WESTFIELD – The Flood Control Commission voted earlier this week to award a Springfield company the contract to mow and cut brush on the city’s flood control structures.
The commission is responsible for maintaining the city’s system of flood-control dams and levees. Part of that maintenance is mowing, cutting brush and trees which could hinder the flow of floodwater.
Grassland and wooded areas also offer a habitat to wildlife which often borrow into the soil, creating a weak spot which leads to erosion.
Prior to awarding the $28,600 contract to Anderson Services, LLC, board members question Jon Celentano, vice president of the grounds maintenance firm, about its practices and equipment and how the company would provide services without causing erosion, in particular to the faces of the earthen flood control dams on Powermill and Arm Brooks.
The commission is concerned about the two structures which have been extensively damaged by wheeled vehicles such as ATVs and off-road motorcycles when the operators climb the face of the dams while spinning their tires which results in a roster-trail of earth being thrown behind the vehicle. That damage is further increase by stormwater and frequently results in gullies which have to be repaired.
“Erosion is a serious concern,” Commission Chairman Albert G. Giguere Jr., said. “Sod damage can cause erosion and weaken these structures.”
Celentano said the company has both wheeled and track vehicles used on rough terrain for mowing and has specialized vehicle, brush hogs, for brush removal as well.
Celentano said the company currently has contracts in other municipalities and with educational facilities when erosion is a concern and that because the company also is a wholesale dealer for landscaping materials, it have access to loam to repair any damage cause during its mowing operations.
City Engineer Mark Cressotti said the contract is for three mowings a year, but that typically only two are required to control the growth of grass and brush.
Giguere said the number of cuttings is often dictated by the weather and that the brush grows more quickly during wetter summers.
“We’ll leave that up to you to determine when to cut,” Giguere said.
Cressotti also discussed removal, if needed, of giant hogweed, an invasive species which has sap that can result in skin burns and eye injuries when people, not property trained and attired, come into contact with it.
