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MEDLIN Johnny R From: WOLD Eric N Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 3:46 PM To: MEDLIN Johnny R Subject: FW: Laurelwood natural area impacts Johnny, I know you and Kevin Finney recently met with Sarah Medary and Craig Smith about the Laurelwood contract, and I that there is another meeting on Monday, November 10th. If it is okay with you, I'd like to attend the November 10th meeting also. As you know, Rob Hallett and I were both on the team that helped Sarah develop the contract specs and hire the contractor. As part of our discussions with Sarah and Dave Battaglia (who was originally going to be the contract manager for LRCS), we had verbally agreed that Dave would use the team that included Rob and me as a coordination and problem - solving team for this contract. Unfortunately, since the contract was signed, none of that communication has happened. Furthermore, per Jesse's email below, there have been a few issues involving natural areas near the golf course where it is clear the City needs to have a better system in place for working out issues amongst City staff, and then having clear lines of communication (likely via the contract manager) with the contractor. If you've got 5 minutes to discuss this general topic with me, please stop by. Thanks. -- Eric From: CARY HOBBS Jesse A Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 2:43 PM To: WOLD Eric N Subject: Laurelwood natural area impacts Hi Eric, In the past year there have been a series of impacts to the natural areas surrounding Laurelwood Golf Course that I feel we need to address: The initial issue began back in the summer of 2007. A neighbor to the golf course called Supervisor Rob Hallett of the Turf and Grounds Crew to seek permission to remove "shrubby" vegetation in the city park land buffering the active golf course area for a public safety issue. Rob forwarded the issue to John Clark who gave him permission to remove non- native trees and shrubs in the buffer. John flagged exampled of all non - native plants that could be removed. Later, in the early fall, John received a complaint from another neighbor (a neighbor next to the neighbor who wanted to remove the vegetation) that the same strip of park land had been denuded of all shrubs and small trees by the neighbor. John went to look at the situation with a PDD code enforcement officer and talked to the neighbor who complained about the removal, as well as the neighbor who removed the vegetation. The work was much more extensive that what John had given permission for. Many native shrubs had been cut and well as some small native trees. The areas was essentially cleared of all vegetation except for trees larger than 6" in diameter. The neighbor who had removed the veg. told John that he intended to plant grass to bled his property in with the manicured portion of the gold course and that he had been working with the golf course operator. John told the neighbor who had removed that vegetation that no further work could be performed in the area. John also talked to the neighbor about the possibility of the need to replant the site with natives. After some discussion, John decided to have parks staff evaluate the impacts caused by the cutting and recommend a course of action, possibly including weed control and replanting at the expense of the NRM program. Since the work took place in late summer, staff recommended waiting until the following spring to evaluate what vegetation would resprout in the area. In the Spring, John and I went back to the site to evaluate and felt that still more time was needed to wait for resprouting. Recently, I received a call from the same neighbor who had originally called to complain about the vegetation removal. She was calling to express concern over new work that was occuring at the edge of the park's forested natual area to the east of her (near the 5th fairway). A backhoe was digging a drainage line and was damaging limbs and driving in the' natural area. I came out to look at the work and was shocked to see that the golf course operator was placing soil from the excavation into the forest natural area on'the edge of the golf course. While there, I stopped by the original impact area and found that the area had been driven though by a large piece of equipment (possibly the same backhoe),