___________________________
Department Head
AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO AGREEMENT FOR CITYWIDE TREE TRIMMING
SERVICES (PARCS)
This Amendment (“Amendment No. 1”) is hereby entered into effective November 18, 2025 by and between the City of Lancaster, a Municipal Corporation, in the State of California (“OWNER”), and Tip Top Arborists, Inc. (“CONTRACTOR”) with respect to the Operating Agreement for Maintenance Services between the parties dated September 1, 2024 (“Agreement”).
The Parties agree as follows:
1. Replace Exhibit “A” Scope of Work in the Agreement with Exhibit “A” Scope of Work attached hereto.
2. Replace Exhibit “B” Term and Payment in the Agreement with Exhibit “B” Term and Payment attached hereto.
3. All other terms and provisions of the Agreement are hereby affirmed.
CITY OF LANCASTER
LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA
By: ___________________________
Trolis Niebla
TIP TOP ARBORISTS, INC.
By: ___________________________
Jim Lewandowski, CEO
ATTEST:
___________________________
City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
___________________________
City Attorney
CONTRACT SUBMISSION APPROVAL:
Exhibit “A”
Scope of Work
Tree Trimming Services
The Tree Trimming Contractor (hereinafter called the "Contractor") will recognize and perform in accordance with all stated intents, specifications, and stipulations contained or reference herein.
Each bidder will be responsible for researching the existing conditions and matters that affect the cost or performance of the services.
The Contractor shall perform tree trimming and maintenance, general arborists services, and GPS inventory management in accordance with the statement of work described herein and all applicable governing standards. The work performed to service tree maintenance pertaining to this contract is routine, perpetual, and typical. Tree trimming will take place over a twelve (12) month period.
Contractor will be expected to be available for daily trims during the contract year.
The Tree Trimming Contractor will furnish all labor, equipment, tools, services, skills, etc., required to service the trees throughout the contract period. Trimming of trees will be on an as needed basis to include but not be limited to trimming, removals, planting, stump grinds, section trims, line clearing, emergency tree work and right of way clearing.
The intent is to maintain a safe and healthy appearance of the City of Lancaster's Parks and Facilities, City Right of Ways, and City Landscape Maintenance Areas as determined by the City of Lancaster. The Contractor will maintain such appearance to the satisfaction of the City. Any discrepancies in the understanding of this clause will be resolved in a manner as determined by the City of Lancaster.
The basic daily hours of maintenance service shall be from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. No maintenance functions that generate excessive noise shall be commenced before 8:00 a.m. Any work performed on parkways and medians, or where traffic control is required, shall not commence before 9:00 a.m., and shall terminate no later than 3:00 p.m. The Contractor shall provide adequate staffing and any necessary traffic control permits to perform the required services.
All contractors' employees shall wear similar uniforms showing the first name of the employee and the name of the company. High visibility vests and/or shirts shall always be worn. If the City feels that improper clothing is being worn, the supervisor will be instructed to make the necessary changes.
All vehicles used by the contractor shall have the company name visible on the vehicle. The logo shall be consistent on all vehicles. Vehicles should be clean, properly maintained, and present an appropriate image to the public.
Tree Maintenance
All tree pruning shall comply with good arboriculture practices for the species of tree being trimmed and shall follow ANSI A300 standards. The Contractor shall also meet the requirements of the American National Standards, Z133-1-2006, entitled “Safety Requirements for Arboricultural Operation.” published by the American National Standard Institute, Inc., 1430 Broadway, New York, 10018. The City shall determine if the contractor has met all pruning requirements and payment shall not be made for pruning that is not in accordance with the above standards. The Contractor shall be deemed in contract default if they consistently fail to comply with the standards.
Tree Removal
Any tree with half (1/2) or more of its total foliage mass dead or dying should be brought to the attention of the City and removed as directed. Careful analysis should be made of site or maintenance conditions which caused or contributed to the tree's decline. Any detrimental site condition that can be corrected should be accomplished prior to installing any replacement tree. 1) Tree Removal Requirements: Trees should be removed in a safe manner and stumps should be ground to a minimum of eighteen inches (18") below finish grade, unless the tree is being replaced, in which case stamp shall be removed completely. Excess wood chips from stump grinding should be removed and the cavity void backfilled with topsoil at ground level. The topsoil placed in the cavity should be prepared, compacted, and fine graded suitable for replanting. Any drainage component, irrigation equipment item, or construction feature that was damaged by the tree removal process shall be repaired or replaced.
Tree Planting
Planting includes the tree, stakes, V.I.T. twist braces, and complete installation and watering at the time of installation. Contractor will guarantee the quality of the tree stack and the workmanship for a period of no less than 3 months.
Planting pit shall be dug twice the width and the same depth of the root ball. Before placing the tree in the planting pit, the contractor shall examine the root ball for injured roots and the canopy for broken branches. Depth shall be until sandy soil is reached or a minimum of 4’. Damaged roots should be cleanly cut off at a point just in front of the break. Broken branches should be cut out of the canopy making sure that the branch collar is not damaged.
The tree shall be placed in the planting pit with its original growing level at the same height of the surrounding finish grade. In grass-covered areas, the top of the root ball shall be level or slightly higher than the surrounding soil. In a concrete tree well, the root ball shall be 3 inches below the level of the finished surface of concrete.
All trees shall be staked with three (3) wooded lodge poles and two V.I.T. twist braces per pole.
Minimum size of lodge poles should be ten (10’) feet long, with a one and a half (1 ½”) inch diameter. Stakes shall not penetrate root ball and shall be driven into the ground approximately twenty-four to thirty (24” to 30”) inches below grade.
In some cases, root barriers may be required. The City will make the determination. Should a root barrier be required, the contractor will install a mechanical barrier that redirects root growth downward, eliminating the surface rooting that damages hardscapes and creates hazards.
All trees shall be of good nursery stock that adheres to the City of Lancaster approved planting list.
Trees shall be free from pests, disease, and structural defects.
Emergency Response
The Contractor shall be required to provide emergency on call response for damaged trees as a result of storms, high winds, or other reasons. Emergency calls may occur at any given time. The Contractor will be provided the location and the work to be done at each location via telephone from a City authorized representative. Emergency work crew shall be on site within one (1) hour of the initial telephone call.
Contractor shall be required to provide a twenty-four (24) hour emergency phone number or the names of at least ten (10) contact individuals upon award of the contract. Should the contract persons or their numbers change during the contract, those changes shall be submitted to the City withing two (2) working days.
Contractor shall be required to provide all necessary traffic control during the emergency work.
Should the work involve any high voltage power lines or any utility lines the Contractor shall be required to notify the responsible utility company.
Work performed under the emergency provision of this contract may be paid for on a crew hour basis. This shall include all labor, tools, equipment, disposal fees, and all necessary materials.
Operational Guidelines
1) The Contractor shall always maintain coordination with specific Project Managers. Either party may request and be granted a conference upon request within two (2) working days of the request.
2) No storage or service of equipment shall take place on City Property. 3) All green waste generated from this contract shall be recycled. All green waste generated shall be recycled in compliance with City and State regulations.
Performance Standards
1) The City reserves the right to audit the performance of the Contractor and operators of equipment at any time.
2) The City's Project Manager or approved City personnel may perform inspections of City sites upon receipt of notification that service has been completed. Performance shall be measured against the specifications contained herein to ensure City standards for quality are met.
Quality standards shall be at the discretion of the Project Manager.
Equipment
1) The Contractor shall furnish equipment of a type and quantity to perform the work satisfactory. If, in the opinion of the Project Manager, the Contractor has insufficient equipment on the job to satisfactorily complete the work within the required time, the Contractor shall immediately provide additional equipment as directed by the Project Manager.
2) The City reserves the right to inspect all equipment before it is placed in or while it is in service. If at any time, the Project Manager determines that any equipment is deficient in any way, the Contractor shall remove the equipment from service immediately, and the equipment shall remain out of service until the deficiency is corrected to the satisfaction of the Project manager. Inspection and approval of the Contractor's equipment by the Project Manager shall not relieve the Contractor of responsibility or liability for injury to persons or damage to property caused by the operation of the Contractor's equipment. 3) As a minimum, all equipment operated on a roadway shall be legally equipped and marked.
Contractor is responsible for determining legal requirements.
Damages
All damage incurred to existing facilities by the Contractor's operation shall be repaired or replaced at the Contractor's expense.
1) Irrigation system damage such as damage to sprinkler heads, valves, valve boxes, controllers, and so on, shall be repaired or replaced within one watering cycle. 2) All damage to shrubs, trees, turf, or groundcover shall be repaired or replaced within five (5) working days.
3) Minor damage to shrubbery may be corrected by appropriate pruning. Major damage shall be corrected by removal and replacement of the damaged shrub. The assessment of the damage will be at the discretion of the City.
4) All damage caused to components of the sites such as pumps, pump houses, doors, drainage structures, walkways, fence, light fixtures, and so on, from accidents or cumulative effects of incidents caused by the Contractor's staff shall be immediately corrected at the Contractor's expense.
5) Should the Contractor fail to provide for repairs or replacements from damages within the aforementioned time specifications, the City may undertake repairs or replacements on its own and subtract costs incurred from the monthly payment.
Damage by Others
The Contractor shall provide the City with an accident damage report including labor costs, equipment costs, and material costs whenever there are damages due to acts of God, vandalism, vehicular accidents, or whenever any damage occurs in areas maintained under this contract.
Communication
The Contractor's facility and the lead person shall be equipped with a two-way radio or cell phone for dispatching purposes, answering emergency calls, and to communicate with the City during the workday. One (1) person shall speak fluent English on each crew.
GPS Tree Inventory Scope of Work
The City shall provide the most up-to-date GPS inventory data to the Contractor upon award of contract. City will pay for and contract “Arbor Pro” as its GPS inventory and data collection service.
The City, at its expense, will maintain a yearly subscription to Arbor Pro. City and Contractor will use Arbor Pro for work orders pertaining to tree trimming services. The city will require the contractor to update Arbor Pro daily, so that the most accurate tree information is available when needed. Contractors will be expected to have general knowledge of Arbor Pro or the ability to get the necessary training to accurately utilize the tree management system. Smart device for field record keeping will be supplied by Contractor. Attributes to be updated by Contractor may include, but not limited to:
Tree Number
City District/Grid/Parks/Open Spaces
Street
Location by Address
Location by GIS
Species by Botanical Name and Common Name
Tree Diameter
Tree Height
Tree condition
Tree Dollar Value
Recommended Maintenance
Existing Overhead Utilities
Parkway Size
Parkway Type
Sidewalk Damage
Lancaster National Soccer Center (LNSC) Various Type Dead Tree Removal Complete removal of dead trees from the following areas:
oLNSC FIFA Fields
oLNSC East Fields
oLNSC West Fields
Lancaster National Soccer Center (LNSC) Dead Willow Removal Complete removal of dead Willow trees from the following areas:
oLNSC FIFA Fields
oLNSC East Fields
oLNSC West Fields
Exhibit “B”
TERM AND PAYMENT
Term. No change from original Agreement executed on September 1, 2024.
Payment. The City of Lancaster shall reimburse the CONTRACTOR for the actual costs, including labor costs and employee benefits incurred by the CONTRACTOR in performance of the work, in an amount not to exceed the rates identified herein. Actual costs shall not exceed the estimated wage rates and other costs as set forth in this Agreement. Source documentation supporting billed costs must be submitted with the invoice. CONTRACTOR shall provide a cost breakdown with hourly rates for each office and field function in the event the additional work is required beyond the not to exceed fee specified above. Any additional work will require a separate Authorization for CONTRACTOR Services signed by both parties.
The total compensation to be paid by OWNER to CONTRACTOR for all work and services described is not to exceed $437,922.09 for Year Two (FY 25/26). Year three and two optional one-year extensions remain approved as is with an annual maximum of 5% CPI increase on the base contract amount.
FY 24/25 Base Contract: $286,796
FY 25/26 Base Contract with maximum 5% CPI: $301,135.8
FY 25/26 One-Time Funding for Additional Work Added w/Amendment: $143,625.60 (includes 5% contingency)
FY 25/26 NTE Amount: $444,761.40
FY 26/27 Base Contract with maximum 5% CPI: $316,192.59 Optional Year One Extension FY 27/28 with maximum 5% CPI increase: $332,002.22 Optional Year Two Extension FY 28/29 with maximum 5% CPI increase: $348,602.33
CONTRACTOR shall not be reimbursed for actual travel expenses incurred in the performance of the work.