For the first time in a dozen years, Manhattan Beach will conduct an inventory of some 4,000 trees on city property.
The Manhattan Beach City Council on Tuesday awarded a three-year contract for tree-trimming and inventory services to Anaheim-based West Coast Arborist, Inc. at an estimated annual fee of $130,000.
This item was initially on council’s consent calendar at the March 19 meeting, but it was pulled by audience members and rescheduled as a general business item on Tuesday’s agenda.
The contract piggybacks off West Coast Arborist’s contract with Beverly Hills, which in 2010 received proposals from more than 20 firms and chose West Coast Arborist based on its competitive price, professionalism and reputation.
Mayor David Lesser and newcomer Councilman Tony D’Errico expressed skepticism about skipping the procedural open bid and proceeding with West Coast Arborist’s contract with Beverly Hills – a comparison that could be akin to “apples and oranges,” Lesser said.
“Beverly Hills is a different city with a different geography with different kinds of trees,” Councilman D’Errico said.
In response, Public Works Director Jim Arndt explained that the costs are based on consistent unit prices and specifications.
“If the question is, could we do it cheaper, I suppose,” Arndt said. “But can we do it with more expertise or better special abilities? No … We’ve got the best, most acknowledged tree specialist in the area.”
Up until about four years ago, the city trimmed all of its trees – both under and over 30 feet –on an annual basis, Arndt explained. “But when things became tight dollar-wise,” he said, regular tree trims ceased and were replaced by an “as-needed” standard.
“What this will do is get us back to a more regular trimming of those large trees,” he said. “We all know that large trees in public areas can be a cause for concern if they’re not kept up maintenance-wise.”
Currently, two separate landscape contractors trim the city’s under-30-feet trees at an extra cost. After West Coast Arborist conducts the citywide tree inventory, which will include diameter type, condition, tree trimming strategies and geo-codes, the firm will make recommendations on how to proceed.
West Coast Arborist’s services will be confined to “trees that the city is responsible for, which is defined as those trees in city facilities, city parks and medians,” Arndt said. Council members in response advised staff to seek the cost of inventorying private trees.
