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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 10705INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS To the Mayor and Members of the City Council SUBJECT: FY2021 MEDIAN MOWING UPDATE No. 21-10705 November 16, 2021 Page 1 of 2 The purpose of this Informal Report is to respond to questions raised by Councilmember Jared Williams regarding the maintenance of traffic dividers i.e. street medians and specifically would the planting of medians with wildflowers lower the cost and frequency of mowing. Median Maintenance Program The Park & Recreation Department (PARD) is responsible for overseeing the mowing and collection of litter of traffic dividers throughout the city. In some instances, such as Public Improvement Districts or Adopt -A Medians, the PID or Adoption groups supplement the mowing by increasing frequencies of maintenance. The PARD maintains 210 miles of traffic dividers under contracts with private sector mowing contractors. In addition, PARD contracts the maintenance of 213 "corner clips" i.e. traffic intersections. Lastly the department maintains 324 miles of right-of-ways (ROW) under contract. The latter are on the same mowing cycle if traffic dividers run parallel to the ROWs. The mowing season generally begins in mid-February/early March and extends to October/November. The traffic dividers and ROWs are mowed on 14-day frequency during optimal growing season and 21 days frequency from mid -summer to the end of the mowing season. All mow cycle schedules are dependent on weather conditions i.e., amount of rain and temperature during that period. The average cost for traffic dividers is $387 per mile; total cycle cost is $81,341 per cycle. The annual total cost varies depending on total cycles mowed. For FY2021, the total annual cost was $1,220,115 for 15 cycles for traffic dividers only. Use of Wildflowers/Native Grasses The planting of wildflowers or native grasses is an effective way to improve appearances of grassy areas which are mowed on a reduced cycle anywhere from 1-4 times per year. Good examples include interstate highways, tollways, state highways and farm -to -market road ROWs in rural and non -urban areas. Again, these areas are mowed less frequently which allows for the wildflowers to reproduce or "go -to -seed" for future season blooms. These areas are also subject to higher traffic speeds and generally subject to less urban litter. Traffic dividers in urban areas require mowing on 14-21 day cycles to maintain traffic sightlines. Moreover, traffic dividers within the urban core are subject to lower traffic speeds and the presence of litter. Therefore, mowing and litter collection on the more frequent cycles allows for better traffic sightlines and cleaner conditions, respectively. If traffic dividers were planted with wildflowers they would require no mowing from approximately February through June to allow the plants to go to seed to sustain growth the following year. This would result in unsightly conditions after plants have gone to seed and potential impaired traffic sightlines in exchange for a few weeks of wildflower blooms. Additionally, amongst the wildflowers, sporadic weeds can occur which requires either spraying or hand removal to maintain the beauty of wildflower plantings. The cost for mowing and ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS To the Mayor and Members of the City Council SUBJECT: FY2021 MEDIAN MOWING UPDATE No. 21-10705 November 16, 2021 Page 2 of 2 cleanup of what could be 2-3 feet of growth is estimated to be 2-3 times what a normal mowing cost which lessens savings realized from the standard mowing cycles. The PARD continues to introduce and maintain wildflower plantings in parks where native plants and grasses can be effective and use and development is conducive to natural areas where mowing frequencies can be limited. These conditions are typically in more remote undeveloped areas of parks and along trail linkages. An example of this is Chisholm Trail Park where natural prairie areas are mowed once per season. The department also looks for opportunities to increase wildflowers and use of native grasses in remote, undeveloped areas where traffic sightlines and high vegetation lend themselves to acceptable appearance and conditions. In closing while the PARD does not recommend extensive wildflower use in medians, the PARD will continue to look for ways to incorporate native and adapted plants when the situation and location allows in an effort to reduce erosion, benefit pollinators, capture carbon and potentially be a financial savings to the City. For questions regarding this information, please contact Richard Zavala, Director, Park & Recreation Department, at 817.392.5704. David Cooke City Manager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS