RM 04-02-76 - Laserfiche WebLink

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6. NEIL BUSINESS (Cont'd Gatchell Tree Service $ 950.00 Remove 14 trees & stumps. 3121 Northside Blvd. Haul all debris @ $68.00. South Bend, Ind. 1,224.00 Adjust quantity to removal of 18 trees and stumps, haul debris @ $68.00; ad- just estimate to $1,224.00 Commissioner Wiggins asked why Paul Bunyon'Tree Service bid on 19 trees and others on 18, and Mr. Edwin R. Bauer, Assistant Director, advised there are approximately 100 trees on the 16 acres, in Block 6, and we deemed that approximately 18 or 19 trees were in such poor condition that they were either dead or dying that had to be re- moved. Also., some of the trees are in the way of the planned progress buildings for the development. Out of the 100 trees, only about one half dozen had any value. They will probably eventually all be re- moved, not necessarily by this Department. We deemed that 18 needed to be removed, and to make the bidders all equal at their unit price, we went back to Gatchell and said there are approximately 18 that will have to be removed, and Gatchell adjusted his figure accordingly, at his quote per tree. Commissioner Wiggins directed his question to Commission Legal Counsel, Mr. Kevin J. Butler: "Are we responsible for the removal of trees for site preparations for our developers on Block 6? '(This involves Disposition Parcel No. 6 -1, sold to the St. Joseph River Bend Develop- ment Corporation, which includes the elderly housing site.) Mr. Butler advised if they would impede the development, we are. Mr. Bauer added that he believed the development calls for a cleared site and the dead trees would fall under that category- -not being ,a cleared site. In surveying the 100 trees in question, only 5% of the trees are of any value at all. We would be removing approximately 1/5 of the trees and the developer will be taking more trees out on his own after he gets into the development. Mr. Brownell referred to a letter he received from Mr. Lloyd S. Taylor, spokesman for the St. Joseph River Bend Development Corporation, and they want to go ahead with some of the purchases and would like to have us get the work done. As things are now progressing, some con- struction activities should take place in May of 1976. The Chair advised he understands that Mr. Bill Slabaugh, Project Engineer, has been consulted about this, and as he understands it, . the situation is that we are required to clear the site, and they feel the site has not been cleared for the development. He also stated it is his understanding that there are some curbs and sidewalks left there that need to be eventually taken out. Asked for an explana- tion, Mr. Slabaugh advised that is correct. , tincolnway was left in there to prevent erosion, and some of the curbs in the streets were left in be :ause the bricks were taken out of the streets. We felt they were more )r less demolished and the contract was never written for completely iemolishing that site out, so there are several items left in there that have to be taken care of by the Department of Redevelopment to ful- fill the obligations to dispose of the site.