Hello all –
We (our strata) are currently in the middle of a 5-year mowing/landscaping contact with Island Mowers. This year we are paying $34,301 +GST and next year it is scheduled to go up to $35,330 +GST. However, Island Mowers has told us that they are losing money and need to make changes to the contract. There is a clause in the contract that allows for either party to cancel it.
On Thursday (August 17, 2023) I received two cost quotes from Island Mowers, as options for landscape maintenance for 2024 for our strata.
Both quotes provide the following four cost elements:
The mowing service: including trimming around the pond, lower ditch, Gainsberg ditch, regular pruning of sides, aeration where necessary
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- The higher cost quote for the mowing part ($42,980 plus GST) provides the services notes above, and includes fenced-in areas
- We will need to clarify with Island Mowers which areas they are including as “fenced-in areas”, so that we know what they mean and can adjust that if needed
- The lower cost quote for the mowing part ($38,080 plus GST) provides the same services, but excludes fenced-in areas.
- As I noted above, we will need to clarify with Island Mowers which areas they are including as “fenced-in areas”, so that we know what they mean and can adjust that if needed
- The higher cost quote for the mowing part ($42,980 plus GST) provides the services notes above, and includes fenced-in areas
For both quotes, we could work with Island Mowers to outline more details of what services are included, how often, etc.
Hedges: 10 in various locations ($4,200 plus GST)
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- This is for trimming the hedges
- We can find out which hedges are the ones they included in their quotes
Trees: 6 by the lower pond plus entrance trees off Gainsberg ($1,820 plus GST)
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- This is for pruning the trees
WeedMan services ($3,400 plus GST)
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- This is for moss control, fertilizer, and broad-leaf plant control, of the grassed areas
The total amounts of the two quotes that Island Mowers provided, including GST, are:
- The higher cost quote: $55,020 (including GST)
- The lower cost quote: $49,875 (including GST)
I talked with Jamie (Rowan’s dad, and the guy who does the ride mower work) on Thursday when he dropped off this info with me. He said they can provide more details of each cost element, if we would like to know more. And, they can adjust their quotes if some of the details are changed.
Thus, please look at the quotes provided as rough “ball park” amounts, at this time.
The strata could choose to carve off some services – either to do them ourselves, or to have someone other than Island Mowers do them.
- For example, we as a strata could decide to manage the WeedMan services contract ourselves, rather than having Island Mowers manage that for us.
- We could look at having owners take responsibility for the trimming of some of the hedges that are currently trimmed by Island Mowers
- We could look at finding someone other than Island Mowers to trim the hedges and/or prune our trees.
- And there are more things that could be looked at.
And of course we will seek other quotes from other mowing/ landscaping service providers.
All of these things are possible. What we end up doing depends on what we decide as a strata.
The strata’s Landscaping Committee has already over the past month been looking closely at a lot of options (in accordance with the Landscaping Committee’s mandate and duties: https://www.vis5801.ca/landscaping-committee/ ), in a manner which will be fair to all owners.
The Landscaping Committee and the landscape portfolio person on our Strata Council will continue to work on this, and will work with the Strata Council to help support the Council’s decisions related to this.
These quotes from Island Mowers will be very helpful to inform the continued discussions about the mowing and landscaping contract for the Landscaping Committee, and Strata Council – and the strata as a whole.
thanks –
Violet (LLE Strata Council, Landscaping portfolio)