AGENDA #4f
MEMORANDUM
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TO: |
Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager |
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FROM: |
George Small, P.E., Engineering Director Lance Norris, Interim Public Works Director Robert Minick, Landscape Superintendent Kumar Neppalli, E.I.T., Engineering Services Manager |
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SUBJECT: |
A Resolution Authorizing the Town Manager to Execute an Agreement between the Town of Chapel Hill and the North Carolina Department of Transportation for Installation of a Landscape Buffer between Christopher Road and Fordham Boulevard |
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DATE: |
November 19, 2007 |
PURPOSE
The attached resolution would authorize the Town Manager to enter into an agreement with the North Carolina Department of Transportation for installation of a landscape buffer between Christopher Road and Fordham Boulevard.
Residents of the Greenwood area submitted a petition to the Council at its February 26, 2007 meeting requesting the installation of a landscape buffer between Christopher Road and Fordham Boulevard. Town staff provided a report to the Council at its April 11 meeting in response to the petition. A copy of the April 11 report is provided in Attachment 1, including a map of the area to be landscaped.
As indicated in the April 11 report, Town staff developed a landscaping buffer plan and submitted it to interested area residents and to the State for review. The area residents and the State approved the landscape buffer plan last month and the estimated cost of the project is approximately $50,000. At the Town’s request, the State agreed to pay up to $50,000 in funding for the installation of the approved landscape buffer and sent the attached funding agreement for execution by the Town. A copy of the Agreement is provided in Attachment 2. The Agreement includes the following key elements:
This project will be another incremental increase in responsibility to one of the Town’s most under-resourced divisions. The maintenance will require care for 200 additional plants along Fordham Boulevard, an incremental but not insignificant increase over the care provided for the established plantings in the area. This care would include but not be limited to mulching, pruning, and more detailed mowing. Considering current available resources, we believe these increased maintenance demands may have an adverse impact on the division’s overall ability to meet the level of service expectations.
RECOMMENDATION
We recommend that the Council adopt the attached resolution that would authorize the Town Manager to enter into an agreement with the North Carolina Department of Transportation for installation of a landscape buffer between Christopher Road and Fordham Boulevard.
ATTACHMENTS