Missoula committee approves $202,500 contract change to remove additional storm-damaged tree hangers

The Climate Conservation and Parks Committee on March 12 approved a contract change order authorizing the mayor to sign an agreement with Greenbelt Turf Management for up to $202,500 to remove 2,500 additional branch hangers and storm-damaged trees in the public right of way.

Committee member Kristen Jordan moved the recommended action; the committee approved it by voice vote with no recorded opposition. The change order extends the original emergency contract and adds both time and funding to address limbs left in tree canopies after the July 24 windstorm.

Morgan Valiant, a city staff member filling in for Ben Carson, told the committee the original mayor-issued emergency contract totaled just over $386,000 to remove roughly 5,000 hangers across the city. Since that initial work the city has identified “just under 2,000 additional limbs” and has added a 500-limb buffer for a total of 2,500 additional removals, Valiant said: “We’ve identified just under, 2,000 additional, limbs that are still hung up in canopies…we’ve anticipated in the areas that we’re moving into that haven’t been inventoried, a little bit of a buffer.”

The change order also extends the contractor’s term by 55 days beyond the original 90-day contract. Valiant said crews have been shifted from right-of-way work into parks and that the additional contract period would begin when crews return to right-of-way removal; he said the city is “anticipating…being completely done, by midsummer, early summer with all, of our tree work associated with the storm.”

Valiant said the work is largely tracked and funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which covers 75% of eligible costs; the city is responsible for a 25% match. When asked by committee member Stacy Anderson whether any FEMA reimbursements have been submitted or received, Valiant responded, “I can’t answer that question. I do not know if a reimbursement has been submitted.” He said staff expect a more complete tally of expenses within the next month as time sheets and logs are compiled.

The motion passed by voice vote. The committee did not record individual roll-call votes during the public motion.

The referral authorizes the mayor to sign the change order for fiscal year 2025 and directs staff to continue tracking costs and reimbursement paperwork for FEMA. Committee members and staff discussed returning to the group with a summary of expenditures and lessons learned once the tally is complete.