Fremont City Council Meeting: 04/01/25 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Community Development
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Agreements and Contracts
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5395) DOC ID: 5395 A
Updated: 3/28/2025 9:41 AM by Dina Lewis A Page 1
WEED ABATEMENT BY GOATS AT SABERCAT HISTORICAL PARK - Approval of 5-year, $450,000 Contract, with a $175,000 Option to Extend for Two Years, between City and Living Systems Land Management for Weed Abatement and Fire Fuel Management at Sabercat Historical Park and Making Findings of CEQA Exemption
Contact Persons:
Name: Jamie Cooley Kathleen Cote-Guarnieri
Title: Environmental Specialist I Environmental Services Manager Div/Dept: Community Development Environmental Services
Phone: (510) 494-4573 510-494-4583
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: Staff is recommending approval of a five-year contract with Living Systems Land Management in the amount of $450,000 for weed abatement and fire fuel management at Sabercat Historical Park. Staff is also recommending the contract include a City option to extend for two additional years in an amount not to exceed $175,000, for a total maximum contract amount of $625,000. This service is necessary for fire fuel management and weed abatement at Sabercat Historical Park. The contractor was selected as a result of a competitive procurement process.
In compliance with water quality permit requirements, the City is using goats rather than cattle for fire fuel management and weed control. Funding for this work is through the Urban Runoff Fund.
BACKGROUND: Sabercat Creek Historical Park is one of the last natural riparian corridors in Fremont and provides urban open space with a large portion of the park publicly accessible by trail. The park is characterized by grassland, tree-lined riparian corridors, and gullies traversing portions of the site. Slopes in the majority of the park generally exceed 30%, with the slopes on the northern and southern boundaries exceeding 50%. This makes it difficult to manage the fire fuel load by means other than livestock. Prior to the goats, the City utilized cattle.
In 2012, the City completed grant funded biotechnical bank stabilization, habitat restoration, and trail improvements within Sabercat Creek Historical Park. As part of the project permitting, the City must conduct ongoing monitoring and meet performance standards for channel stability, riparian habitat cover, invasive weed management and creek hydrology. Due to the negative impacts cattle cause to the restoration areas and the creek, the City transitioned from cattle to goats for weed abatement and fire fuel load management.
The City's previous goat weed abatement contract expired in 2024, and an RFP process was conducted to procure services for a base contract term of five years with a City option to extend for two additional years. Out of two proposals received, Living Systems Land Management was selected as the best alternative for the City given their familiarity with the grazing area and staff oversight and training anticipated to conduct the work.
Council Staff Report (ID # 5395) Meeting of April 1, 2025 Updated: 3/28/2025 9:41 AM by Dina Lewis A Page 2
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: As a result of the RFP process, staff is recommending continuing to use Living Systems Land Management to provide weed abatement and fire fuel reduction by goats. The contract includes labor, materials, tools, equipment, personnel, animals, transportation, supervision, and housing for the goat herder, and quality control necessary for goats to graze Sabercat Historical Park. The contract contains performance standards regarding:
• Grazing area
• Vegetation removal
• Number of goats allowed
• Containment of goats with electrical fencing
• Prohibition of grazing or drinking within the creek and adjacent sensitive riparian areas
• Presence of livestock handler
• Provision of water for livestock
Staff is recommending approval of a five-year contract with the City option to extend for an additional two years.
The contractor has performed reliably and has met the contract performance standards in prior years.
FISCAL IMPACT: The initial contract value is $450,000, which includes annual CPI adjustments and an approximately $50,000 contingency, plus a potential two-year extension not to exceed $175,000, for a total potential value of $625,000. Funding for this contract will be from the Urban Runoff Fund (Fund 123).
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The proposed grazing of the site as a park is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under CEQA Guidelines Section 15304 in that the project consists of minor alterations to land or vegetation.
ATTACHMENTS: None.
RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the City Manager, or her designee, to execute a contract with Living Systems Land Management for Weed Abatement by Goats at Sabercat Historical Park in the amount of $450,000 for five years with the option to extend for an additional two years in an amount not-to-exceed $175,000.