Committee approves $47,000 in landscaping bills; seeks quotes to repair loose bricks at Michigan Avenue planter

A municipal committee voted to approve claims covering summer landscaping and planter work and asked staff to obtain repair quotes after members reported loose bricks at a downtown planter. The committee approved claims that will cover recent planter and landscaping expenses, and members were told the group had about $147,004.52 in cash as of June. "We collected 54 and a half, basically, on the tax revenues for the first half payment, ... and $116 of interest," a committee member reported. The member said planned and contracted work for perennials and planter maintenance totaled $29,447.49; contracted watering from late May through June was $5,631; sidewalk maintenance ran about $4,000; and project management for the Michigan and Lincoln Way planter was $8,000, for a roughly $47,000 total in recent and upcoming bills. Jamie, identified in the meeting as maintenance staff, said the planter at Michigan Avenue and Lincoln Way has been completed and that nearby brickwork in the 600 block of Michigan Avenue is coming loose. "You'll notice that there are bricks that are popping up, protruding, some are loose," Jamie said. "I actually walked the site. There were 2 area businesses that have concern within that block that have talked about, it being a tripping hazard." When a committee member asked whether the condition would "qualify under an emergency hazard," Jamie answered, "Yes," and the committee directed Jamie to request repair quotes and to send those estimates to members by email so the group could approve work as soon as possible. Committee members also discussed planter watering frequency after noting higher-than-expected watering needs early in the season, and said they may reduce watering from three times a week to twice a week as conditions change. The meeting packet included photos of the planter and bricks, the maintenance staff said. Separately, members noted a tree removal decision taken between meetings: two members abstained and a majority voted in favor, and the tree has been removed. The committee formally approved the meeting minutes from May and the claims; a motion to approve the claims passed with an affirmative voice vote. No statutory citations or grant sources were given during the discussion; the finance summary referenced first-half tax revenue and an earlier insurance deposit described in the meeting as about $7,000–$8,000. Next steps: staff will circulate repair quotes for the protruding bricks and the committee expects to expedite approval once quotes are received.