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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-03-2017 Item 09 Authorization of Purchases for Open Space Preservation and Maintenance Meeting Date: 1/3/2017 FROM: Shelly Stanwyck, Parks and Recreation Director Prepared By: Lindsey Stephenson, Administrative Analyst SUBJECT: AUTHORIZATION OF PURCHASES FOR OPEN SPACE PRESERVATION AND MAINTENANCE RECOMMENDATION Authorize Finance Director to execute purchase orders in the total amount of $190,000 to acquire four pieces of heavy duty equipment to accomplish the adopted Major City Goal of Open Space Preservation using funding from the approved $285,000 2015-17 Capital Improvement Project for Open Space Preservation: Maintenance. DISCUSSION Background The City owns approximately 3,500 acres of open space lands comprised of 12 major properties held in open space, natural reserve, ecological reserve, or agricultural reserve status. City staff oversee an additional 3,500 plus acres of land protected under open space or conservation easement. Most of these open space properties feature an established trail network of over 55 miles where passive recreation uses are enjoyed by the public. The City’s open space lands are managed by its “Open Space Team” comprised of the City Administration Natural Resources program staff and Parks and Recreation Department Ranger staff. The Open Space Team undertakes open space maintenance, patrol, site stewardship, and environmental programs. Major City Goal: Open Space Preservation: Protect and Maintain Open Space One of Council’s Major City Goals for the 2015-17 Financial Plan is Open Space Preservation: Protect and Maintain Open Space. Four categories of action tasks were identified to implement this goal including: real property acquisition and conservation planning; open space improvements, maintenance, user safety, and patrol; land restoration, stewardship, monitoring, and education; and wildland-interface fuel reduction. To accomplish these tasks funding in the amount of $285,000 per fiscal year was encumbered to complete equipment and materials acquisitions as well as contract services associated with the capital improvement projects for this goal. Goal Progress To date significant progress has been made on this Major City Goal. Staff have reported to Council on these accomplishments on a biannual basis. Most recent highlights have included the potential purchase of the Waddell Property adding 154 acres to the City’s Open Space management and further increasing the Irish Hills Open Space area. Continued progress has been made on two other property negotiations which would add significant open space within the area of the headwaters of San Luis Obispo Creek adjacent to Cuesta Grade. Additionally, the City anticipates receiving a 71-acre parcel that will be added to the South Hills Natural Reserve as a condition of approval with Tract 2428 in the Margarita Area Specific Plan, as well as an Packet Pg. 129 9 approximately 60-acre parcel that includes Righetti Hill within the Orcutt Area Specific Plan as a condition of approval with Tract 3063. The Righetti Hill property dedication represents an entirely new open space area that does not have any constructed trails at present nor feature any of the standard open space amenities identified in the Open Space Maintenance Plan. Significant progress on maintenance has occurred and includes progress on all trail head amenity installations as the highlight of the past six-month period and the dramatic reduction in fire fuel at Bishop Peak. This effort occurred over a two-week period and involved 100’s of hours of staff and other agency work resulting in the most extensive fuel reduction project ever in this high risk area. Goal Tasks Focused on Maintenance Three of the action tasks for the Open Space Preservation Major City Goal focus on the physical improvements and maintenance required to protect and preserve the City’s open space. To achieve these tasks, in December 2015, Council adopted the Cit y’s (and one of the nation’s) first Open Space Maintenance Plan. The Plan details the “nuts & bolts” maintenance practices and protocols to be undertaken by staff in the City’s Open Space. It also identifies planned enhancements consistent with existing City policy, regulations, and adopted conservation and open space plans. Foundationally, the maintenance of all City Open Space is premised on the protection of natural resources, including plants, animals, geologic and historic features and the natural areas themselves. Many of these enhancements are being worked on and completed during this financial plan time frame and will result in increased user safety and resource protection; however, many other maintenance and enhancements tasks identified in the Open Space Maintenance Plan and property-specific conservation plans are ongoing on a seasonal or annual basis. Need for Specialized Equipment to Continue to Preserve and Protect Open Space At the time the Open Space Goal was adopted by Council neither the maintenance plan nor additional staff resources were in place. Now that both are, staff have been able to identify the specific equipment needed to implement the plan. To accomplish the goals and tasks associated with open space protection staff have identified four pieces of specialized equipment and one additional shared pool vehicle needed to complete these tasks associated with the goal at present and into the future. Currently, City Rangers (one Supervising Ranger, two Ranger Maintenance workers, and four Limited Benefit Temporary Rangers) use predominately hand tools and occasional equipment rentals (which generally are not appropriately sized nor configured for open space, and if available locally are not readily available during peak work seasons). Staff have identified that four additional pieces of specialized mechanized equipment would be more efficient and appropriate for the completion of a number current and ongoing tasks outlined in the adopted Open Space Maintenance Plan. This equipment would be used for the ongoing preservation and protection of City Open Space. In addition to being used to implement the tasks associated with the Major City Goal and Open Space Maintenance Plan, this equipment is also needed because staff is anticipat ing a decline in the availability of contract labor which has been utilized in the past to supplement City Rangers. Members of the California Conservation Corps (CCC) and/or Cuesta Camp Inmate crews have Packet Pg. 130 9 been used for winterization, weed abatement, and fire fuel reduction activities on a routine basis. However, this resource has always been subject to availability (given their primary roles in statewide fire-fighting activities that is varied). With the recent passage of Proposition 57 (early release of non-violent offenders), staff has been informed that the reliability and availability of these crews will be significantly reduced as many of the same individuals that are eligible for work crew programs will be potentially eligible for early release. The four pieces of equipment would allow City staff to accomplish numerous projects that if done by hand would require significant added work crews thereby allowing the work to be done with a much smaller workforce. What Will this Equipment Be Used for and What Equipment is Needed? Mechanized equipment is needed by the Rangers to perform maintenance in the City’s open space. Unfortunately, locally, the equipment most appropriate to successfully perform maintenance tasks in the open space is either inappropriately sized (too big, too impactful) or oversubscribed locally during peak weed abatement season and not available for rent or rented at an above market price. The specific equipment discussed below would increase productivity by Rangers with respect to trail construction, the decommissioning of unwanted trails, general maintenance of City Open Space, City Watershed stewardship, and environmental mitigation projects. The following equipment is being proposed to be acquired as part of the Major City Goal CIP for Open Space Protection. Ranger staff have done extensive research and develop a prioritized list of equipment needed to complete their job tasks today and in the future. Not all of the equipment needed has been identified for purchase. What is presented is the top priority equipment which would receive the greatest amount of use and would enhance the efficiency and productivity of this work group. Other equipment, as is a best practice in the City, would be rented on an as needed basis. 1. Tractor. A John Deere 4066M Tractor is similar to Public Work’s Parks Maintenance’s equipment used for multiple parks maintenance purposes. It would be frequently used by Ranger Service for major new projects as well as ongoing maintenance. It would allow staff to perform tasks that would otherwise have to be contracted out. Some basic tasks would include constructing parking area for open space trail heads, repairing and maintaining the same parking lots, mending the dirt access roads that exist in the open space for emergency and/or maintenance purposes, seasonally mowing the City’s open spaces with a flail mower, lifting and transporting natural barriers (BFR’s), digging footings for future fences and kiosks, and the list goes on. 2. Mini Excavator. A CAT 301.7D CR is a mini excavator. This tool can operate as narrow as 3 feet 3 inches, or as wide as 4 feet 3 inches and can work in very narrow and rugged areas. It’s a specialized excavator that is used primarily for dirt and rock movement in non-sensitive areas. Ranger Service would be able to utilize this piece of equipment primarily in trail work projects. It can build new, repair old, and would be very versatile. This excavator weighs 3,500 pounds and would be easily transported by Rangers to and from job sites with existing equipment trucks and trailers. It would also be used in tandem with the Mini Dozer to construct new parking areas at Johnson Ranch and Packet Pg. 131 9 Reservoir Canyon increasing safety and access. 3. Trail Dozer a.k.a. “Mini Dozer”. A Sutter 500 Trail Dozer is a compact dozer that is specifically designed specifically to build and maintain trails. It weighs around 9,000 pounds, so it is compact and yet stout enough to be operated safely in sloped areas. It would dramatically increase work production and would give the City even more tools for fire fuel reduction. The focus of this equipment would be on improving older trails that lack appropriate erosion management and building new while also addressing fuel reduction in multiple locations to further reduce fire risks. It would also be used in tandem with the Mini Excavator to construct new parking areas at Johnson Ranch and Reservoir Canyon increasing safety and access. 4. Gator. The John Deere Gator is a diesel powered side by side unit with 4-wheel drive. This small, 2 seater, open utility vehicle has a small dump bed. The Gator would be a trail specific machine that would not only allow for Ranger patrol but would aid in the transportation of Rangers and equipment to remote locations. The Gator has a ¾ Ton pulling capacity, making it a desirable workhorse. This nimble, yet powerful vehicle would be able to travel where Ranger Service trucks cannot travel. It features a 22 HP diesel engine, weighs 1600 pounds, and is just over 5 feet wide (62 inches) and therefore would not negatively impact our existing multi-use trails. Given the limited distance vehicles can operate in the Open Space this would be a daily use piece of equipment which would enhance and increase safety in the open space via patrol and rescue as well as increase the efficiency and effectiveness of maintenance in remote regions of the City’s open space which with each new acquisition and trail becomes larger and more dispersed. Continued open space preservation today necessaril y entails appropriate levels of maintenance, including infrastructure enhancement to ensure user safety and neighborhood compatibility, restoration of degraded or hazardous areas, and focused educational opportunities. At present, Ranger Service staff does not have the proper equipment to achieve the goals set forth by the Council. The purchase of the proposed specialty equipment for Ranger Service has an anticipated lifespan of 15-20 years. Similar equipment is owned by the California State Parks and has been utilized at State Parks within San Luis Obispo County, including the Pismo Preserve. The efficiency of ownership lends to increased capabilities of maintaining and preserving the City’s Open Space. This mechanized equipment allows staff to successfully preform and complete the tasks set forth by Major City Goal and Maintenance Plan in a timely manner. The proposed specialized equipment allows the Ranger Service to keep everything in-house. Equipment is not always readily available for the Ranger Service to rent. For example, during Spring, a tractor with a mower is not an easy rent because the entire central coast is doing weed abatement. With tractors in high demand during this time of year, Rental Depot charges $450 per 8 hours of use. Approximately 60 hours of mowing divided by 8-hour days’ x $450 per 8 hours gives us $3,375 in rental charges annually. Over a 15-year span, this total jumps up to $50,625 just for weed abatement. Specialty equipment would increase productivity in trail construction and aid in the decommission of unwanted trails. Packet Pg. 132 9 Currently, the Ranger Service builds everything by hand and relies on the support of volunteers to make an impact on trail maintenance, preservation and construction. The new equipment would allow staff to be less reliant on contractors (who are frequently unavailable and expected to be less so in the future). This would allow staff to keep pace with new acquisitions and build new trails providing to new open space properties such as Waddell which cannot be done at this time given the workload created by hand work. By increasing efficiencies this would allow Rangers time for other duties including education which the public continues to express increased needs for. CONCURRENCES Both City Administration and Public Works, have reviewed and concur with this report. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW Not applicable. As an equipment purchase, this activity is exempt from CEQA review. All maintenance activities are undertaken consistent with the adopted Open Space Maintenance Plan and all other applicable Conservation Plans, city policies and ordinances. A Negative Declaration was adopted counterpart to the Open Space Maintenance Plan, while adopted property-specific Conservation Plans also have counterpart environmental documents. FISCAL IMPACT With the adoption of the 2015-17 Financial Plan, Council approved $285,000 in 2015-16 and the same in 2016-17 to fund deferred and ongoing maintenance needs of the City’s Open Space using as a guide the Council approved Open Space Maintenance Plan. Generally, the projects and costs are expected to include: trail head enhancement, Conservation Plan priority projects, ongoing maintenance, and multi-model access improvements. Sufficient funds exist in the approved CIP for Open Space Maintenance (10160100,91397953,91397101,91397953) to acquire the equipment described in the table below. Equipment Detail Estimated Cost Estimated Annual Maintenance/Fuel Costs John Deere 4066M Tractor w/Bucket, Forks, Flail Mower, Hydraulic Gannon Box $60,000 $3,500 CAT 301.7D CR Excavator w/ Thumb $40,000 $2,500 Sutter 500 Trail Dozer w/ Blade and Rippers $75,000 $4,000 John Deere Gator w/ Roof $15,000 $1,000 TOTAL $190,000 $11,000 Packet Pg. 133 9 The annual maintenance costs will be covered by a combination of avoided rental costs by the Ranger Service Division and the Fleet Maintenance Division. All listed equipment will be used in conjunction in all City Open Spaces with anticipated lifespan of 20+ years. ALTERNATIVES Deny Funding and Purchase. The Council could choose to deny the equipment purchases described above, or only approve partial funding. Staff does not recommend this option as the CIP was approved as part of the 2015-17 Capital Improvement Financial Plan. Denying or deferring purchase will result in loss of Ranger staff productivity. Attachments: a - Council Reading File: Open Space Maintenance Plan Packet Pg. 134 9