DATE: October 18, 2019
TO: Board of Mayor and Aldermen
FROM: Eric Stuckey, City Administrator
Paul Holzen, City Engineer/Director of Engineering
Jonathan Marston, Assistant Director of Engineering
SUBJECT:
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Discussion about Possible Landscaping of the Roundabout Central Island at East McEwen Drive & Oxford Glen Drive/Cool Springs Boulevard
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Purpose
The purpose of this memo is to provide information to the Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) concerning the possibility of landscaping the central island of the roundabout at East McEwen Drive & Oxford Glen Drive/Cool Springs Boulevard.
Background
This summer, the BOMA approved a construction contract to improve the roundabout at the intersection of East McEwen Drive and Oxford Glen Drive/Cool Springs Boulevard. The purpose of these improvements is to add additional capacity during peak traffic and to address some operational issues. This work is currently underway. The contractual deadline for completion is February 2020, but the contractor is working to complete the majority of work by the end of this year.
One of the work items is to regrade the central island of the roundabout, ultimately raising the grade of the central island by approximately 4 feet. The purpose of the raised central island is two-fold: (1) to help alert oncoming drivers to the presence of the roundabout, and (2) to limit the sightlines of drivers at the roundabout in an effort to focus their attention on the required merge, rather than across the roundabout.
Staff has discussed the possibility of landscaping this raised central island for both the operational issues listed above and for the improved aesthetics that a well landscaped island would bring to the area. Annette Dalrymple, a Land Planner with the City’s Planning & Sustainability, has developed a landscaping plan suitable for this location. A local landscaping contractor has estimated the initial cost of the landscaping to be approximately $200,000, with annual maintenance running about $25,000. The City would, of course, also have the option of maintaining the landscaping, if staff is available. The landscaping would also require the current project to run a water line into the island for future irrigation.
Financial Impact
A local landscaping contractor has estimated that the initial installation of the landscaping and irrigation would cost approximately $200,000. Annual maintenance by a contractor would cost approximately $25,000 per year. As previously mentioned, the City could choose to take over maintenance at any time that staff availability allows.
Recommendation
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Staff requests feedback from the BOMA about the possibility of providing landscaping at this intersection. If the BOMA chooses to move forward with the installation of landscaping, that contract would come to the BOMA for approval.