Council backs revised plaza shade plan and authorizes bids with tree-first alternative

The Loomis Town Council instructed staff to finish design details and advertise bids for a scaled‑back plaza shade project that prioritizes tree replacement and includes a limited shade sail at the splash pad. Staff presented a revised scheme that reduced the earlier ~$450,000 shade‑sail concept to an opinion of cost near $175,000 by substituting larger boxed trees (36–60 inch box) and one primary shade sail, along with a required three‑year establishment and maintenance period.

Dylan Butterbaugh (presentation lead) and the town’s consulting arborist described problems with existing street and plaza trees — early trunk burn and past pruning practices hindered canopy development — and recommended replacement with larger container trees (valley oaks, interior live oaks, red maples, western redbud) and soil/irrigation improvements. Gordon, the arborist, told council that soil amendments, root-barriers and proper planting practices can improve success rates compared with the older trees.

Multiple residents raised concerns about leaf litter, parking-lot cleanup costs and whether Loomis would lose locally valued programs if the town pursued larger regional projects; a local vendor suggested substantially reducing the number of shade sails or using larger square sails to maximize shade per post. "We can definitely explore cheaper shade sails," staff said, offering to include vendor alternatives and add‑alternate pricing in bid documents.

Council directed staff to complete plans and specifications, include tree‑and‑shade alternatives as addenda/add‑alternates, and proceed to bid so a contract could be awarded in time for possible completion by late summer. The council and public also asked staff to evaluate alternative tree species and to consider use of the town’s Tree Mitigation Fund as a potential funding source when returning with a funding recommendation.

Next steps: staff will finalize specifications (including arborist planting and maintenance standards), solicit bids with ad‑alternates for shade‑sail options, and return to council with bid results and a funding recommendation.