Peoria approves $630,000 BrightView contract to clear brush, improve New River Channel
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Summary
Council approved a $630,000 contract with BrightView Landscape Services to perform multi‑year landscape maintenance and fuel‑reduction work along the New River Channel from Grand Avenue to Scunk Creek, in fulfillment of an earlier intergovernmental agreement with Maricopa County Flood Control District.
The Peoria City Council voted unanimously on Feb. 11 to enter into an agreement with BrightView Landscape Services for $630,000 to perform landscape maintenance and understory clearing along the New River Channel between Grand Avenue and Scunk Creek.
Parks and Recreation Director Chris Calcatera told the council the work is intended to remove invasive species and understory brush that create natural fuels, trim trees to improve visibility and prevent flow obstructions during flood events, and otherwise bring the corridor to a more regular maintenance level. Calcatera said trees with a trunk caliper of 4 inches or less will be removed where required to preserve channel conveyance; trimming to heights up to 12 feet and removal of all trim materials from the channel bottom are included in the scope.
The contract responds to an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) the city signed with the Maricopa County Flood Control District in February 2004 to complete channel and bank stabilization work for the New River Channel. That project’s construction rounds were completed in 2009 at an approximate total cost of $10 million, with the flood control district reimbursing the city for roughly 50 percent at the time, Calcatera said. The IGA also assigned long‑term landscape maintenance responsibility; staff told the council both agencies had not consistently enacted the maintenance provisions since project completion.
Calcatera said the service area covers roughly 140 acres, includes multi‑use pathways along both edges of the channel and several crossings, and will require a flood‑control access permit and biologist review before crews begin work. Staff estimated the contracted work would take approximately 8 to 12 weeks, weather permitting.
A public roll‑call vote was taken after a council motion to approve the agreement. The council’s vote was recorded as unanimous.
What’s next: staff will complete the permitting and biology review required by the flood control district, schedule the contract work, and incorporate an annualized maintenance level of service into future budgets.