venable and lehman co. - …€¦ · web viewp.o. box 696. augusta, or 93709. phone: (675)742-9573....

P.O. Box 696Augusta, OR 93709Phone: (675)742-9573Fax: (675)742-9579VL.com

March 7, 2010

Town Council Members6103 Georgia DriveAugusta, OR 93751

Dear Town Council of Augusta, Oregon:

Venable and Lehman, Inc. is pleased to respond to your RFP with regard to the weekly mowing of 5 miles of median and sidings along Route 24, 10 acres in Willoughby Park, and 23 acres at Augusta Memorial Golf course. Our company would very much like to do this work for you; if selected, we will provide Augusta with superior, environmentally responsible mowing services at an affordable price. In addition to mowing, we will execute turf care, weed control, fertilization, and litter control at all sites. We also perform irrigation and pruning as necessary.

The attached proposal details Venable and Lehman, Inc.’s qualifications, as well as our safety procedures, equipment and programs, preliminary schedule, planned care procedures, and the estimated budget. As specified in the RFP, our employees will begin work on Sunday, May 30, 2010, and work through Thursday, September 30, 2010. During this time, Venable and Lehman, Inc. will provide the standard services at the affordable price of $40,415.

Venable and Lehman, Inc., a locally owned and operated business, is a proud member of the Augusta Chamber of Commerce and is accredited by the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating. We are committed to the responsible stewardship of our community and it is with pride that we have cared for the Pearson Baseball Fields for over 20 years. We are positioned through our dedication to Augusta, as well as our unparalleled experience, to provide you with superior mowing services.

Thank you for your consideration of our proposal. We know you will be pleased with our commitment to keeping our community safe while creating a beautiful environment.

Sincerely,

Hannah LehmanPresident, Venable and Lehman, Inc. [email protected]

Qualifications

Venable and Lehman, Inc. is uniquely qualified through experience and education to provide skilled and reliable mowing services at each of the locations mentioned in your RFP.

Experience

32 years of experience maintaining properties in and around the Augusta area

Experienced Staff: Venable and Lehman, Inc. maintains a stable workforce comprised of reliable employees, 75% of whom are full-time workers with an average of 12.3 years experience. Our excellent team of workers excels in the performance of their duties.

Maintenance of similar properties:Pearson Baseball Field

Figure 1.1 Pearson Baseball Field, May, ‘09 after season’s first trim

Hastings Park, Augusta, Oregon

Figure1.3 Worker takes a break at Hastings Park before finishing

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Ghirardelli Park, Augusta, Oregon

Fig1.4 Company Picnic at Ghirardelli Park after final mowing job

Two Cities Dog Park, Monroe, Oregon

Fig1.5 Dogs play in freshly cut Two Cities Dog Park

10 Miles along Route 24

Figure 1.2 Route 24 Sorority job (median and sides)

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Education

The education, certifications, and professional memberships of our co-owners, Hannah Lehman and Ashley Venable, equip them to provide effective turf care of the proposed sites as a complement to the mowing services. This will maximize the health and beauty of the properties.

Hannah Lehman, Co-owner and President, Venable and Lehman, Inc. BS in Horticultural Science with a concentration in Turf Management, Oregon State University Oregon Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association Certified Horticulture Professional (OCHP) Professional Memberships: Oregon Nurserymen and Growers Association; American Society for Horticultural Science (Chapter President); American Horticultural Society

Ashley Venable, Co-owner and Vice-President, Venable and Lehman, Inc.BA in Landscape Design, Oregon State UniversityOregon Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association Certified Landscape Designer (OCLD)Professional Memberships: Association of Professional Landscape Designers, American Nursery and Landscape Association

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Safety

Venable and Lehman, Inc. has the best safety record of any mowing company within 100 miles of Augusta, Oregon. Safety is our top priority. Through equipment safety measures, employee training, and employee uniforms, Venable and Lehman, Inc. boasts zero lost time accidents. Also, our company’s dedication to safety does not exclude Augusta citizens. Through training and adherence to our strict safety practices, no bystander has ever been injured as a result of our mowing services in the 32 years of our operation. Our company requires projectile guards on all applicable equipment and we also require scheduling around crowds.

Equipment

Venable and Lehman, Inc. has an equipment garage where a full time mechanic inspects and maintains equipment on a daily basis. We like to fix our equipment before an accident occurs.

Fig 2.1 Equipment Garage before all the equipment comes back for the daily maintenance

Our company uses the industry’s top anodized plastic projectile guards on all mowers and edgers. This precautionary measure helps protect both employees and passersby from flying debris.

Training

In addition to the training received upon being hiring, each of our employees is required to attend a yearly safety seminar. During this training, procedures which ensure both personal and public safety are reviewed.

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Fig 2.2 2009 Safety Seminar

Uniform

Our employee uniform includes a hard hat, goggles, coveralls, gloves, and steel-toed boots. This uniform helps protect workers against flying debris, as well as sharp and falling objects.

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Zero lost time accidents

Venable and Lehman, Inc. has been in operation for over 30 years, and mowing for large industries and municipalities for about 25 years. We are proud to say that, since our inception, we have had zero lost time accidents. Equipment might evolve, but our precautionary measures have always been the same: spend extra money on projectile guards, maintain all equipment on a regular basis, adequately train employees, and require precautionary uniforms.

Citizen Safety

When outlining a mowing schedule for the properties listed in your RFP, our company will keep in mind the schedule of citizens. All major holidays and events, as well as hours of operation for the golf course, are documented on the calendar. We also keep in mind the hours of peak activity. Our goal is to calculate the most efficient time for our workers to mow lawns while avoiding crowds.

Not all crowds can be anticipated, however, so our company requires all applicable equipment to have projectile covers. In the event of an unexpected crowd, our employees are trained to section off areas with caution tape and work in blocks or reschedule the mow.

Environmental Safety

At Venable and Lehman, Inc., we are very serious in our efforts to be good stewards of the earth. To this end, we use only organic, biodegradable products for optimal turf management. The products we use will not harm people, pets, wildlife, or groundwater. Once monthly we will apply Nature’s Avenger by ARBICO Organics, a safe and effective post emergent herbicide, at Willoughby Park and Augusta Memorial Golf Course to control weed growth. Both sites will also benefit from the monthly application of an organic fertilizer, Nature’s Touch Organic Based Lawn Fertilizer, to promote greening and turf health. The products we use do not require a waiting period after application; kids, pets and golfers can play immediately. Both our herbicide and fertilizer meet the guidelines established by the American Association of Plant Food Officials, and use no dangerous insecticides or herbicides.

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Equipment

Mowers

Venable and Lehman, Inc. owns a fleet of mowers and from these, the best machine for each application will be selected. The workhorse of our fleet is undoubtedly the Flex Flail, manufactured by John Deere; it is ideal for mowing on turf farms, parks, school or university grounds, golf courses, industrial sites, estates, and sports fields where time, immaculate cut, and smooth finish are important. It will be our primary go-to mower on each of the properties mentioned in your RFP.

The Flex Flail delivers an expert cut and finish, safe operation, outstanding durability, and fast completion of large mowing jobs. The individual, super heavy-duty flail mowing heads are fitted with reversible, self-cleaning knives turning at a rate of 8900 FPM to provide a clean cut. Flail mowing technology helps ensure near mulch-like cutting and eliminates windrowing. The result is even disbursement and quicker decomposition of the clippings. The design of each head helps deflect thrown objects down, instead of out, for safer operation around people, animals, or property. The heavy-duty frame, field proven mowing heads, and dependable drive components provide the durability expected from John Deere mower.

Immaculate cut and finish, safety, durability, and speed make the Flex Flail the perfect tool for all three locations cited in your RFP: 5 miles of median and sidings along Route 24, 10 acres in Willoughby Park, and the 23 acres at Augusta Memorial Golf Course, excluding the greens and fairways.

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Turf Flex "A" series is the ideal wide-cut flex-wing finishing mower for mowing in sod farm or golf course applications, parks, sport fields, or other recreational areas where a manicured cut is a must.

With quality construction and engineering for greater strength and durability, the Turf Flex "A" series makes short work of those big turf mowing jobs at an economical price. Each model features three independent free-floating mower decks with heavy-duty caster wheels for better mowing performance on uneven terrain. The individual decks are 3/16" thick, reinforced, and are formed from one piece to help provide the mower durability that John Deere is known for. The mower decks overlap up to 7" and the updraft blades overlap 1-1/2" to help ensure a smooth, clean cut. The 1-3/8" diameter blade spindles feature tapered roller bearing.

The Rhino Turf Flex "A" series’ top performance and manicured result make this the ideal finishing mower for the fairways and greens at the Augusta Memorial Golf Course.

Litter Collection Tools

Venable and Lehman, Inc. uses standard litter collection tools. Before each mowing job our team collects litter to reduce the chance of flying debris. For all jobs we use a 42”L steel litter pin and a heavy duty vinyl litter bag.

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Our company does not leave a jobsite messy, so we finish all sidewalks and parking areas with a leaf blower. The sidewalks and parking areas in Willoughby Park and around the Augusta Memorial Golf Course Club House would receive this finishing treatment. For this application we will use our Black & Decker NS118 leaf blower. This leaf blower is a rechargeable, cordless, and relatively quiet leaf blower. This will ensure that both the park and the golf course maintain a quiet and comfortable atmosphere for the patrons.

Trimming

Venable and Lehman, Inc. uses top of the line weed eaters and hedge trimmers. In Willoughby Park In and Augusta Memorial Golf Course we will use the John Deere Rideable Weed Eater. This safe and quick tool is easy for use and the debris guard is made of top-of-the-line anodized plastic.

Our company uses STIHL hedge trimmers. The cordless tool is easy to use. However, only employees with an extra 9 hours of training are able to use these tools since there is no safety measures on the tool. As stated, our policy is safety first, which is particularly important when

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working in public areas. In competent hands like those of our employees, these hedge trimmers quickly provide the desired look.

The hedges at Willoughby Park and Augusta Memorial Golf Course will require the use of this tool. This trimmer can provide a natural and deceptively rough look for a park or the shaped and perfected look desired on the golf course.

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Schedule

To guarantee an environment safe for patrons, our crew has surveyed each site for two weeks and devised a schedule that would prevent our crews from working during times of peak activity.

In addition, several special occasions have been scheduled at the park which we will take into consideration: a wedding June 12th, a birthday June 21st, July 4th parade vendors, Congressman Christopher Kleenex’s speech August 20th, and another birthday September 6th. Our crew has modified the schedule to avoid these special occasions, and yet ensure the park is in top form at these times. There is also a Golf tournament July 11-17. A five man crew will work with the groundskeeper, Miriam Webster, visiting each hole daily to provide any needed trimming, sand trap raking, hole placement, and other maintenance issues as they arise. In addition, one member of our staff will be on call for emergency maintenance.

The planned schedule is explained on the graph below.

Weekly Schedule

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday SaturdayPark8:00am-11:00am

Route 24 10:00am-12 :00pm Lunch1:30pm-4:30pm

Golf Course7:00am-12:00pmLunch1:00pm-6:00pm

Detailed Monthly Schedules

May1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

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30 Begin Contract

31 Park8:00am-11:00am

June1 Route 24 10:00am-12 :00pm Lunch1:30pm-4:30pm

2 3Golf Course7:00am-12:00pmLunch1:00pm-6:00pm

4 5

6 7Park8:00am-11:00am

8Route 24 10:00am-12 :00pm Lunch1:30pm-4:30pm


11 12Wedding in the park at 5:45pm

Trim8:00am-10:00am

13 14Park8:00am-11:00am



18 19

20 21Birthday at ParkMowing Reschedule


23Park8:00am-11:00am

24Golf Course7:00am-12:00pmLunch1:00pm-6:00pm

25 26

27 28Park8:00am-11:00am


30

13

July1 Golf Course7:00am-12:00pmLunch1:00pm-6:00pm

2 3 Park8:00am-11:00am

4 Vendors at Park8:00am-1:00pm

5 6Route 24 10:00am-12 :00pm Lunch1:30pm-4:30pm

7Park8:00am-9:00am


9 10

11 12Park8:00am-11:00am


14Preparation for golf tournament


16Golf Course8:00am-12:00pm



19Park8:00am-11:00am



23 24

25 26Park8:00am-11:00am

27 Route 24 10:00am-12 :00pm Lunch1:30pm-4:30pm


30 31

14

August1 2

Park8:00am-11:00am



6 7

8 9Park8:00am-11:00am



13 14

15 16Park8:00am-11:00am



20Congressman Speech at Park1:00pm-3:00pm

Trim8:00am-9:00am

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22 23Park8:00am-11:00am



27 28

29 30Park8:00am-11:00am


15

September1 2

Golf Course7:00am-12:00pmLunch1:00pm-6:00pm

3 4

5 6Birthday at park Reschedule


8Park8:00am-11:00am


10 11

12 13Park8:00am-11:00am



17 18

19 20Park8:00am-11:00am



24 25

26 27Park8:00am-11:00am



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Care Procedures

5 miles of median and sidings along Route 24

Turf Care: Grass Cut every 7-10 daysWeed Control: NoneFertilizer: NoneIrrigation: NoneLitter Control: The town of Augusta uses inmate labor to clean highways once weekly. Complaint based servicing by owner.Pruning: None

10 acres in Willoughby Park

Turf Care: Grass cut every 7-10 daysWeed Control: Chemical trim once a month Fertilizer: Once a monthIrrigation: NoneLitter Control: Every 7-10 days prior to mowingPruning: Once a month

23 acres at Augusta Memorial Golf course

Turf care: Grass cut every 7-10 daysWeed control: Chemical trim once a monthFertilizer: Once a monthIrrigation: NoneLitter Control: Every 7-10 days prior to mowingPruning: Once a month

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Budget

Labor hours

Route 24

4 employees working 5 hours a week for 18 weeks 360 hrs$15 an hour for 360 hours $5,400

Willoughby Park

3 employees working 3 hours a week for 18 weeks 162 hrs 3 employees working 1 hours on 3 occasions _9

Total hours 171$15 an hour for 171 hours 2,565

Augusta Memorial Golf Course

5 employees working 10 hours a week for 17 weeks 850 hrs5 employees working 4 hours on 3 occasions __60Total hours 910 hrs$15 an hour for 910 hours 13,650

1 employee working 9 hours on 3 occasions 27 hrs $20 an hour for 27 hours 540

Total Labor Hours 1468 hrsTotal Labor Cost $22,155

Supplies

Route 24 0

Willoughby Park Nature’s Avenger Herbicide ($30/acre x 10 acres x 4 applications) $1,200 Nature’s Touch Fertilizer ($25/acre x 10 acres x 4 applications) 1,000

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Augusta Memorial Golf Course Nature’s Avenger Herbicide ($30/acre x 23 acres x 4 applications) 2,760 Nature’s Touch Fertilizer ($25/acre x 23 acres x 4 applications) 2,300

Total Cost of Supplies $7,260

Overhead Costs (Includes fuel, maintenance and repair of the following equipment)

Route 243 Flex Flail Mowers1 John Deere Weed Eater

Willoughby Park2 Flex Flail Mowers1 John Deere Weed Eater3 Steel litter pins3 Vinyl litter bags1 Black & Decker leaf blower1 STIHL hedge trimmer

Augusta Memorial Golf Course4 Turf Flex Mowers4 John Deere Weed Eaters4 STIHL hedge trimmers3 Steel litter pins3 Vinyl litter pins

Total $11,000

Total Estimated Cost $40,415

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venable and lehman co. - …€¦ · web viewp.o. box 696. augusta, or 93709. phone: (675)742-9573....

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