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Committee directs staff to issue RFP for downtown snow removal after contractor exit
Summary
After the contractor that handled downtown snow removal last season exited the business, staff and the Park Board recommended issuing an RFP. The committee voted to send an RFP and review returned bids before deciding whether to shift work to parks maintenance staff.
The Brainerd Safety and Public Works Committee voted to direct staff to issue a request for proposals for downtown snow removal for the 2025–26 season, after staff and the Park Board recommended seeking external contractors following the prior contractor’s exit from the business.
Engineer Jesse Dean said Advantage Home Pros, the contractor used last year, has notified the city that it is no longer performing snow removal services. Dean told the committee that issuing an RFP similar to past solicitations — which typically trigger contractor work at 4 inches of accumulation — remains an option, but that such solicitations often draw few responses. "It is a very challenging RFP to get responses from," Dean said.
Staff laid out an alternative of using the city’s parks maintenance crew for downtown removal (including windrow work) and having street crews complete full removal; that approach could be used for all snowfall events or limited to larger events. Dean said prior analysis suggested substantial cost savings if staff performed removal at every event rather than relying only on contractors for 4‑inch triggers; he estimated that approach previously reduced downtown costs by around 20 percent.
Park Board representatives told the committee the board was reluctant to have parks staff perform downtown removal because it would reduce time available to prepare and maintain ice‑skating rinks. The Park Board recommended that the city send an RFP and see what bids are returned before shifting to internal staff.
Committee members asked whether the assessment district could cover staff time and whether legal review had confirmed the city’s ability to assess downtown properties; staff said tracking staff time and including it in the assessment district is consistent with existing practice and that union issues had been discussed with a shop steward and are within parameters to authorize staff to perform the work.
A committee member moved to issue the RFP; another seconded and the motion passed by voice vote. Staff said the RFP would typically be published for a couple of weeks and is usually issued in September, and staff will directly solicit likely contractors as well as publish the notice.
The committee will review returned bids before deciding whether to continue contracting or to have parks staff perform downtown snow removal.
