2012 Forestry Ad-hoc Committee members:
Joe Drugan, Hopedale Cross Country Coach
Dave Guglielmi, Past Chairman: Hopedale Park Commission, Conservation Commission
Nancy Hayes, Parklands enthusiast
Dan Malloy, Past Member, Hopedale Histiorical Commission; defacto Town Historian
Walter Swift, Horticulturalist, Hopedale Tree Warden, Past Chairman Hopedale Board of Selectman, Conservation Commission, Water & Sewer Commission
The Parklands Forestry Management Ad-hoc Committree is a non-voting advisory group appointed by the Park Commission to a) provide extended project observaional capabilities to the Board; and b) serve as additional subject matter specialists who can field resident questions about the Forestry initiative.
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UPDATE: 1/8/12 (status: RED) Forestry operations have been suspended for the near term due to inconsistent ground conditions. Last week's hard freeze, followed by unusually mild weather which is expected to continue for the next week - along with two days of rain - has created soft ground conditions that are succeptable to rutting from the heavy machinery. Due to the stringent land protectiion safeguards built in to the project plan, the on-site team (on their own accord), suspended operations on Friday, 1/6, and have temporarily re-deployed their machinery to the Monson, MA area to
assist with on-going clean up efforts there from last June's devastating tornado. When sustained cold weather returns - making working conditions more favorable to the landscape - operations in this section of the Parklands will resume.
INFO: 1/5/12 A live informational session and Q&A session was held as part of tonight's regularly scheduled Park Commission Meeting. Data will be posted here shortly regarding the number of trees have been marked for harvesting, and what the overall dollar returns to the Town will be for this phase of the project.
UPDATE: 1/3/12 (status:GREEN) The Parklands Forest Management Program began Monday, January 3, 2012, with access road improvements and the creation of a landing/staging area for the operation. The harvesting of trees that have been meticulously marked over the course of the past 2+ years by our certified Forester - with approval and oversight from the State - will run tthrough the next 3-5 weeks, weather and ground conditions permitting.
UPDATE: 12/5/11 (status: RED) Phase1 of the Parklands Forestry Mgt. Program was expected to have been completed by this time in the upper-Parklands area off of Overdale Parkway; however, our vendor Hull Forest Products requested a delay as they re-directed staff and resources to the Monson/Springfield corridor ravaged by tornadoes back in June. Cleanup work from Tropical Storm Irene placed additional demands on them for similar assistance across Southern New England; as did cleanup efforts from the record setting Central/Western MA snowstorm in October. Following a wet fall season, the Board has
postponed the start of the project until colder weather sets in to freeze the ground - with the thought of cutting down rutting.. A January 2012 start is now expected.
INFO: On 7/1/10 The Park Commission unanimously approved the forestry management proposal submitted by Hull Wood Products of Pomfret Center CT. We created a 5-member ad-hoc forestry committee to help us oversee and manage this project - which we expect to kick off in fall 2011
In November we plan on holding an informational meeting where representatives from Hull will be available to explain various stages of the projct, and answer all questions that residents may have.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (Summary)
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The Town of Hopedale Parks Department
In an effort to improve and ensure the ecological wellness of the Town’s parklands, a cycle of forestry management needs to be resumed and maintained. At the present time, these public lands have become choked with dense cover of undesirable species of trees. The impact has been that such species as the native oak have been unable to flourish.
This Request for Proposals includes the following services:
- Create an environmentally safe, Forestry Management plan, which will in turn provide the Park Commission (the “Town”), with funds from the sale of parklands timber
- Forest Management will be conducted in an environmentally conscious way with minimum impact to surroundings
- Removal of all dead wood, scrub brush, branches and slash.
- Promoting healthy growth of desired tree species
- Maintaining parkland conditions to insure enjoyment by the public to the fullest extent possible
This procurement shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Uniform Procurement Act, G.L. Chapter 30B, Section 6, and those provisions are hereby incorporated by reference into this “Request for Proposals.”
All proposals will remain in effect for a period of ninety (90) calendar days from the deadline for submission, or until a contract has been executed, or this Request for Proposals is cancelled, whichever occurs first.
Proposals must be submitted as follows: Proposals must include (1) a Technical/Non Price Proposal and (2) a Price Proposal. An original and two copies of the Technical/Non Price Proposal (only) must be placed in a sealed envelope plainly marked “RFP - Technical/Non Price Proposal for Forest Management and cleanup of Parklands. One original Price Proposal must be placed in a separately sealed envelope plainly marked “RFP – Forestry Management of Parklands”. Both separately sealed envelopes must then be placed in a single, sealed envelope plainly marked with the Proposer’s name and “RFP – Forestry Management and Cleanup of Parklands”.
The proposal package must be delivered to: Chairman, Hopedale Park Commission. Town of Hopedale, 78 Hopedale Street, Hopedale, Massachusetts 01747. Proposers shall be solely responsible for ensuring that proposals are properly sealed and received by the Park Commission by 11:00 AM EST, Wednesday, June 16, 2010. Bids will be opened Wednesday, June, 16, 2010 at 11:30 AM EST by the Chief Procurement Officer/Town Coordinator, Eugene Phillips.
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