More Trees Coming to Woodward Avenue in Bloomfield Hills

The Bloomfield Hills City Commission on Tuesday approved plans to  plant at least 100 new trees along the median on Woodward Avenue, and there is a strong possibility of adding more in the future.

Commissioners chose KLM Landscaping of Washington, MI, to negotiate a final contract with City Manager Jay Cravens. The company submitted the lowest of five qualified bids, and Cravens said it was a better deal than he anticipated.

"The low bid was surprising, we were very pleased with that," he said. "We're looking at planting at least 100 trees."

The low bid, just under $30,000, is all the more valuable considering how much the city raised from private sources. A months-long campaign for the tree program advertised an approximate cost of $750 per tree—including the cost of watering and maintenance. The campaign also mentioned that an anonymous donor offered to match the first $25,000 in donations. At the meeting, Cravens told commissioners and residents in the audience that the full amount of donations to date topped $60,000.

Commissioner Sarah McClure said the low bid probably had a lot to do with the lack of development elsewhere in southeast Michigan. She said the price opened up the city's options.

"Maybe we can plant a few more," she said. "We could purchase 20 or 40 more and reserve the rest of the money for the spring. We just have to be careful not to increase our maintenance costs."

Cravens said the KLM bid was lower because the company was able to fill the order from its own stock and had the lowest labor costs of all five bidders. If negotiations go smoothly, planting could begin in early October.