Commission presses staff on contractor watering and warranty tracking after resident complaint

Commissioners pressed staff July 28 about who is responsible for watering newly planted trees and how contractor performance is tracked after a resident reported being told that the homeowner—not the contractor—was responsible for watering a newly planted tree.

Gaye summarized the complaint and asked whether contracts require contractor watering and whether the commission can see the contract. Sarah said there are two contract regimes: the 2021 contract required reports of watering but did not specify an amount or a firm frequency beyond a general requirement, while the recently signed RFP for grant-funded plantings (with Omans) specifies "twice monthly" watering and a minimum of about "10 or 20 gallons" per watering during the first two-year establishment period. Sarah said contractor reports plus resident service requests and periodic inspections (previously done by interns) are how the city monitors performance.