaping maintenance and encroachment removal work. BACKGROUND The First Addition Neighborhood Alley Restoration Project was initiated in the fall of 2008 after the City Council agreed to support the FAN Neighborhood Association’s request to relocate all household garbage and recycling pick-up to the alleys. The Council directed staff to communicate and conduct a project to clear the rights-of-ways to a reasonable height and width in order to accomplish the FAN's request and safely accommodate garbage and recycling trucks in the alley. The project is led through a collaboration of City staff and neighbors of First Addition and we are also working closely with the City’s refuse and recycling hauler, Allied Waste, to make the transition to alley garbage and recycling service as smooth as possible. The project commenced in January with notices sent to each resident and property owner in the First Addition about the project. Over the past six months, I have sent a series of letters to the residents and property owners, spoke with dozens of affected citizens via email, phone calls, and on-site visits, created a website to provide up-to-date information about the project, attended FAN Neighborhood Association Meetings, and provided updates to the City Council. The project is The scope of the project includes the majority of the residential blocks in the First Addition thst Neighborhood (between 10 Street and 1 Street and A and G Avenues) and five alleyways in the Evergreen neighborhood. The clearing work involves trimming and pruning various vegetative encroachments that impede the use of alleys by full size garbage and recycling vehicles and allow residents to place containers behind their homes. For some alleys, encroachment removal will require extensive work including substantial trimming of laurel hedges, tree limb pruning, and blackberry and ivy removal. In other portions of the neighborhood, the encroachments are much less severe. The original estimate for completing the entirety of the work, including communication and contractor costs was $100,000. The City Manager's Office was appropriated this amount in a budget supplemental in November 2008. PROJECT UPDATE In early April, a neighborhood cleanup day was held with help from the City’s waste hauler, Allied Waste. During this advertised all-day event, three 30-yard drop boxes were filled with yard debris from residents who cleared vegetative encroachments from their property in the th alley. I provided a brief report to Council about this successful event on April 7. The project is now entering one of its most significant phases, the removal of the remaining encroachments by a professional landscape maintenance contractor. The work will begin next week and residents and property owners have been sent notices about the work and the anticipated timeline for completing the work. An up-to-date of the contractor's progress through the alleys will be kept online at the project's website at http://www.ci.oswego.or.us/citymgr/FANALLEY.htm. The original $50,000 estimate for the clearing work was provided by preliminary quotes from the City's Street Maintenance Supervisor and through a landscape contractor. After receiving three quotes for the project, the City has awarded the bid to Tree Care & Landscapes for the clearing work at the cost of $18,525. The difference in the estimate and the original quote can be attributed to a few factors. Since the original estimate, further analysis of the encroachments has slightly reduced the scope of the project. The original scope included more substantial removal work such as tall trees and structure moves or removals. In an effort to lessen the overall impact and maintain the neighborhood's character, it has been determined that several of these encroachments will not need to be removed in order to have garbage trucks safely traverse the alleys. These determinations were made after hearing feedback from the community and neighborhood leaders. For example, the legal width of the right-of-ways is 20 feet. If the alleys were to be cleared to this width, several large evergreen trees would have to be removed. However, since the garbage and recycling trucks can safely navigate the alleys with 18 feet of clearance, the alleys can be widened without the removal of several trees. Secondly, and perhaps more significantly, the changes in economic conditions have again provided a more competitive bidding environment for this type of work. PROJECT COST AND SCHEDULE UPDATE Project expenses to-date include the printing and mailing costs for the letters and postcards sent to residents and staff time for the City Surveyor and the project manager. The contracted clearing work will be expended in fiscal year 2009-2010, which means a roll-over of the contract costs and remaining project costs will be needed through a budget supplemental tentatively scheduled for the fall. The project is near its original timeline for completion. Once the clearing work is completed, the City will provide and spread gravel for the alley blocks that are in the worst condition. The design to have garbage and recycling pick up and maintenance of the alleys handed over to the neighborhood is still projected to start in the fall. A presentation to Council about the clearing work and the status of the project is scheduled for next month. A copy of the latest notice letter sent to residents is attached. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.