New Citywide Landscape Maintenance Program

Over the years, I have received a significant number of calls, emails, and photographs from residents regarding landscaping conditions throughout Upland. Concerns ranged from overgrown medians and weeds to inconsistent trimming schedules, declining appearance of entryways, and a lack of timely maintenance in certain areas of the city.

After reviewing the issue, the City determined that the existing landscape maintenance model was no longer meeting the needs of a growing and increasingly complex city landscape system. Upland maintains more than 200 acres of landscaped medians, parkways, parks, facilities, and public spaces throughout the community. Historically, all of these areas were maintained under a single citywide landscape contract.

What Was the Problem?

Under the previous single-vendor model, the City experienced several challenges:

* Inconsistent trimming and maintenance schedules.

* Limited staffing available to cover the entire city.

* Reduced oversight and quality control.

* Delayed responses when maintenance issues arose.

* Increased resident complaints regarding landscaping conditions.

* Insufficient attention to medians, entry points, and other highly visible areas.

Simply put, one contractor was responsible for maintaining more than 200 acres spread throughout the entire city. As Upland continued to grow and the landscape inventory expanded, the City found that the existing model was becoming increasingly difficult to manage effectively.

Why the City Moved to Multiple Contractors

To improve service, accountability, and oversight, the City developed a new landscape maintenance program that divides the city into four distinct service areas. This approach is considered a municipal best practice and is used by many communities to improve maintenance performance and responsiveness.

Rather than relying on a single contractor to maintain every landscaped area in Upland, each contractor will now focus on a specific portion of the city.

The four service areas are:

1. Parks and Park Facilities

2. City Facilities

3. North Upland Right-of-Way Areas

4. South Upland Right-of-Way Areas

Benefits of the New Approach

Improved Service Quality

Smaller service areas allow contractors to dedicate crews to specific locations, resulting in more consistent maintenance, quicker response times, and greater attention to detail.

Increased Accountability

When one contractor is responsible for a smaller area, it becomes much easier to evaluate performance and hold the contractor accountable for results.

Better Oversight

Previously, one Public Works employee was responsible for auditing landscaping performance citywide. Under the new model, three staff members will participate in a recurring inspection and auditing process, significantly improving quality control.

Reduced Risk

If a contractor experiences staffing shortages or performance issues, only a portion of the city is affected rather than the entire landscape program. This prevents citywide maintenance backlogs.

More Competition and Better Value

Dividing the work into smaller contracts allowed more companies to compete for City work. Increased competition helps control costs while encouraging higher performance standards.

The Four New Landscape Contracts

Parks Landscape Maintenance

Contractor: Landscape West Management Services

Landscape West will be responsible for maintaining the City's parks and park facilities. Their focus will be on ensuring our parks remain clean, attractive, and safe for residents while providing specialized attention to recreational facilities and public gathering spaces.

Contract Value: $2,133,270 over three years.

City Facilities Landscape Maintenance

Contractor: Elite Maintenance & Tree Service

Elite Maintenance & Tree Service will maintain landscaping at City-owned facilities, including City buildings and related municipal properties. This contract ensures that public-facing government facilities maintain a professional appearance and remain welcoming to residents.

Contract Value: $197,280.72 over three years.

North Upland Landscape Maintenance

Contractor: Colts Landscape, Inc.

Colts Landscape will maintain landscaped right-of-way areas, medians, parkways, and other public landscape features located in the northern portion of the city. This dedicated service area allows crews to focus specifically on North Upland's maintenance needs and respond more efficiently to issues as they arise.

Contract Value: $814,998.99 over three years.

South Upland Landscape Maintenance

Contractor: Mariposa Landscapes, Inc.

Mariposa Landscapes will maintain landscaped right-of-way areas, medians, parkways, and public landscape features throughout the southern portion of the city. The dedicated service area will provide improved maintenance frequency and greater accountability for conditions in South Upland.

Contract Value: $1,196,025.96 over three years.

Looking Forward

Residents deserve a city that is clean, attractive, and well maintained. Landscaping is one of the first things people notice when they visit a community. Well-maintained medians, parks, and public spaces contribute to neighborhood pride, enhance property values, and improve quality of life for everyone. City staff specifically noted that landscape maintenance has a direct relationship to community appearance, pride, and property values.

While no maintenance program is perfect, I supported moving away from the outdated single-vendor model because it creates stronger accountability, better oversight, improved service quality, and greater protection against service disruptions. My expectation is that residents will begin to see measurable improvements in the appearance and maintenance of public landscaping throughout Upland as these new contracts are implemented.

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Disclaimer: The Upland Update is an independent community resource and is not affiliated with the City of Upland. This is my personal initiative to keep residents and businesses informed about key issues, city developments, and community events that impact our daily lives. My goal is to ensure you have clear, transparent, and timely information to stay engaged and involved in shaping Upland’s future.

James Breitling

(909) 342-2523

info@theuplandupdate.com

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