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Oak Park accepts $118,171 DNR grant for tree inventory and approves pruning contract extension
Summary
Oak Park will accept a 100% reimbursable Michigan DNR grant of $118,171 to fund a comprehensive tree inventory and plantings; council also approved a one-year extension to Lim Walker's Tree and Snow for the block pruning project with unchanged pricing.
The Oak Park City Council approved a Michigan Department of Natural Resources grant and a related contract extension at its July 7 meeting.
Deputy city manager DeCoster told council that public works staff applied for and were awarded a $118,171 grant from the DNR for a comprehensive tree inventory and tree planting program. The inventory will log every right-of-way tree’s location, species, size, condition, risk rating and a photograph; the grant is fully reimbursable and staff recommended a budget amendment to fund work until reimbursement is received.
Council members asked whether the funding could be affected by state-level budget changes; staff said they were fairly confident the funds would not be affected but could not guarantee it. DeCoster told the council that right-of-way trees are defined as the area between the back of sidewalks and that the city plans to use GPS-enabled survey data to build maintenance schedules.
Separately, staff requested and council approved a one-year extension of the Lim Walker's Tree and Snow contract for the 2024 block pruning project at unchanged pricing; about $95,000 is budgeted in the major and local streets funds.
