- February 5, 2025
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Despite dissatisfaction over the median work of Bunnell-based Yellowstone Landscape Southeast, the City Council voted 3-1 on May 1 to extend the contract for another year, while leaving open the possibility of finding greater “efficiency and effectiveness” by performing the work in-house in the future.
Interim Public Works Director Lynn Stevens requested that the council approve the one-year extension for Yellowstone, which has been providing landscape services on city rights of way and stormwater ponds in Port Orange since April 4, 2016.
But in an unrelated item earlier in the meeting, City Council Drew Bastian pointed out that, on some medians on Dunlawton Avenue, “the grass is pretty high. Like obnoxiously high.”
“I recognized the same thing,” City Councilman Scott Stiltner said.
When Stevens later suggested renewing the contract, Bastian paused to clarify, saying, “Are they the one that had the maintenance contract on this?”
Stevens said yes. She also said that last year the city hired someone to inspect the work of the Yellowstone crews. The inspector kept “meticulous reports” and pointed out deficiencies for them to remedy. “She’s done an excellent job of keeping them on task,” Stevens said. Council members questioned why a city staffer would have to be hired to check on Yellowstone’s work.
City Councilman Chase Tramont said “I’m not a lawn guy,” but then he asked about the edging of the medians. “Is that typical, to spray Roundup on the edges? I just found that a little odd.”
Stiltner said Yellowstone is “falling short of our expectations … I’ve got a lot of concerns. ... I feel strongly that we really need to look to bring this back in house. I think we’re paying entirely too much money for the performance we’re getting.”
However, Stiltner did not want to bring the work in-house in spring or summer; better to do it during fall and winter to make the transition more successful.
Stevens suggested that this could be worth considering, but the city staff wasn’t equipped, on short notice, to handle the work being done by Yellowstone. She asked the City Council to approve the one-year extension. The extension was granted. Stiltner voted no; Bob Ford was absent.
When called on the phone May 7, Yellowstone had not yet heard of the city’s May 1 complaints. The company did not provide comment before press time.
