The Longwood City Commission unanimously approved a budget amendment and awarded a contract to Earthscapes Unlimited to redesign landscaping and hardscaping in the State Road 434 corridor, covering the median area from Raines Line Road to Roberts Road.

Public Works Director Chad Smith told the commission the project will completely redo the median landscaping and that the city structured the procurement so the winning contractor will also perform the initial maintenance. Smith said the contract includes the first year of maintenance as part of the construction price and provides for two additional years of maintenance and warranty work that will fall in future budgets.

Smith noted that portions of the corridor are FDOT (Department of Transportation) property and that responsibility for specific small median sections and adjacent ponds varies: the city owns the pond on the left as you head west out of town and that pond is handled by the city’s contractor (ground tech); other small median pieces are FDOT property and will remain under FDOT oversight. The project budget had required an increase above the amount originally estimated.

Commissioner Morgan made the motion to adopt the fiscal-year budget amendment that authorizes funding for the SR 434 corridor landscaping/hardscaping improvement project; Commissioner McMillan seconded. The roll call vote was unanimous in favor.

The commission then approved awarding the construction contract (agenda item 12e) to Earthscapes Unlimited; that vote was unanimous as well.

The project will proceed through procurement and construction steps; Smith said maintenance responsibilities for the initial year are part of the awarded contract and that the city’s budget will cover the two additional years of maintenance under future budget cycles. No final construction start date was specified during the meeting.

Ending: The commission did not list a final contract amount in the meeting record; project funding and maintenance obligations were described in the staff presentation and will be reflected in the formal contract documents.