The Edgehill Farm Master Association entered a three-year deal with Fontaine Landscaping in 2006. There have been few complaints about their service as the lawns are kept mowed and flowers planted according to contract. But, that doesn't mean that we, as a community and as the board, shouldn't shop around for the best service at the best price for landscaping.
First - it's a huge contract. It will be huge for ANY professional contractor we hire. The grass alone is estimated to be 130,000 square feet of mowable area. I have no clue how many small trees and bushes must be kept trimmed and the streets corners reveal that the walkway/lake/grass areas collect a large amount of leaves that are raked and blown a few times a season.
Our current contract is easy to read and understand. The grass is mowed at regular intervals and the plants and flowers at the entrance ways are changed out twice a year and watered until they can survive on hopefully regular rainfall. Rain drain pipes are kept clear of debris so water doesn't back up (but the current landscape contract says sticks and trash are "debris" but a rock blocking the pipe requires a separate $85 fee to move it). The leaves are blown and grounds are aerated and overseeded yearly.
In the time since the board signed its current landscaping contract, we've added the extra service of twice-weekly scrapings of the paved walkway around the lake. During "heavy" goose season, the guano REALLY builds up and is unpleasant. It's a service that's earned rave reviews and a spot in the "Scope of Work" document we give to all potential landscape company bidders as a service we'll require as a term of the next landscaping contract.
I'm not ready to post the bidding terms on this blog regarding the bid prices offered by the competing companies. As of today (11/21), four bids have come in for review w/ varying degrees of pricing and varying degrees of service as we interpret the bids. Some contracts use precise language such as doing this or that service once or twice per month. Others don't pin themselves down to numbers - using only terms like "routine basis" for when they'll perform certain landscaping tasks. It takes some reading but I'm getting a great education along the way. My major lesson is that nuanced contract language is likely vague on purpose.
Since handling the contracts for rehabilitating the Edgehill clubhouse, I've learned to appreciate specificity in bids without having to call a company a second or third time for clarification of their estimate. The company that's clear in its intentions and firm in its pricing, I've found to be easiest with which to deal. It's on the paper and it's not subject to the interpretation of contract verbage.
If you have any thoughts on landscape services for the lake area or other Edgehill common area, leave a message here or email me.
99% of the Edgehill residents don't care and wish to bother with what's happening. But, by not caring, many aren't ensuring the return on their monthly "tax" for living at Edgehill Farm.
No comments:
Post a Comment