Board approves $119,460 landscaping contract; district unveils multi‑year grounds plan

The Salem School Board voted 4–0–1 on June 17 to award the district’s landscaping contract to Belco Landscaping of Salem for $119,460; Board Member Bernard Campbell abstained because of a legal relationship with one of the bidders.

Facilities staff told the board they put the request for proposals out and received two comparable bids (Belco and Northpointe Outdoors); Belco has performed lawn cleanup and maintenance for the district this year and matched its prior pricing while offering a second‑year option. Gary and in‑house grounds staff will continue to maintain athletic fields and infields, including resurfacing and fence repairs; the landscaping contract covers grounds, beds and routine lawn care at school properties.

During the same meeting administration presented a draft multi‑year landscaping and grounds maintenance plan that itemizes seasonal tasks (mowing, fertilizing, overseeding, aeration, spring cleanup, fall cleanup, irrigation items, fencing, sidewalks and playground equipment maintenance). Board members asked for more detail on weed control and overseeding and whether those activities require irrigation; staff answered that weed control without reseeding can leave bare spots and that a comprehensive approach (weed control + overseeding + irrigation as feasible) yields best results.

The narrative and spreadsheet forms of the plan were presented for board direction; administrators said the documents will be refined into a multi‑year budgeted plan for board check‑ins and that prioritization in the plan is not yet fixed by school. The board requested quarterly or seasonal updates and an explicit breakdown of frequency and components (for example, fertilization timing, aeration schedule and plumbing/irrigation needs) to feed FY27–FY29 budgeting.