Mesa council approves $1.9M contract for park turf removal

The Mesa City Council on Aug. 19 approved a two-year, $1.9 million contract to remove what officials call non-functional turf for city parks in an effort to save water.

The contract, voted on as part of a multi-item consent agenda that passed 6-0 (with Mayor John Giles absent) will pave the way for the removal of a total of 221,683-square-feet of turf that lies within 54 different parks and retention bases in the city that have been deemed as non-functional, according to a council report.

A concrete cubing border and granite will be installed in those areas, and the sprinkler systems in the remaining turf areas will be modified.

“This project will save approximately 5.7 million gallons of (Central Arizona Project) water annually. This project will also improve the aesthetics of the parks and basins, as these non-functional turf areas are difficult to grow grass in,” the council document said. “This project has a secondary benefit of reducing the amount of conflicts and legal liability issues that arise from having turf directly adjacent to residential block walls.”

The council document said that three proposals for the contract were received, with the winning bid coming from Mariposa Landscape Arizona Inc., earning it the recommendation from the evaluation committee representing the Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities and Environmental and Sustainability Departments and Procurement Services.

The contract’s term is for two years with a two-year renewal option, set at $1,985,000 annually with an annual increase allowance of up to 5% or the adjusted Consumer Price Index.