The Town of Fairfax was awarded a Hazardous Fuels Reduction Grant from the U.S. Department of Forest Services through the California Fire Safe Council in the amount of $168,831. One major item of the grant requires the hiring of qualified contractors to perform primarily brush clearing and tree trimming services.
The Town is seeking a list of qualified contractors to carry out the work of this grant.
If you are a contractor interested in providing any of the following services please go to the Town's web page www.townoffairfax.org for the full document so you can submit a proposal:
Proposals must include per diem costs for the following items:
1. Brush clearing (three person crew)
2. Chipping services (including equipment)
3. Tree pruning services
4. Tree felling and removal services, and
5. Hauling services.
REQUEST FOR SERVICES: Hazardous Fuel Elimination Project
California Fire Safe Council Grant Number 10USFS-ES556
Proposals Due: 5:00 p.m. May 25, 2010
A. DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT:
The project is intended to:
1. Educate the public about fire safe landscaping and the creation of defensible space around homes in three target areas;
2. Provide chipper days at no cost to residents;
3. Prune and remove roadside vegetation along the Ross Valley Fire Protection District Fire Apparatus Clear Zones (FACZ) identified in the Zone 1, Zone 2, and Zone 3 tables listed below; and,
4. Remove up to 50 of the oak trees that have succumbed to Sudden Oak Death disease.
The purpose of this Request is to establish a list of contractors willing to work on a per diem basis to provide brush removal, chipper days, tree pruning and tree removal services. The minimum per diem rate shall be based on all employees being paid at the Town of Fairfax Living Wage rate, currently $15.34 with employer sponsored benefits and $17.53 without employer sponsored health benefits.
It is imperative that contractors are sensitive to the concerns of the citizens and allow time for addressing concerns. If a questions arises, the contractor must call the Fire Department and let the Department arbitrate the situation. The contractor may have to move on to the next section and then return later to do removal. Removal may have to be rescheduled if residents’ complaints are not resolved.
B. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES:
Brush Removal – Contractor to provide roadside clearance of vegetation up to a height of 15 feet as follows: provide a three person crew with a chipper and a dump truck. All brush and shrub species shall be removed from shoulder areas, extending 10feet out from the paved road surfaces. All cured (dry) grasses shall be cut or mowed to a maximum of three inches (3”).
Chipper Days – Provide mobile chipper service in Zones 1, 2, or 3, including the vehicles, equipment and trained employees to chip collected vegetation along the FACZ routes. (Instructions will be provided to homeowners on the acceptable vegetation for chipping and efficient placement of vegetation for more efficient chipper operations.) If possible, chips should be broadcast back onto the property. If not possible, they should be removed. Remove and dispose of all woody debris hauled to the roadside that cannot be chipped and spread on site. The cost of dumping chips outside of the Town will be paid independent of the contracted vegetation removal cost and on an invoice separate from this contract.
Tree Pruning – Removal of all tree limbs and trunks which obstruct traffic flow on designated roads (list attached). Vegetation is to be no lower than 15' from the surface of any usable portion of the roadway. All pruning is to be done under the supervision of a Certified Arborist in accordance with the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) tree-Pruning Guidelines and the American National Standards Institutes A300 Pruning Standard. Removal of tree trunks and/or limbs greater than 8" in diameter must be approved by the Town of Fairfax Planning Department prior to removal. The object of the work is to prune in such a way as to maintain an obstacle-free roadway without the frequent need to prune again. Shearing of smaller branches and heading cuts of larger branches is not acceptable. All pruning debris is to be removed by the contractor prior to end of workday.
Tree Removal – Provide all services for the felling and removal of dead trees in varying sizes. Removal of tree trunks and/or limbs greater than 8" in diameter must be approved by the Town of Fairfax Planning Department prior to removal.
