Village Set to Extend Basin Landscaping Contract

leaders are poised to extend a contract with Pizzo and Associates to maintain naturalized landscapes in 12 basins.

That means residents in some of the village's nine special service area subdivisions may end up paying more in local taxes, but the tradeoff will be basins free of weeds and full of natural grass and native plants, according to Director Mike Pubentz.

In 2007, the Leland-based Pizzo and Associates was hired to re-plant and maintain eight of those 12 basins. Five of them are in private subdivisions: Arbor Ridge, Blackberry Crossing, Fairfield Way, Fieldstone Place, and Montgomery Crossing. The remaining three are all village-owned, on Cornell Street, Civic Center Drive and Orchard Road.

In a presentation to the Village Board on Monday, Jack Pizzo, owner of Pizzo and Associates, showed photographic evidence of his company’s work. He compared pictures taken at those eight basins in 2007 with those taken last year, and the difference seemed to impress village leaders.

“I think there’s been a tremendous improvement from when we started this program in 2007,” said Village President Marilyn Michelini.

Pizzo’s three-year contract expired at the end of 2010. For the one-year extension, the company will be asked to take on four more subdivision basins: Foxmoor, Orchard Prairie North, Balmorea and Marquis Pointe/Ogden Hill.

The village did put this contract out to bid, and received five responses, Pubentz said. Pizzo’s bid of $181,210 to perform basic maintenance was not the lowest—in fact, it ranked third out of five, with the lowest coming in at $101, 559.

But Pubentz said some of the other bidders “did not have a complete understanding of the scope of the work,” and had to revise their estimates.

Pizzo’s bid total will buy basic maintenance on all 12 basins, plus some controlled burns, Pubentz said. But the company also included a tally of more than $267,000 in “alternate” costs, suggested improvements that would add to the overall look and health of the basins, Pizzo said.

With the exception of the relatively new Balmorea subdivision, all of the special service areas have fund balances for 2011 that could cover the basic maintenance costs. However, should the Village Board approve the additional costs, some of the work will have to be scaled back in some subdivisions, Pubentz said.

For example, Foxmoor's SSA has enough fund balance to cover the full $142,520 cost of all the suggested improvements, with $2,560 left over. However, Marquis Pointe/Ogden Hill would require $76,340 to complete everything on the table, which would leave the fund balance $41,340 in the red.

Pubentz said the village would not leave negative balances in those funds, but rather would dial back the amount of work done this year for subdivisions that can’t afford more. But some tax levies may have to be increased next year, he said.

The Village Board will vote on the Pizzo and Associates contract at its March 14 meeting. Trustees voiced no objections to the plan Monday night.