MEMO TO: Members of the City Council
FROM: Mayor John Marchione
SUBJECT:
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Approval of an Interagency Agreement for 2018-19 in the Amount of $173,250 between the State of Washington, Department of Ecology and the City of Redmond for Restoration Site Maintenance by the Washington Conservation Corp
I. RECOMMENDED ACTION
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Authorize Mayor to execute on the Interagency Agreement (IAA) for the restoration site maintenance by the Washington Conservation Corps between The State of Washington, Department of Ecology and the City of Redmond
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II. DEPARTMENT CONTACTS
Martin Pastucha, Director of Public Works 425-556-2733
Gary Schimek, Environmental and Utility Services Division Manager 425-556-2721
Tom Hardy, Program Administrator 425-556-2762
III. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND
The purpose of the contract with the Department of Ecology Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) is to maintain and enhance stream and habitat restoration sites around the City. This maintenance is a follow-up activity that is crucial to the success of restoration and mitigation associated with capital improvement projects - approximately 100-acres distributed around the city (see Attachment A for a map of currently maintained sites). Maintenance is typically required by permit approvals for the first five to ten years after project completion, and then ongoing maintenance is necessary for long term success. The value of site maintenance goes far beyond permit compliance in that it protects and improves the public investment in these habitat enhancements, promoting healthy and attractive restoration areas. Maintenance of restoration sites involves control of invasive weeds, litter patrol, replacement planting, and other activities important to overall project success. This regular site maintenance enhances already completed projects, building on the initial investment, as well as improving the aesthetics of sites. The level of maintenance for each location on the site restoration map varies widely. Older more established sites may only require a brief check for weeds every six to twelve months, while recently planted sites are worked intensively three or four times per year.
The WCC crews accomplish a variety of natural resource-related activities for local jurisdictions and non-profit organizations, and are awarded to jurisdictions via competitive application. WCC staff are typically college-age students learning restoration techniques and gaining job skills. A crew consists of six staff that work a 40-hour work week.
The City of Redmond has utilized full or part-time WCC crews since 2004, including a full-time crew for 2017-18. For the upcoming 2018-2019 season, the City was granted the opportunity to hire a Federal AmeriCorps-subsidized one-year crew. The subsidized crew will save the City $57,750 compared to an un-subsidized one-year crew. The on-going relationship with WCC and the opportunity to hire a subsidized crew is partly because Redmond provides interesting and diverse work for the crews. With the completion of the 12-acre Bear Creek restoration project, staff determined that hiring a one-year WCC crew is the most cost-effective and efficient way to maintain the existing and new restoration sites. Some crew hours will be charged to other capital projects, as appropriate.
The work consists primarily of removing invasive plants from City of Redmond capital improvement project mitigation sites. Installation of replacement plantings also occupies a significant portion of the crew’s time. In addition, the crew provides assistance with volunteer events, native plant replacement, habitat assessment, small stream projects, site monitoring and de-fishing on stream projects and maintenance activities
A one-year WCC crew for Redmond will cost $173,250 (41-weeks throughout the 2018-19 season). The crew will be used on CIP projects and on large site maintenance. Using the WCC crew during 2018-19 will allow the City to continue the progress that’s been made on project maintenance during 2017-18. The agreement is shown in Attachment B.
IV. PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS HELD
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Date |
Action / Committee Presentation |
|
09/11/2018 |
Public Works and Planning Committee |
|
Today |
Accept Agreement |
V. IMPACT
A. Service/Delivery:
This agreement will provide adequate funding for vital maintenance activities on completed restoration projects within the City, protecting and enhancing the substantial initial investment in these projects.
B. Fiscal Note:
Costs to utilize a six-person crew for 41 weeks are shown below. Estimated Project Costs Washington Conservation Corps one-year Crew $173,250
Project Funding Stormwater Operations $173,250
VI. ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Council could choose not to approve the agreement. However, this action would curtail important site maintenance activities and violate mitigation requirements.
VII. TIME CONSTRAINTS
Agreement Approval September 2018
Work Begins October 2018
VIII. LIST OF ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Map of Restoration Project Work Sites
Attachment B: Agreement WCC-1808