C_-Scope_of_Work_and_Technical_Specifications_.pdf

Pinellas County Dune Planting Services

SCOPE OF WORK & TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

I. SCOPE OF WORK

Pinellas County is seeking bids from qualified and experienced contractors to provide sand dune planting and maintenance, as needed. This project will follow behind the completion of beach nourishment activities, which are currently underway. Pinellas County is undertaking a beach nourishment project for several beach segments to include portions of St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, Redington Shores, North Redington Beach, Indian Shores, Indian Rocks Beach, Belleair Beach, and Clearwater. Portions of the beach nourishment project include the construction of a sand dune. Constructed dunes will require vegetation to be installed under this scope of work. Dunes have already been constructed in Pass-a-Grille, which will also require vegetation services.

Work under this contract aims to establish vegetation on newly constructed sand dunes to enhance their resistance to erosion. Multiple work assignments may be provided under this contract for various work areas for the same scope of services. For each work assignment, the selected Contractor shall receive a summary approved work areas and any scheduling constraints. Prior to submitting their Work Assignment quantities, the Contractor is required to participate in a Site Visit with the County Project Manager. All plant material must be inspected and accepted on site by the County Project Manager prior to installation.

Receipts detailing species, quantity, sizes and cost of material being installed must be provided prior to the inspection. This may include shipping invoices, delivery tickets, or other documentation. Any necessary maintenance activities must also be coordinated through the County’s Project Manager.

Contractor will provide the labor and materials necessary to supply, deliver and install native dune vegetation as specified on recently restored dunes along multiple segments of beach in Pinellas County, Florida. All plants will be delivered disease free and in good health at the time of installation. Work will be performed in accordance with project Technical Specifications provided herein. All work will be directed by the County’s Project Manager. Deliverables include documentation of plants purchased and installed, photographs at installation and warranty periods.

Contractor responsibilities include the procurement and installation of all plantings, coordination with the County’s project manager, meeting warranty requirements, and submittal of timely invoices with required documentation. The County’s responsibilities include performing inspections to confirm the Contractor is adhering to Contract requirements to the County’s satisfaction and reviewing submittal and invoices and invoices.

Warranty Exceptions The plant survivorship warranty does not include the loss or damage of installed plants due to acts of God such as frost, flood, fire, drought, shoreline erosion, or other catastrophic events, nor does it include loss or damage due to theft, vandalism, fish, animal, chemical treatment, or negligence by others.

Qualifications Contractor must demonstrate evidence of relevant experience within the last 5 years in plant selection/installation, site maintenance, monitoring and reporting. For each project, provide:

i. Project team structure, roles, and resumes

ii. Subcontractor qualifications, roles, and resumes (if applicable)

iii. Contract dates, agencies, and contact information

iv. Location maps (if applicable)

v. Summary of permit requirements and services performed

vi. Plant survival success

Equipment Contractor shall provide a list of anticipated equipment needed based on prior projects and site evaluations prior to initiating work under an authorized Work Assignment. Such equipment may include trucks, trailers, watering trucks, etc.

Safety & Notification Requirements Contractor is required to notify the County project manager and local law enforcement 24 hours prior to entering the beach with any vehicles or equipment. Work may only be performed during daylight hours.

The County shall provide a map of available drive-on beach access points at the Contractor’s request.

Miscellaneous Contractor is required to adhere to all applicable permits. Contractor shall remove and properly dispose of all trash and debris from within the entire project area during each maintenance activity. Extreme care must be taken not to alter the integrity of the dunes while planting.

Mobilization Mobilization to commence project work, including but not limited to those operations necessary for the movement of personnel, equipment, supplies and incidentals to the project site(s), and for the establishment of safety equipment, first aid supplies and sanitary and other accommodations are to be provided by the Contractor as required.

II. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

PLANTING MATERIALS

A. Plant Source

The source of all planting units delivered under this bid item will be limited to seeds and propagated plants collected from the West Central Florida coast from Citrus to Sarasota County.

Source material collected from areas other than the West Central Florida area will be rejected.

The CONTRACTOR shall provide written documentation as to the source of the planting units in the bid package. Documentation shall include collection permits or contracts from the Florida

Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or other comparable documents. Bids submitted without this documentation will not be considered.

B. Plant Species

The CONTRACTOR shall install the native dune species listed below in accordance with the specified percentages of total plants and within the areas shown in the Drawings. Planting Zones

I and II below includes specifications for the diversity species. The CONTRACTOR’s Work Plan shall include a detailed description of the proposed planting scheme.

Planting Zone I (Seaward Half of the Dune)

Sea oats - Uniola paniculata 50%

Panic grass - Panicum amarum 20%

Planting Zone I Diversity Species 30%

Planting Zone I Diversity Species 30%

The CONTRACTOR shall provide and install a minimum of two additional native species according to the percentages specified above and in equal proportions. The CONTRACTOR shall plant the Zone I Diversity

Species intermittently among the Zone I grasses, in random distributions. Diversity species should not be planted in monocultures. Diversity species may include (but not be limited to):

Seashore Dropseed- Sporobolus virginicus

Railroad vine - Ipomoea pes-caprae

The CONTRACTOR may recommend additional diversity species for approval by the COUNTY. The

CONTRACTOR shall submit appropriate documentation identifying the advantages of the proposed species and certifying the proposed species are suitable for the site.

Planting Zone II (Landward Half of the Dune)

Sea oats - Uniola paniculata 35%

Panic grass - Panicum amarum 25%

Planting Zone II Diversity Species 40%

Planting Zone II Diversity Species 40%

The CONTRACTOR shall provide and install a minimum of six additional native species according to the percentages specified above. Divers ity plant ings should be comprised of equal proport ions of the s ix (6) species se lected. The CONTRACTOR shall plant the Zone II Diversity Species intermittently among the Zone II grasses, in random distributions. Diversity species should not be planted in monocultures. Diversity species may include (but not limited to):

Coastal sea rocket - Cakile lanceolata

Baybean - Canavalia rosea

Beach creeper - Ernodea littoralis

Railroad vine - Ipomoea pes-caprae

Beach morning-glory - Ipomoea imperati

Seacoast marshelder - Iva imbricata

Sea purslane – Sesuvium portulacastrum

Marshhay cordgrass - Spartina patens

Seashore dropseed - Sporobolus virginicus

Dune Sunflower - Helianthus debilis

The CONTRACTOR may recommend additional diversity species for approval by the ENGINEER or COUNTY.

The CONTRACTOR shall submit appropriate documentation identifying the advantages of the proposed species and certifying the proposed species are suitable for the site.

PROPAGATION METHODS

A. For 4 inch species, all plant materials shall be grown in multi cell liners not to exceed a size of approximately 3.1 inches wide by 3.1 inches long and not less than 3 inches in depth. Root ball

(container) volumes shall not be less than 26 cubic inches.

B. Number of Seeds per Liner

The nursery shall determine, through germination experiments, the number of seeds placed in each liner such that viable planting units with at least four emergent stems for 1-inch planting units are produced. Planting units with fewer than the specified number of stems will not be accepted. Prior to shipping, roots should fill the entire volume of the container, but the containers shall not be root bound. When the plants are pulled from the liner, the roots shall support the soil volume of the container with minimal soil loss. The ENGINEER may require the CONTRACTOR to perform such demonstrations prior to planting

C. Micropropagation

Planting units grown from approved sources via micropropagation techniques may be accepted.

Plants produced from cuttings or the division of larger plants may be used if the material is derived from West Central Florida sources and meets all of the specifications for seed producing planting units. However, planting units derived from micropropagation techniques shall not exceed 20% of the total number of planting units delivered.

D. Inspections

The CONTRACTOR shall provide the ENGINEER or COUNTY and Owner with access to all nursery operations in the manner and time frame requested by the Owner or ENGINEER or COUNTY for the purpose of performing compliance inspections of the propagation and production methods being employed by the CONTRACTOR.

PLANT SIZE, AGE, AND CONDITION

A. Plant Size

For 1-inch planting units, sea oats (Uniola paniculata) and panic grasses (Panicum amarum) shall be

12 to 24 inches in height, as measured from the top of the root ball to the distal tip of the leaves, and have a minimum of four healthy stems. All diversity grass and forb species shall be 1-inch planting units. For the purposes of this specification, the plant material in a single liner represents one planting unit, regardless of the soil volume or number of viable stems. The ENGINEER or

COUNTY will reject any plants not meeting these size constraints.

B. Plant Age

Planting units shall be 60 to 120 days old for 1-inch planting units, as measured from the approximate time of germination. The ENGINEER or COUNTY may reject planting units younger or older than these specifications. The CONTRACTOR shall coordinate delivery to ensure planting units are installed within five (5) days of the plant being “pulled” at the nursery.

C. Plant Condition

All planting units provided by the CONTRACTOR shall be of the highest quality and shall have moist, vigorous root systems free of rot, disease, or discoloration at the time of delivery and installation. The ENGINEER or COUNTY will reject planting units not meeting these specifications.

As the ENGINEER or COUNTY will not consider rejected planting units as delivered to the site, they will not be eligible for payment for production, delivery, or other costs. The CONTRACTOR will be responsible for properly disposing of rejected planting units. The CONTRACTOR shall maintain the high-quality condition of the plants from the time the plants are “pulled” at the nursery through planting and continuing throughout the 180 day warranty period.

The root ball shall be properly moistened prior to delivery and planting to prevent desiccation.

Prior to shipping, roots should be healthy, white, turgid, and fill the entire volume of the container, but should not be root bound. When pulled from the liner/tray, the roots shall support the soil volume of the container with minimal soil loss. All planting units shall be handled, packed, transported, and stored at the installation site in such a manner as to ensure protection against desiccation, thermal stress, disease, or physical damage. The CONTRACTOR shall make the planting units available at all times for inspection by the ENGINEER or COUNTY. The ENGINEER or

COUNTY will reject planting units improperly handled, packed, transported, or stored.

D. Number of Planting Units Delivered

Varying site conditions may require adjustments beyond or below the estimated quantities. The

CONTRACTOR is required to provide sufficient plant quantities in order to perform the work in accordance with the Contract Documents. The ENGINEER or COUNTY will determine the final number of planting units eligible for payment.

Planting units delivered to the work site shall be contained in consistent, accessible, and uniform packing materials such as waxed boxes. Each box delivered to a work site will be subject to planting unit inspection and counting. The CONTRACTOR will specify a standard number of within-specification planting units to be included in the packaging (e.g., 500 per box) before the ENGINEER or COUNTY will accept the delivery of planting units to the work site. The ENGINEER or COUNTY will reject boxes of planting units that contain fewer than the established standard number of within-specification planting units. If more than one box per delivery is found to contain fewer than the established standard planting unit count, the ENGINEER or COUNTY will reject all boxes of plants within that delivery. Boxes of planting units found to contain more than the standard number of planting units will be considered to contain only the standard number of planting units per box. The CONTRACTOR shall coordinate delivery to ensure an excessive number of plant units and/or boxes are not staged at the construction site and all units are installed within three (3) days of the plants being “pulled” at the nursery.

PLANTING DEPTH AND SPACING

A. Planting Unit Depth

The CONTRACTOR shall install sea oats (Uniola paniculata) and panic grass (Panicum amarum) at a minimum depth of six (6) inches, as measured from the top of the root ball to the sand surface.

The ENGINEER or COUNTY will reject plants not installed at or below this depth. The CONTRACTOR shall install all Planting Zone I Diversity Species and Planting Zone II Diversity Species at a minimum depth of two (2) inches, as measured from the top of the root ball to the sand surface. . Planting units out of compliance with this specification and unnoticed by the ENGINEER or COUNTY will be planted solely at the CONTRACTOR’s risk and will be subject to all of the survival criteria and warranty provisions detailed below in SUCCESS CRITERIA AND REPLANTING.

B. Planting Unit Spacing

The planting areas shall be laid out in 500-foot wide (maximum) sections to ensure proper coverage and spacing. Planting units shall be planted in rows, with the most seaward row located along the lower limit of the planting zone marked on the Drawings. The CONTRACTOR will leave

6 foot wide walking paths at each property and public beach access in accordance with where the property’s gate, stairs, or other access points to the beach are located. The walking paths will be planted at a 30 degree angle from the center point of the beach access. The walking paths do not have to linear but may have curves within them. Successive rows located on the dune shall be 18 inches apart for Planting Zone I or 18 inches apart for Planting Zone II and planted parallel to the seaward row. Planting units in each row along the dune slope shall be planted on 18-inch centers for Planting Zone I and 18-inch centers for Planting Zone II. Planting units in each row shall be staggered mid way (in the shore parallel direction) between planting units in the adjacent rows.

The CONTRACTOR may modify the spacing requirements up to four (4) inches in Planting Zones I and II for up to 25% of the plants to achieve a more natural distribution and appearance. Planting units out of compliance with this specification will be planted solely at the CONTRACTOR’s risk and will be subject to all of the survival criteria and warranty provisions detailed below in SUCCESS

CRITERIA AND REPLANTING.

C. Planting Unit Layout

Planting units shall be laid out and planted according to the specifications above in PLANTING

MATERIALS for Planting Zones I and II. Diversity Species shall be planted intermittently among the grasses in random distributions. Diversity species should not be planted in monocultures.

D. Installation

The CONTRACTOR shall install planting units by hand labor and tools (e.g., spades, shovels, handheld augers, etc.). The CONTRACTOR shall install planting units to fully cover the planting areas shown in the Drawings. Planting units shall be installed up to existing vegetation, existing structures (e.g., dune walkovers) or access paths.

E. Final Dressing

The CONTRACTOR shall smooth the planting area to remove any large depressions, mounds, or footprints from the finished grade surface. Filling around plants to provide sufficient burial will not be permitted.

SOIL AMENDMENTS

A. Fertilizer

Pinellas County has a fertilizer ordinance that includes Fertilizer-free zones (Ord. No. 10-06, § 1, Sec.

58-478) that states Fertilizer shall not be applied within ten feet from the top of bank of any surface water, landward edge of the top of a seawall, designated wetland or wetland as defined by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (Chapter 62-340, Florida Administrative Code, as it may be amended or superseded). Since this activity is seaward of the Gulf affronting seawall, the CONTRACTOR is not allowed to apply any fertilizer during the plant installation. However, in Sec. 58- 480 of Ord. No. 10-06, § 1, the CONTRACTOR is allowed to place predominately organic in nature applications to improve the physical condition of the soil. These organic in nature applications must be permittable by the State of Florida Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL) program and a list of the proposed organic soil amendments must be provided by the CONTRACTOR.

B. Initial and Maintenance Irrigation

The CONTRACTOR will be allowed, but not required to “water in” (initially irrigate) and maintenance irrigate all newly installed planting units such that the root zone of all newly installed planting units is thoroughly saturated. The irrigation must be performed in accordance with a CONTRACTOR prepared and ENGINEER or COUNTY approved irrigation schedule within the submitted watering plan. The watering plan shall detail the proposed number of irrigation events, irrigation methodology, the equipment, water source, timeframes, notifications, and the physical condition(s) of the planting units which signal the need for maintenance irrigation. The CONTRACTOR shall notify the ENGINEER or COUNTY at least 72 hours prior to the application of initial or maintenance irrigation. The CONTRACTOR shall apply irrigation to the planting areas utilizing a non-destructive, non-scouring methodology. The CONTRACTOR will be responsible for all aspects of the irrigation, including but not limited to, compliance with all environmental permits, local beach access regulations, and any damages arising from initial or maintenance irrigation. The cost of the initial and/or maintenance irrigation shall be included within the installed planting unit bid price.

C. Irrigation Water

The CONTRACTOR will be responsible for obtaining and applying any irrigation water as required and as decided by CONTRACTOR. All water shall be fresh and free from injurious amount of oil, acid, alkali salts or other materials harmful to the growth of the plants. The CONTRACTOR shall comply with all applicable permits and ordinances. No temporary or piped irrigation systems will be allowed. The CONTRACTOR will be responsible for coordinating with local agencies if the use of local hydrants is proposed.

D. Vehicle Access

In developing planting and irrigation plans, the CONTRACTOR is advised that vehicle access to the beach and near the dune area is restricted. The COUNTY will provide a map of vehicular beach access points and requirements if requested by the CONTRACTOR.

SUCCESS CRITERIA AND REPLANTING

A. Planting Unit Success Criteria

The ENGINEER or COUNTY will assess the success of the planting effort approximately 180 days after completion of the planting unit installation (for the entire project) using three criteria: whole site survival rate, planting unit survival pattern, and planting unit root penetration. The ENGINEER or

COUNTY will consider the planting effort a success and acceptable if all three of the described criteria (Criteria 1-3 below) are met at the 80% level.

B. Whole Site Survival Rate (Criteria 1)

A minimum survival rate of 80% of all planting units installed over the site as a whole shall be achieved. The ENGINEER or COUNTY will consider plants as surviving if they show clearly vigorous rhizome and white, turgid roots, even in the absence of vital above ground growth.

C. Planting Unit Survival Pattern (Criteria 2)

A minimum of 80% of the planting width perpendicular to the shoreline shall be occupied by surviving planting units at all locations. This survival criterion is needed to minimize the risk of dune overwash during storm events. The ENGINEER or COUNTY may waive this success criterion in areas where plant survival has been adversely impacted by unexpected pedestrian traffic, erosion, overwash, or inundation.

D. Planting Unit Root Penetration (Criteria 3)

A minimum of 24 out of 30 (80%) randomly selected plants within each acceptance section shall have achieved root penetration of nine inches or greater, as measured from the top of the root ball down. Following plant installation, the CONTRACTOR and ENGINEER or COUNTY shall tag the 30 randomly selected plants used to determine this measure of success. The ENGINEER or COUNTY may waive this success criterion if lesser root penetration is otherwise determined to be acceptable or if the lesser penetration was caused by factors outside the control of the

CONTRACTOR (e.g., excessive natural rainfall).

E. Replanting of Units

If any of the above success criteria are not met, as determined by the ENGINEER or COUNTY, the

CONTRACTOR shall replant the unsuccessful planting units with viable, within-specification planting units of the same type originally installed. The CONTRACTOR will assume sole responsibility for the replanting of planting units and will complete the replanting at no cost to the

Owner. All warranty and survival provisions and requirements will apply to replanted planting units. The CONTRACTOR will be responsible for properly disposing of all rejected planting units.

F. Initial Planting Unit Survival

The ENGINEER or COUNTY will reject and not consider eligible for payment all planting units that do not survive for a minimum of ten (10) days after installation. Within five (5) days of notification by the ENGINEER or COUNTY that an area of initial planting units did not survive for ten (10) days, the CONTRACTOR shall install new, within-specification planting units in areas identified by the

ENGINEER or COUNTY. The CONTRACTOR shall assume sole responsibility for installing the new replacement planting units at no cost to the Owner. The ENGINEER or COUNTY will consider the replacement planting units eligible for payment as “original” planting units only after they have survived a minimum of ten (10) days after installation. The CONTRACTOR will be responsible for properly disposing of all rejected planting units.

Permit Required Monitoring and Avoidance A. Wildlife Monitoring and Avoidance

The CONTRACTOR shall abide by the State and Federal Permits associated with the dune building project included but not limited to the following: If the planting is to take place during Shorebird Nesting Season (February 15th to September 1st), the CONTRACTOR will be required to have an Imperiled Beach-nesting Bird (IBNB) certified monitor to ensure that the activities will not have an impact on endangered or imperiled species. Additionally, if the planting takes place during marine turtle nesting season (May 1st to October 31st), the CONTRACTOR will need to coordinate with the Marine Turtle Permit Holder prior to commencing planting activities to avoid any marine turtle nests in the project areas. If a marine turtle nest is identified within the planting areas, the planting will not occur within a distance determined by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) staff from the edge of the demarcated nest.