Duluth Gateway maintenance costs better than expected

Duluth City Manager James Riker provided an update at the council’s work session Feb. 23 on a maintenance estimate for the GDOT Gateway Grant to improve landscaping at the Buford Highway and Sugarloaf Parkway intersection.

At the Feb. 9 meeting, the city council directed staff to verify the estimated annual maintenance costs associated with the proposed GDOT Gateway Grant. Staff previously estimated the maintenance amount would be $5,000 per year. New estimates from Imagescapes and Select Landscapes confirmed initial maintenance would be minimal in the first year. Anticipated maintenance as the plantings grow will range between $1,100 and $2,800 per year.