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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 8.6 DghrtyRdWeed&LitterMntC I TY\c L E R K AGENDA STATEMENT CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: August 13, ~1996 SUBJECT: Report on Dougherty Road Weed and Litter Maintenance Prepared by: Lee S. Thompson, Public Works Director EXHIBITS ATTACHED: 1) 2) 3) 4) Excerpt from minutes of July 23, 1996, Council Meeting Letter dated August 7, 1996, from Steve Loweree, MCE Photo boards provided by Mrs. Patricia Bias (will be available at the Council Meeting) Slides and a video, to be shown at the Council Meeting RECOMMENDATION: /~ 1) 2) 3) Hear Staff presentation Receive public testimony Give Staff direction as to desired level of service on Dougherty Road maintenance FINANCIAL STATEMENT: Higher levels of service will add to the cost of the Dougherty Road maintenance (see description for estimated costs). DESCRIPTION: At the City Council's regular meeting of July 23, 1996, Mrs. Patricia Bias requested that the City remove weeds and litter along Dougherty Road. Mrs. Bias .al. so presented photo boards of the conditions along the roadway. Council directed Staff at that time to report back at this Council Meeting. The following report will attempt to outline the City's present level of service, as well as possible higher service levels, :together with the estimated costs associated with higher levels of service. The report will also identi~, areas of responsibility as there are other agencies and private property owners involved in the weed complaints. Dougherty Berm: The face of the berm is either disced or mowed once a year in the Spring to serve as a fire control buffer. This ',,,'as not specifically identified in the complaint; however, Staff would propose to treat this area as open space and keep the same level of service. g:agenmisc\weeds2 COPIES TO: Mrs. Patricia Bias ITEM NO. Arroyo Vista Frontage: Maintenance of this area between the sidewalk and soundwall is the responsibility of the Dublin Housing AuthoriD~. The City has made a request to the Director, Ophelia Basgal, that patrol of this area be stepped up. Ms. Basgal stated that this would be done and that the eucalyptus trees have been'a problem, as dead leaves are continuously dropping. The Housing Authority has applied to HUD for a grant to remove these trees. Staffhas directed MCE to include litter pick-up along this area in their weekly roadside litter patrol. Zone 7 Canal Areas: The weeds and litter Mthin the Zone 7 Flood Control creek fences are the responsibility of Zone 7. In discussing the maintenance with one of Zone 7's representatives, he stated that they don't have the money to perform aesthetic weed removal or litter pickup. They have, however, allowed private volunteer groups to go in on a one time basis to do "community cleanups" and suggested that this may be an appropriate vehicle to clean up the creek area at this time. The Ci?s maintenance crew has cut the weeds around and growing through the creek fences that abut Amador Valley Boulevard. In addition, the crew has trimmed bushes growing through the fence along the Alamo Creek Park pathway. Southern Pacific Right-of-Way: Alameda County owns a 50-foot-wide portion of the old railroad right-of-way, and the Southern Pacific Transportation Co. owns the rest. The City crew has removed the weeds between the County-installed fence (east side of the street) and the edge of the pavement (about three feet). Staffhas written letters to both the County and Southern Pacific requesting a cleanup. Parcel of Land at the Southeast Comer of Dougherty Road and Amador Valley Blvd.: TI'tis parcel is privately owned (by Larry Lee) and is zoned for commercial use. The owner cuts the weeds once a year for fire suppression purposes. The City's maintenance staffhas removed the weeds growing from the crack between the curb and the sidewalk. Median: The roadway median on Dougherty Road has typically been sprayed with both a pre-emergent and post- emergent spray twice a year, with a once-a-year knockdown. This year, due to the late rains, the area was sprayed three times. Within the last two weeks, the green weeds have been pulled and the dead weeds cut and removed. A Capital Improvement Project is scheduled for this fiscal year (Spring) which will widen Dougherty Road from the Southern Pacific right-of-way to Amador Valley Blvd. As part of this project, the median is to be paved over and will thus solve the weed problem in the median. Roadside .Area Between the Camp Parks Berm and the Edge of Pavement: This area has been treated as an open space area and is the City's responsibility for maintenance. Page 2 / Several years ago, the method of weed control was to entirely sterilize the area. However, with the rise in concern regarding migration of chemicals into the creeks (NPDES), the level of service changed to provide r, vo sprayings per year with pre-emergent and post-emergent chemicals. This year, however, the area was sprayed a third time because of the late rains. Over the last two weeks, the entire area has been hand-weeded for green weeds and dead weeds cut. The total cost of the area clean-up over this two-week period has been just under $3,000. Should the Council wish to authorize a higher level of service along Dougherty Road, the following alternatives are presented for consideration, together with associated costs. 1) The current service level includes two sprayings of pre- and post-emergent chemicals per year with selective manual removal of tumbleweeds. Cost: $3,000 per year 2) Increase the sprayings to four (4) timer per year (thereby reducing manual work). Cost: Between $4,500 and $5,000 3) Mow weeds four (4) times per year, together with two (2) sprayings per year along the edge of the bike path and roadway. The weeds would be visible but would give a short uniform appearance. Cost: Approximately $8,750 per year 4) Revegetate the area with uniform ~gLrasses and mow the area four (4) times per year. Selective chemical control would also be used for broadleaf weeds and along edges of the bike path and roadway. The area would have a uniform planted appearance and would aid in erosion control. Initial Cost for Revegetation: Annual Cost of Maintenance: About $12,000 About $8,750 It should be noted that there are an infinite number of solutions; however, the more labor intensive the alternative, the higher the cost. Staff compared Dublin's maintenance to the City of San Ramon's maintenance of the easterly roadside of Dougherty Road north of Dublin's City limits. It appears that San Ramon does not cut, spray or remove weeds along the side of the road; nor do they perform much, if any, litter pick-up. There are a few landscaped islands along the road, but it appears that abou1 half of the shrubs have died. Staff recommends that Council review the maintenance alternatives and provide Staff with direction for the furore level of service on Dougherty Road. Page 3 REGULAR MEETING -]uly 23, 1996 '" ' the Council Chambers of the Dublin Civic Center. The meeting was called to orde:~ at 7:07 p.m., by Mayor Houston. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Councilmembers Barnes, Burton, Howard, ~,find'~"~yor Houston. ABSENT: None PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Houston led the Council, Staff and tbos/e present in the pledge of allegiance to the flag. .../~,~.. INTRODUCTION OF NEW mPLOYEE 7:08 p.m. (7oo-.xf5 . . Police Chief Rose stat.ed/~ergeant M/kc Pecoraro, who is new on the Dublin Police Force was to have. J~en introduced, but an officer had to go to the hospital and Sgt. Ma~ Houston announced that there had been a request to move public hearing Item , ' ....... 7-"':"'"' 't~" I ' Maintenance lssues on Doughertv Road (530-20) 7:09 p.m. Patty Bias, P. O. Box £101, Dublin, represent/ng the Woodlands Homeowners .~ssociat/on asked the City to please do something about the weeds and condition along Doughm%= Road. They live in one of 138 units in g~illow Creek. The), are very unhappy with the condiQon of this location. She brought some pictures of weeds out in the middle of the road to show the conditions. Mr..z~mbrose stated there are some weeds that are not in the j~risdict-Jon of the CID'. Ms. Bias indicated they have also noticed the big difference when you enter San Ramon. She couldn't imagine why we wouldn't want to clean this up and make it look · CITY' COUNCIL VOLUYt[ July 23, 1 PAGE 365 good. Zone 7 says they don't have any money to clean up the creek, but they clean it up in San Pa.man and they clean it up in Danville. Mayor Houston stated the City Council discussed this a couple of months ago and he asked that MCE get back to the City Council by the next meeting to let them know what is happening. M2-. Ambrose stated Zone 7 does not go into Contra Costa County. The assessment district covers most of the north side of Amador Valley Boulevard, plus frontage along a portion of the southwest corner. Cm. Howard pointed out the area between the bike path and the roadway and felt we should maintain this area. Cm. Barnes stated she had brought this up in the past and this area does not speak very well for us. Mr. Ambrose stated the median will be knocked down later this year. Some of the weeds can be taken care of. Mayor Houstbn requested that a report be brought back at the next meeting. 7:15 p.m. Mark Dorazio, who lives in San Ramon and wor~ in Dublhn stated he had request related to recycling bins/n the City. He brought back official il >n from the trash company about what they are recycI/ng ..now. A is the labels h~ven't been updated on the recY3iiif~ bins. The old labels on the recycling b/ns. He stated he contacted Mr. Honse who told him he afraid the garbage company might sue the- City. :-... Mayor HoustOn stated when we first started was distributed. program they had a worksheet that This issue was deferred to Staff CIO. a request to prepare a report on what we might CONSENT 7:19 of Cm. Burton, sec. o. nded by Cm. Howard, and by unanimous vote, the CITY' COUNCIL ~,rOLUME 15 ~cE6 ULAt~ klF.~-'rlN 6 July 23, 1996 PAGE 366 Il MCE CORPORATION Maintenance m Construction m Engineering Mr. Lee S. Thompson Public Works Director City of Dublin 100 Civic Plaza Dublin, California 94568 RE: August 7, 1996 WEED CONTROL/REVEGETATION OPTIONS FOR THE EAST SIDE OF DOUGHERTY ROAD Dear Lee: Per our meeting this morning, I have revised the 8 options we discussed. Four of the options are not worth pursuing because of cost effectiveness and, in some cases, the determination that the ultimate width of Dougherty Road would preclude landscape options at this time. The remaining options are as follows: 1. Current service level program - 2 pre/post emergent herbicide applications per year. 2. Increase service level of Option 1 from 2 to 4 times. Mow existing area 4 times and use selective broadleaf control. Revegetate area with erosion control mix and mow 4 times selective chemical weed control. annually and provide These options are discussed in further detail, complete with estimated costs in the following text. Since the major element of conflict here is the desire for a weed-free appearance versus the need to have erosion control, I believe Option 4 may suit the City best. This option combines the need to have better erosion control while establishing a consistent cover of vegetation over the area that can be mowed and chemically controlled to provide a better appearance than what exists now. Please advise any questions you may have. Respectfully, MCE CORPORATION Steve Loweree Project Manager : SL:kjh CO: S. Smalley D. McDonald THOMPSON, LEE L' 6515 Trinity Court, Dublin, California 94568-2627 · (510) 803-4: WEED CONTROL / REVEGETATION OPTIONS FOR THE EAST SIDE OF DOUGHERTY ROAD OPTION i Description: Current service level program involving a twice annual application of a pre and post emergent herbicide, usually in April and October of each year. Herbicide is not a soil sterilant. Pretty standard unimproved roadside weed control program. One time removal of tumble weeds. Cost: $ 3,000 Annually Appearance: Mostly bare dirt with occasional tall weeds and scattered smaller ones that are typically summer annuals which die as weather and temperature conditions change. Advantaqes: 1) Low in annual cost. 2) Low fire potential, as there are not enough weeds for a discarded cigarette to start a fire. Disadvantaqes: 1 ) Erosion Control: In areas where winter storm water runoff is present, such as Dougherty, the bare dirt condition does not promote soil stability. Movement of soil on sloped areas and drainage swales is a common occurrence and sometimes effects bike path and Camp Parks entry, with silt deposits. Field inlets get blocked on occasion, resulting in backups and standing water. 2) Appearance: Depending on the individual looking at the area, it can appear to be weed infested because it is mostly bare dirt, but some weeds are present,or as an unimproved right of way that is maintained for fire control purposes. 3) Timing: The effect of the pre-emergent portion of this program is dependent on water. Pre-emergents have to be watered to activate the chemical. Too little water (rain) after application may result in less activation of chemical. Too much water (rain) may result in the chemical leaching through the soil, thereby reducing its effectiveness. OPTION :2 Description: Upgrade the current service level program by increasing the level of service from 2 to 4 times. Program would be two combination pre and post emergents in April and October and two post-emergent sprays in June and August to kill any regrowth of weeds. Some support with maintenance crews for removal of weeds would be planned. _Cost: Between $ 4,500 and $ 5,000 depending on amount of manual weed removal. Appearance: Predominantly bare dirt. because of additional post-emergent sprays. Cleaner appearance than current program Advantages.: 1) 2) Fairly Iow in annual cost. Very little weed growth which will be advantageous appearance. in terms of 3) No residual effect common to soil sterilants, to damage future landscaping. Disadvanta.qes: 4) 2) Low fire potential from discarded cigarette - no vegetation cover. Erosion Control: As previously described, movement of soil will be a problem during winter storms. Timing: Dependent on timing and amount of rain as previously indicated which may impact short term level of weed control from time to time. OPTION 3 Descri~)tion: Mow weeds 4 times annually and provide chemical weed control to areas along street and bike path and broadleaf weed control to mowable area two times per year. Mowings would occur in late spring, early summer, late summer, and early fall. Chemical applications to street and bike path buffers in April and October and broadleaf control in February and July. Cost: $ 8,7'50 Annually. Appearance: Pretty clean and free of weeds along street and bike path edges. Remaining areas will range in weed height and area until mowing is done. Broadleaf control in summer (twice) will help reduce quantity of summer weeds currently experienced. In general, area will be spotty with vegetation cover during winter. Advanta,qe: 1) Identical in annual cost compared to Option 4. Disadvantaqes: 1) 2) 3) Appearance will vary from time to time. Tall, green weeds in late winter and between mowings, except for late summer when weeds should not be evident. Additional mowings may improve appearance, or rather the length of time that tall weeds are present, however, it might double cost to over $16,000. Erosion Control: While better than Options 1 and 2, this option will not provide substantial relief to the erosion problems in this area until grassy weeds establish themselves and cover a major percentage of the area. Potentially higher fire hazard than bare dirt approach. OPTION 4 Description: Revegetate area with an erosion control mix of natural grasses and some clover (will provide some flowers). This option would encompass discing and fine grading the current area and hydroseeding the seed mix. Similar to a Caltrans approach to unimproved freeway areas. This option would include chemical control of street edge and bike path edges and selective control of certain broadleaf weeds within the seeded area. Mow seeded area 4 times annually in late spring, early summer, late summer and early fall. Cost: Initial grading and hydroseeding: $12,000 Annual maintenance: $ 8,750 Appearance: Complete vegetation (mostly annual grasses) and some spring/summer flowers. Area would be green during winter months, gradually getting taller throughout this period. After first spring mowing, area would be pale green in color but short in height. Some regrowth will occur and some flowering of clover will be present until second mowing. After third mowing (late summer), area will be brown with some green weeds evident. After fourth mowing (early fall), area will get greener as winter rains begin. In general, area will look its best after mowings for 4-8 weeks, although main growth will occur between December and March. Advantaqe: 1 ) Erosion Control: Much improved, Over preViOus ~ptions, because of complete vegetation cover. Will experience much less movement of soil because surface will be vegetated. 2) Appearance (After Mowings): Area will look neat and trimmed for short period (4-8 weeks) after each mowing (4 total). Disadvantaqes: 1 ) Cost: Initial cost and one year's maintenance totals over $ 20,000, which is significantly more than has been spent in this area previously. 2) Appearance (Between Mowings): During summer months, even after mowing, the area will be brown which may not be suitable to some. In winter, the wet condition of the soil prevents any mowing 3) without getting mowers stuck or tearing up the surface. During this period, the grass will be green, but get progressively taller through the winter. In general, some people may still consider it unattractive. Potentially higher fire hazard than bare dirt approach because of discarded cigarettes from cars on Dougherty Road. NOTE: Many different seed combinations are available for erosion control and cost may increase if additional items are added. The fourth mowing is questionable at this point. It may be possible to eliminate the early fall mowing depending on weed conditions or growth after third mowing. Annual cost could potentially be reduced by up to $1,500. OPTIONS DISCUSSED BUT DISCARDED 1) Twice Annual Pre and Post Emerqent Usinq Soil Sterilant Soil sterilants leave a residual level of toxicity to plant material in the soil. Detrimental to any future landscaping without doing costly excavation of soil. Additionally, soil sterilants are becoming less acceptable to regulatory agencies for use in the public right of way. In fact, the most commonly used chemical until a couple of years ago, Princep, is no longer labeled for use in the public right of way and it is uncertain if other sterilants will have a similar fate. 2) at all and will be too costly for what would be a reduced visual appearance. 3) Landscape Screen (Trees & Shrubs) Alon.q Dou,qherty Road Mow Weeds Without any Chemical Control Without any chemical control, mowing by itself will not increase the level of appearance Ultimately, Dougherty Road will be widened to 6 lanes which will almost entirely eliminate the current unimproved area. If this occurs within the next 15 years or so, a half million dollar landscape investment would have to be demolished. The landscaping could be put in at its ultimate location now, however, the location is within 10-15' of the bike path and therefore, would not screen the unimproved area between Dougherty Road and ultimate location of the east curb line (about 35' east of Dougherty Road). 4) _Complete LandscaDe Since most of the current unimproved area on the east side is actually future roadway, a complete landscaping of this area in the interim would be a waste of money, unless the future roadway is 25 - 30 years away. -:-" THOMPSON, LEE - LTR - OPTIONS FOR DOUGHERTY RD - SL - 8-5-96 (REVISED 8-7-96)