City mowing contract likely will not be renewed

Sep. 9—Concerns about the condition of Decatur's rights of way on main thoroughfares will likely lead to nonrenewal of a million-dollar mowing contract that Thrive Outdoor has held for just one year, a city official said.

Parks and Recreation Director Jason Lake said they have been unhappy with Thrive throughout the growing season that began in March.

Thrive has a contract that gives the city the right to evaluate its performance after each year with the option of ending or renewing it. The city would then rebid the service after three years unless it decides to end the contract early.

Parks and Recreation Superintendent Jonathan Gruber said the city pays Thrive just over $1 million annually to do seven cuts a year, which includes mowing, trimming and some spraying of rights of way of the city's main thoroughfares. This includes the entrances into Decatur — Alabama 67, U.S. 31 and Alabama 24 — and other state roads that the city began overseeing in 2018. The city expanded its oversight in 2021 to include Beltline Road and Sixth Avenue.

The contractor also maintains easements that the city "agreed to take care of so they look nice," Lake said.

Overall, the areas for which Thrive is responsible "are not looking good while some areas are not getting done. The complaints have just been from all sides all season long," Lake said.

Thrive is a new contractor with the city, and Lake said they knew there would be issues with a first-time contractor as the company learned what needed to be done to meet the city's requirements.

"We try to give them time to go through that process, but we don't want the city to look bad," Lake said.

He said "it's only fair to recognize" that June and July were wetter than usual. He said the city communicated with the contractor about the things that need to be done to meet the city's standard.

"Are we in a better spot today than what we were?" Lake said. "I think we may be, but there's also been a whole summer where people have not been very happy with the product."

At an August council meeting, Councilman Kyle Pike brought up his unhappiness with the contractor and how the city looked.

On Thursday, he reiterated his concerns.

"Obviously, we hear a few complaints whenever we enter summer growing season, but I started to hear those more frequently," Pike said. "I drive around a lot in my truck, and I started to notice just how far behind we are, and I mean we're way behind."

Councilman Carlton McMasters said the city "should have a standard" but there's been a problem with ditches getting skipped, grass being blown into the roads and the city looking like the work was halfway done.

"It looked like not a lot of pride was put into the cuts," McMasters said.

The city got a lot of rain so grass, weeds and trees grew quickly, Pike said.

"How many times the contractor has to cut should be discussed," Pike said. "Is it enough or should we do more?"

Lake said they will evaluate the contract's requirements and get input from the contractor and the City Council.

"I know this council wants it to look good and, if it takes more to do it, they would definitely look at that," Lake said. "But, when there are expectations that aren't being met, they're interested like we are in why they aren't being met. We have to come to some resolution or evaluate the contract, and that's where we are."

Councilman Billy Jackson protested at Tuesday night's council meeting over the condition of city properties and rights of ways when he voted against funding weed abatements on private lots.

Jackson said the city is being hypocritical by forcing residents to take care of their yards while not doing what needs to be done to make the city look good.

Jackson said he wouldn't comment on the contractor's performance but he believes the city should hire its own employees again instead of employing a contractor to do the mowing service.

This is a stance Jackson has held since the city's switch to a contractor for mowing.

"The city looked good when our own employees did the mowing," Jackson said.

Jackson said the cost of hiring a contractor has risen as he projected it would. In 2014, the mowing contract cost $535,000.

Council President Jacob Ladner said he is willing to evaluate the cost of returning to a city-run mowing department as Jackson wants.

However, Ladner said he suspects the cost of hiring more employees, including their benefits, and the cost of buying the necessary new equipment would be too expensive.

Thrive owner Lee Buffington did not return calls.

— bayne.hughes@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2432. Twitter @DD_BayneHughes.