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Salinas council approves consent agenda including landscape contract increase; residents and commissioners raise service concerns
Summary
Council approved the consent agenda April 8, authorizing contract amendments for parks and a professional-services agreement for historic resources, while members of the public and a Historic Resources Board member voiced concerns about tree care, litter and service levels.
The Salinas City Council voted unanimously April 8 to approve its consent agenda, authorizing multiple contract amendments and professional services agreements, after public comment urged the city to clarify service standards for park maintenance and historic-resource surveys.
City staff told the council the existing landscape-services contract would be amended to add work and increase the first-year annual amount to roughly $703,057; staff said an additional $18,000 would be added in the second year for Ensign Community Park once Closter Park's closure ends. The contract is with Smith and Enright Landscaping, as discussed during council questions.
Residents and area stakeholders used the consent item to call attention to perceived maintenance shortfalls. "They blow all the leaves into the creek," said Yolanda Hayes during public comment, and she described concerns about trimmed or removed trees and inconsistent litter pickup. Another caller representing Rivercross and other neighborhoods expressed frustration about graffiti removal and painted fences.
Eloise Shim, a board member of the Historic Resources Board, publicly supported funding for a professional survey update and said she "support[s] the $400,000 for Page & Turnbull to update the survey," citing the value of geospatial and historic data for long-term planning.
Councilmember questions to staff focused on contract costs, mowing schedules and whether it would be more cost-effective to hire additional city maintenance staff. City parks staff said active-season mowing runs weekly and that storm events can shift schedules; they also said litter abatement work is handled by park maintenance rather than the landscape contractor.
The council approved the consent agenda "in its entirety with the exception of the minutes 094, which has been tabled," with all voting members recorded as yes: Barajas, Barrera, D'Arrigo, De La Rosa, Salazar, Sandoval and Donahue.
Councilmembers asked staff for follow-up information about the contractor's site list and which parks receive service on which days; staff said they would provide the detailed site list in writing.
