Title
Approval of Amendment No. 1 to Price Agreement No. AGR16-4297 with Allied Tree Service and Fencing in the amount of $80,000.00, for a Revised Agreement Amount of $275,000.00, plus Applicable Gross Receipts Tax, for the Purpose of On-Call Services for Electric Power Line Tree Trimming
Recommended Action
I move that the Board of Public Utilities approve Amendment No. 1 to Price Agreement No. AGR 16-4297 in the amount of $80,000.00, for a revised agreement amount of $275,000.00, and a contingency of $10,000.00, plus applicable gross receipts tax, for the purpose of On-Call Services for Electric Power Line Tree Trimming, and forward to Council for approval.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Board approve as presented.
Body
Tree trimming around power lines is a critical overhead maintenance practice the department undertakes often year round. Failure to clear tree obstructions from power lines can result in lengthy power outages and or cause fires. Though the department can clear most tree obstructions near power lines, there are instances where the department staff can’t perform the work safely. For example, sometimes trees need to be climbed to the top and the worker methodically cuts the tree as he climbs down. This type of tree cutting effort requires special training and climbing gear and our department staff is not specifically trained nor equipped to perform this work safely. Also, there are other instances where it’s more cost effective to subcontract tree-trimming work rather than utilizing in-house crews. In-house crews have other project priorities and deadlines which would be delayed if in-house crews were permanently assigned to trim trees; thereby requiring the department to subcontract power line construction instead. Subcontracting for tree-trimming is significantly less expensive than subcontracting for power line construction.
Alternatives
The Board could choose not to approve the recommendation at which time staff wo...
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