Laserfiche WebLink
M M M <br />County obligations to fund landscaping improvements will vary depending upon roadway <br />jurisdiction and alternative funding sources such as grants and private donations. For <br />instance, during SR 60 Task Force workshops FDOT staff stated that, in regard to SR 60, <br />landscaping installation could be funded by FDOT in conjunction with state road <br />improvement projects (e.g. resurfacing, adding lanes) as long as the county agrees to maintain <br />the landscaping. For county road projects such as the CR 512 project, all costs will be the <br />county's obligation. In some instances highway beautification grants and enhancement fund <br />grants could be applied for and administered by staff, although such duties would require <br />additional staff time. Staff is also aware that private donations from citizens, civic <br />organizations, and businesses are possible sources for specific, designated areas. For "big <br />picture" planning purposes, the Board should assume that all maintenance costs will be borne <br />by the county, that all county road landscaping installation costs will be borne by the county, <br />and that state road landscaping installation costs will be borne by FDOT, where the county <br />enters into an agreement with FDOT to maintain such landscaping. <br />In regard to supply of landscaping material for installation and replacement, the county could <br />consider using existing, unused county property to establish and maintain a nursery for county <br />landscaping needs. Such material could be used exclusively or as a supplement for any given <br />project. Such a nursery could ensure supplies of certain trees and/or plants in the great <br />quantities that might be needed for extension projects. As of this time, staff has not <br />researched the costs of such an operation. <br />Currently, a limited number of Public Works personnel maintain county road rights-of-way. <br />Special roadway landscaping will probably increase maintenance needs beyond present <br />mowing requirements. In lieu of adding staff and performing maintenance in-house, the <br />county could contract out special road or corridor maintenance duties to a private company. <br />Such privatizing could be specifically costed -out on a project by project basis by accumulating <br />private estimates or bids and could be a more efficient alternative to gearing up a new <br />"program" with county staff. It should be noted that the City of Port Orange, which recently <br />completed a significant landscaping project within its Dunlawton corridor, contracted -out to <br />a private firm the performance of a corridor specific maintenance schedule. <br />County funding of installation can be handled on a project -by -project basis under current <br />practices if the cost of landscaping is a reasonable percentage of a road project budget. For <br />instance, all county road projects have a "landscaping budget" for sod, and most projects, <br />according to Public Works stag could support a special landscaping budget (landscaping <br />above and beyond sodding) of 7°/.-10% of total project budget without additional, specially <br />designated landscape funding. It appears that such funding could cover the costs of providing <br />enhanced roadway landscaping similar to the previously discussed urban and rural guideline <br />designs depicted in attachments 6 and 7. However, any additional maintenance needs that <br />might arise -from enhanced landscaping will require specific funding. Such needs would be <br />identified during project design and would require county (Board) action at that time to <br />ensure adequate maintenance funding. <br />QUESTION #3 FOR THE BOARD: CONSIDERING AESTHETIC EXPECTATIONS, ROAD <br />AND UTILITY DESIGN CONSTRAINTS AND OPPORTUNITIES, AND INSTALLATION AND <br />MAINTENANCE COSTS, DOES THE BOARD APPROVE THE PROPOSED URBAN AND <br />RURAL LANDSCAPING SECTIONS AS GENERAL COUNTY GUIDELINES FOR <br />IMPROVING DESIGNATED CORRIDORS? <br />C. Implementation <br />If approved, the guidelines will need to be implemented on a project by project basis. <br />Landscaping improvements will need to be designed along with the design of the road <br />improvements. For FDOT roadways designated by the county as special corridors (e.g. SR <br />0 <br />September 8, 1997 <br />RIM <br />