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Item I02 HOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: July 19.2006 Division: Growth Management Bulk Item: Yes ~ No Department: Administration Staff Contact Person: Beth Bergh AGENDA ITEM WORDING: Approval of a grant task assignment with Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FOEP) to receive a $62,400 grant which will allow the County to continue employing invasive exotic plant control technicians to treat invasive exotic plants on conservation lands that are owned or managed by Monroe County. ITEM BACKGROUND: Monroe County has been awarded grant funds for invasive exotic plant removal from FDEP through the Florida Keys Invasive Exotics Task Force. This grant is for the State's FY 06-07 and is intended to build on the success of the FY 05-06 Monroe County grant that enabled the County to hire invasive exotic plant control technicians. The local match for the grant wiII be provided through time from the Land Steward and purchase and use of materials to support the project. PREVIOUS RELEVANT HOCC ACTION: February 18, 2004 ~ Approval of 10 year FOEP contract PL-029 for funding to remove invasive exotic plant species. September 21, 2005 ~ Approval of Task Assignment FK-056 under FOEP contract PL-029 which provided $57,600 for the County to hire invasive plant technicians to work on County conservation lands. This task assignment ended June 15,2006. CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES: Relative to last year's task assignment, the grant award for this task assignment has increased from $57,600 to 62,400. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Approval TOTAL COST: $108.241 (grant + local match) BUIJGETED: Yes ~ No Growth Manage. Salary & COST TO COUNTY: $45,841 (local match) SOURCE OF FUNDS: Bnv. Restoration Fund REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes No --X. AMOUNT PER MONTH Year APPROVED BY: County Atty.-.X.- OMB/Purchasing ~ Risk Management X ~ ;: " '-/' /./ y?;' j/J h / ,. / .I:~0// 4..w--/ ~} v/ --~..- f) /c/" Ty Symrofki f ~ I)IVISION DIRECTOR APPROVAL: I)OCUMENT A TION: Included X Not Required~~ DISPOSITION: Revised 2i05 AGENI)A ITEM # MONROE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS CONTRACT SlJ1V{MARY Contract with: FDEP Contract # - PL029 Effective Date: Expiration Date: Contract Purpose/Description: Task Assignment # FK - 069. Removal of invasive exotic plant species from publicly owned conservation lands in Monroe County. Contract Manager: Beth Bergh 2511 Growth Management I 11 (Name) (Ext. ) (Department/Stop #) for BOCC meeting on July 19,2006 Agenda Deadline: July 5,2006 CONTRACT COSTS Total Dollar Value of Contract: $ 62,400 Budgeted? Yes[2j No 0 Account Codes: Grant $ 62,400 County Match: $ 45,841 (in kind) Current Year Portion: $ 125-52003-530490-_-510130 - - - - -----~~- ~ - - - -~~-~ - - - ~ ~------~~ ADDITIONAL COSTS Estimated Ongoing Costs: $~yr For: (Not included in dollar value above) (eg. maintenance, utilities, janitorial, salaries, etc.) CONTRACT REVIEW Changes Date In Needed Division Director Y esO No~ Date Out County Attorney Reviewer Risk Managefllent f'~ .Ir\ o.MJPur~a g YesD Comments: OMB Form Revised 2/27/01 MCP #2 TASK ASSIGNMENT NOTIFICA nON FORM DEP CONTRACT NO. PL-029 Task Assignment Number: FK-069 Contractor Name; Monroe County Contractor's Contract Manager: Elizabeth Bergh (305) 852-2511 Date: June 7, 2006 DEP Contract Manager: Greg Jubinsky 850-488-563] DEP Site Manager: Jackie Smith 561-791-4720 Project Title: Monroe County Invasive Plant Control Technicians 06-07 MA ID#: Task Description and Payment Schedule: Exhibit I describes the scope of work for this project. The Contractor is not authorized ro perfonn work on any additional sites until such time as the DEP and the Contractor have fully executed a Change Order for said additional work. Any work perfonned by the Contracror contrary to this Task Assignment shall be at the Contractors expense. Task Assignment Conditions and Deliverables~ 1. Control is defined as treatment effective in preventing re-sprout of treated target vegetation. 2. If 95% kill rate is not achieved for any area of the project after two months following project completion, one additional thorough treatment of the plant will be the responsibility of the contractor at no cost to the contracting entities. 3. The Contractor shall notifY the designated site manager prior to entering the work-site. 4. The Contractor shall provide written notification to the Contract Manager upon completion of treatment event(s). 5. Upon Site Manager approval, the Contractor is authorized to control incidental occurrences of any current EPPC category one or category two invasive exotic plant species encountered within the Project Site(s). Costs for these control operations shall not exceed the established Task Assignment amount, and must not jeopardize the Contractor's ability to achieve the required level of control for the primary target species. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to determine that all control operations do not exceed the established Task Assignment amount Task Assignment Start Date: July 1, 2006 Task Assignment Type: Cost Reimbursement Total Task Assignment Value Funding Infonnarion: o . Code 1371 0-2800-222 137 MONROE COUNIY Contract Manager Date , NA Ti LEENE Vi i i,SSI Date cc: Gwerm God.frey, Contracts Office (MS93) Contracts Disbursements Section (MS78) Final Treatment Completion Date~ June 15, 2007 Amount Not To Exceed: $62,400.00 $62,400.00 See. Cat. 1102334 I [Amount $62.400.00 1$ FL DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION iJ ,{H.!jft. Date f I .. //,-' ~/ / fc:: / iV/ Date DEP Contract No. PL-029, Task Assignment No. FK-OOO, Page 1 of 2 TASK ASSIGNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CONTRACTOR: I. Upon full execution of the Task Assignment, the Contractor will coordinate with the DEP Site Manager to establish a mutually agreeable work schedule. 2. A Ground Crew Supervisor, employed by the Contractor, will be present at all times when work on the site is underway; 3. Ground Crew Supervisors wlJl be responsible for an control activities and safety on project sites. The Ground Crew Supervisor will assure contract crews are knowledgeable of, and remain within property and treatment boundaries. Every effort shall be made by the Contractor to avoid damage to native vegetation and wildlife; 4. Ground Crew Supervisors will be pesticide applicators possessing current certification by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) in the Forestry or Right-of-Way categories. A copy of each supervisor's FDACS certification will be provided to the DEP Site Manager prior to initiation of on-site supervisory duties; 5. The Ground Crew Supervisor may supervise a maximum of eight (8) field employees at any given time, unless otherwise noted in the Task Assignment; 6. The Ground Crew Supervisor shaU be responsible for the collection, recording, and timely submission of all data and reports required. At weekly intervals and at the completion of initial treatments and site reassessment, a complete report will be submitted to the Site Manager detailing sites treated, number and size of plants killed, and type of treatment used. This data will be recorded on the DEP "Daily Progress Report Fonn". 7. The Contractor will strictly adhere to all herbicide label application, precautionary, and safety statements; 8. All control efforts (except cogon grass treatment) shall be at least 95% effective in preventing re-sprout of treated target vegetation. If 95% kill rate is not achieved for any area of the project after two months following project completion, one additional thorough treatment of the plant species listed under "Project Goals" in the project area will be the responsibility of the Contractor at no cost to the DEP; 9. Cogan grass treatments shall be 100% effective in killing above ground portions (top kill) of target vegetation. If 100% top kill rate is not achieved for any area of the project after 30 days following project completion, one additional thorough treatment of the plant species listed under "Project Goals" in the project area will be the responsibility of the Contractor at no cost to the DEP; 10. The Contractor shall forward an original invoice along with all corresponding Daily Progress Report Fonns, completed and approved, to the Bureau ofInvasive Plant Management, 3915 Commonwealth Boulevard, MS 710, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000 within ten (10) working days of work completion; RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DEP SITE MA1'\fAGER: l. The Site Manager reserves the right to inspect, at any time, the Contractor's procedure, spray system(s), spray solution(s), and other ancillary equipment, and to approve operating personnel. Inspection, however, will not relieve the Contractor of any obligations or responsibilities nor will it transfer any liability to the lands listed under "Project Location. "; 2. No additional work can be added to this Task Assignment without a fully executed Change Order. Additional work includes additional treatment areas or change in treatment methodology. 3. The site management agency authorizes Bureau of Invasive Plant Management staff to approve invoice payments of all funds encumbered under this Task Assignment Payment will be approved only for that work approved by the Site Manager. A copy of the approved invoice will be forwarded to the site management agency. DEP Contract No. PL-029, Task Assignment No. FK-OOO, Page 2 of 2 Exhibit 1 Project Title: Monroe County Invasive Exotic Plant Control Technician Grant (2006-2007) Working Group: Site Manager: Florida Keys Invasive Exotic Plant Working Group Elizabeth Bergh Monroe County Land Steward 2798 Overseas Highway Marathon, Florida 33050-2227 Phone: (305) 289-2511 Cell: (305) 304-4442 Email: bergh-beth@monroecounty-fLgov Grant Type: qFiX€lI.:l Pcice Proiect Goals The project goal is the eradication of non-native invasive plants from publicly owned conservation lands in Monroe County. Proiect Description This project will build on the success of the 2005-2006 Monroe County grant by employing two or more Monroe County exotic plant control technicians to treat non- native invasive plants on publicly owned conservation lands in Monroe County. The technicians will eradicate woody and herbaceous non-native plants from designated conservation lands under the direction of the Monroe County Land Steward. The Land Steward will arrange for and/or conduct training, as well as supervise and schedule the work of the technicians on the various sites. Training will consist of instruction in plant identification, herbicide handling, and application teclmiques. The most common invasive exotic plant species encountered on these lands and their FLEPPC Category ranking are as follows: Brazilian pepper (I - Schinus terebithifolius), beach naupaka (I -Scaevola sericea), bischofia (I _ Bischofia javanica), seaside mahoe (I - Thespesia populnea), mahoe (II ~ Hibiscus tiliaceous), latherleaf (I - Colubrina asiatica), lantana (I - Lantana camara), oyster plant (I - Tradescantia spathacea), woman's tongue (I - Albizia lebbek), Australian pine (I, II - Casuarina spp.), castor bean (II - Ricinus communis), lead tree (II - Leucaena leucocephala), bowstring hemp (II _ Sanseviera hyacinthoides), wedelia (II - Wedelia trilobata), pothos (II - Epipremnum pinnatum), Guinea grass (II - Panicum maximum), and life plant (II - Kalanchoe pinnata). In addition, any other FLEPPC listed species found on the conservation lands will be removed. One other species, Night-blooming cactus (Hylocereus undatus), will also be removed although it is not listed with FLEPPC. This plant has become a problem in some conservation lands where it was likely introduced from discarded landscape debris or persists from an abandoned homestead. DEP Contract No. PL029, Task Assignment No. FK-069, Exhibit 1, Page 1 of7 Exhibit 1 Proiect Location Lands in this project will consist of public conservation lands located throughout the Florida Keys either owned or managed by Monroe County (as the Board of County Commissioners or the Land Authority). Monroe County owns approximately 2,000 acres of scattered conservation lands throughout the Florida Keys. The focus for the 2005-2006 project was the Lower Keys, where conservation lands on Little Torch Key, Ramrod Key, Cudjoe Key, and Sugarloaf Key were treated. The 2006-2007 project will target sites within the remaining untreated conservation lands owned or managed by the County in the Lower, Middle, and Upper Keys identified below. Upper Keys North Key Largo Key Largo Tavernier Plantation Key Upper Matecumbe Middle Keys Long Key Duck Key Grassy Key Crawl Key Fat Deer Key Lower Keys No Name Key Big Pine Key Big, Middle, and Little Torch Keys Ramrod Key Summerland Key Cudjoe and SugarloafKeys Big Coppitt Key Boca Chica Key Key West Most individual parcels are only 0.1 acre in size, but many are contiguous and combine to fonn much larger management units. All properties are public lands that Monroe County intends to manage in perpetuity for conservation and natural resource protection. The areas proposed for invasive plant eradication for this project encompass the range of major upland habitats within the Florida Keys. Represented in these conservation lands are coastal beaches, buttonwood associations, rockland and maritime hammocks, and pine rockland ranging in condition from severely disturbed to pristine. These areas provide habitat and resources for a myriad of wildlife, resident and migratory birds, and endemic plant species. The non-native plants that invade these areas decrease habitat value and lower biodiversity. Just a few of the state and federally listed endangered and threatened species of animals and plants that utilize these habitats include: green turtles (Chelonia mydas), eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon corais couperi), key mud turtle (Kinosternon baurii), piping plover (Charadrius melodus), white~ crowned pigeon (Columba leucocephala), Key Largo cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus allapaticola), Lower Keys rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hejneri), Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium), Blodgett's wild mercury (Argythamnia blodgettii), locustberry (Byrsonima lucida), silver palm (Coccothrinax argentata), and Garber's spurge (Chamaesyce garben} DEP Contract No. PL029, Task Assignment No. FK-069, Exhibit 1, Page 2 of7 Exhibit I Proposed Bud2:et The proposed budget for the project is as follows: Grant Funds Requested: Salaries for 60 technician hrs/week for 52 weeks @ $20.00 hourly rate In-Kind Match: Project Administration 7 hrs/week for 52 weeks @ $28.73/hr + 44% in benefits Herbicides 312 mixed gallons at $22.20/mixed gaL of Garlon 4 at 20% in Impel 469 mixed gallons at $2.32!mixed gal. of Garlon 3a at 5% in water Supplies and Equipment Sprayers, gloves, eye protection, saws, etc. Vehicle 1 pickup truck for 1,560 hrs @ $ 13.55!br Total In-Kind Match: (73% of Grant Funds Requested) Project Total: (Grant Funds + In-Kind Match) $62,400 $15,059 $6,926 $1,088 $1,630 $21,138 $45,841 $108,241 Work Specifications Wark performance wiII consist of furnishing all labor, herbicides, diluents, small equipment, transportation, spray equipment, and performing all operations necessary to control the exotic plants listed under "Project Goalslt using proven techniques on the individual species. If heavy equipment (bucket truck, dump truck, etc.) or a chipper is required for some tasks, the equipment wiII be provided as an in-kind match by Monroe County Division of Public Works, or in partnership with other land managers. The exotic plant control technicians shall be responsible for maintaining a daily work log that wiII record date, name of site, and hours of work along with other data that will be submitted to the Land Steward at the end of each week. Monroe County will submit monthly invoices to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), Bureau of Invasive Plants, for reimbursement for exotic plant control activities based on the work logs. The exotic plant species listed under "Project Description" will be treated according to developed effective control techniques. Depending upon the non-native species treated and the type of habitat, plants can be hand-pulled, treated in place and left standing, cut down and removed from site, or cut and piled or chipped on site. Decisions regarding specific plant treatment methods on each site will be made by the Land Steward. Treating vegetation in place and allowing it to decompose in situ is cost effective and biologically sound. Removing vegetation from the site will be the preferred treatment method in habitats where fuel loading may be a concern, where excessive mulching would preclude native seedling recruitment or negatively affect wildlife, where falling trees could pose a hazard to roads or structures, and where aesthetics are a concern. Areas from which exotic plants are removed are expected to mostly revegetate naturally. No DEP Contract No. PL029, Task Assignment No. FK-069, Exhibit 1, Page 3 of 7 Exhibit I artificial seeding or revegetation with natives is anticipated to be required. If severely degraded sites with distant native seed sources, however, recover very slowly, planting of natives will be considered with funds from Monroe County's Environmental Land Management and Restoration Fund, or with donations and volunteer assistance. Every effort shall be made by the exotic plant control technicians to avoid damaging native vegetation or disturbing wildlife. The technicians will abide by all herbicide label application, precautionary, safety, cleaning, and disposal information. Specimen labels and MSDS information for all chemicals used will be kept with the chemicals, and technicians shall be provided with first aid kits and emergency contact numbers for their work in the field, Data Collection The exotic plant control technicians will be responsible for conducting field work and keeping daily work logs. Work logs will record date, morning and afternoon weather conditions, name of site, specific location on site, hours of work, species treated, estimates of species abundance in each work location, treatment method, herbicide, concentration, and amount applied. Logs will be submitted weekly to the Monroe County Land Steward for entry as spatial information with attributes into a GIS database to track management activities on all County conservation lands. Public Education/Outreach Exotic pest plants have been treated by volunteers of The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) Green Sweep prof,Jfam County lands. The Green Sweep program has been very effective in fostering awareness of the invasive exotic plant problem in the Florida Keys, and recruiting volunteers to help in eradication efforts. The Monroe County Land Steward will work with the Green Sweep program's coordinator for continued public education and volunteer exotic plant eradication efforts throughout the Florida Keys. In addition, collaborative efforts will continue with TNC and the state land managers in the development of TNC' s new Natural Area Neighbors program to target exotic vegetation on private lands that abut public natural areas. Project Time Frame The project will begin as soon as funding is available and conclude by June 15,2007, with the Monroe County Land Steward providing a comprehensive final report to accompany the final invoice for cost reimbursement to the FDEP Bureau of Invasive Plants no later than June 30, 2007. Due to weather constraints, it is envisioned that most of the work will occur during the eight-month period from October to June. DEP Contract No. PL029, Task Assignment No. FK-069, Exhibit 1, Page 4 01'7 Exhibit 1 ~".;...i!- Vif 5 fJ -:i'''' "",0 ;:;;2 ~S -.,. O~ """< ~'~ D g7.... ';;(1" ~'~ ~O .{ 9:>- 0::< 0""'. rt: v DEP Contract No. PL029, Task Assignment No. FK-069, Exhibit 1, Page 5 of7 $~ UJ (u w:,.: u: <: Q>, g~ -' U;.. 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