Village Association pleased with maintenance contract

Fallout from the failed mowing contract with Sarasota County hasn’t fazed Siesta Key Village leaders, after they secured a firm to maintain the Village starting this fall.

The $97,417 agreement with Championship Landscape Maintenance Professionals is roughly $30,000 less than what the previous firm, JWM Management, charged before refusing to bid for the project last year.

“In my opinion, it’s a good price,” said Siesta Key Village Maintenance Corp. Chairman Mark Smith during an Aug. 7 meeting of the Siesta Key Village Association. Sarasota County omitted upkeep of the district’s irrigation system, he explained, which shrank total cost estimates.

And fear over a mowing fiasco was quelled when the request for proposal was issued earlier this year, which included a requirement of at least three years of experience contracting with a large-scale operation, like a hospital or resort. Although Championship is based out of Fort Myers, the company has delivered “resort-style” conditions for the Longboat Key Club for the requested time frame.

The contract includes weekly pressure washing, a major concern for Village merchants, and weekly weed removal. Also, the agreement allots $18,997 for the repair of broken decorative fixtures — but only one of each fixture.

The Maintenance Corp. has until 90 days before the end of the contract to protest an automatic renewal, which will apply for the two years after the initial period.

Championship Landscape Maintenance Professionals
Bid for Village maintenance: $97,417
Projects ongoing: 5
Projects completed: 5
Average costs: $177,716.30
High: $423,006 (city of Cape Coral, median maintenance)
Low: $4,980 (MMI of the Gulf Coast)