Peoria approves $630,000 contract for New River Channel landscape improvements

Peoria — The Peoria City Council on Tuesday approved a one-time budget contingency transfer and contract to improve landscaping and reduce fire fuels along the New River Channel from Grand Avenue to Skunk Creek.

Parks and Recreation Director Chris Calcaterica recommended that the city enter into a contract with BrightView Landscape Services for $630,000 to perform landscape maintenance improvements. City staff said the work covers roughly 140 acres of channel corridor, includes understory clearing to reduce natural fuel loads, removal of invasive species such as palms, removal of trees with a trunk caliper of 4 inches or less where necessary to preserve flow, trimming trees up to 12 feet to improve visibility, and complete removal of trimmed material from the bottom of the channel.

The maintenance obligation stems from a 2004 intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the Maricopa County Flood Control District that funded channel and bank stabilization work completed in 2009. Staff said that the overall original project cost was approximately $10 million and that the district reimbursed the city 50% of that work in the original agreement. The most recent review with flood-control staff identified that perpetual landscape maintenance was part of the IGA; the parties have not consistently enacted those provisions since the IGA’s completion.

City staff reported that the work will require a flood-control permit and a biologist’s review prior to starting construction and that the physical work is estimated to take eight to 12 weeks barring major rain events. Staff recommended, and council approved, using a previously awarded landscape maintenance contract to perform the work.

Vote and funding: the council approved the contract and related budget amendment on a 7-0 vote. The contract award to BrightView was for $630,000 drawn from contingency; staff said a higher regular level of service will be budgeted in future operating budgets.