Council accepts low bid to remove 48 dead or poor-condition right-of-way trees in Founders neighborhood

The Hutchinson City Council authorized staff to award a contract to Barnes Tree and Stump Removal LLC for $19,990 to remove 48 public right-of-way trees in the Founders neighborhood identified as dead or in poor condition.

Justin Combmes, director of parks and facilities, said 80% of the trees slated for removal are Siberian elms and that most were marked as dead or in poor condition in the city's tree inventory. The project is funded by a Kansas Forest Service grant funded under the Inflation Reduction Act program; the grant requires a two-for-one replacement ratio for removed trees.

Combmes said the bid price covers removal and stump grinding; replacement trees and materials are covered separately by grant funding and donation accounts. The city received five bids; Barnes Tree and Stump Removal of Hutchinson was the low bidder at $19,990 after staff confirmation the bidder understood all contract requirements. Council voted to accept the bid and authorize the mayor to sign the notice of award.

Combmes said letters were sent to property and owner addresses and that replacement trees will be offered to affected residents at no cost; planted species and final locations will be chosen based on right-of-way width, overhead lines and nursery availability. The grant provides $100,000 with a typical 70/30 allocation for removals and replacements as an initial planning assumption, but the city must meet only the grant's 2:1 replacement requirement, Combmes said.

The project is the first round under the grant; staff said additional bids and phases are likely over the next two years.