RSG Landscaping Wins the Emergency MIRR Maintenance Contract for the Midlothian Corridor Medians

Chesterfield County awarded the emergency MIRR maintenance contract for the Midlothian corridor medians to RSG Landscaping in the week of July 15, 2021, the Midlothian Business Alliance announced. The Midlothian-based firm, which had held the program's first ten-year contract, was to deploy staff immediately for initial mowing, weeding, gutter pan cleaning, trash and debris removal, pruning and mulching, after months in which the medians had been in a state of disrepair with virtually no landscaping or maintenance since the spring.

Maintenance of medians throughout Virginia is largely handled by VDOT, and because of that the main priority is keeping costs down, with aesthetics and long-term investment an afterthought. More than ten years earlier, the Greater Southport Business Association — which merged with the MBA in 2019 — set out a more proactive vision for the corridor: more frequent mowing, additional trees, shrubs and flowers in key focal areas, regular cleaning of trash around intersections, and more. Advocacy and a partnership with Chesterfield County produced the program known as MIRR, the Midlothian Initiative to Revitalize Rights of Way.

Under the program, property owners pay a marginal incremental real estate tax of $0.02 per $100 of assessed value — $200 a year on a $1 million property — and that funding is pooled and re-deployed in the same geographic area in which the incremental tax is placed. The MBA works closely with the county to determine how the funds are invested. The previous fall the alliance visited every area within the geographic scope to understand what was working and what was not, analyzed existing costs and current revenues, and balanced the two to improve the program — one-off capital expenditures such as in-depth repairs and cleanings, supplemental plantings, and higher-quality maintenance.

RSG Landscaping held the contract for the first ten-year period. When it expired, the contract was re-bid; an alternative firm won and that contract began in the spring of 2021. The firm underperformed significantly. The MBA advocated for change from the time problems first arose, and the county performed regular inspections and tried to work with the vendor to amend the problems before ultimately terminating the contract.

Because the processes regulating contract termination take time, the county brought the Sheriff's workforce out to complete a one-time maintenance while matters were sorted out, and advertised an emergency bid to contractors with a proven track record in the county. The goal was to repair the damage and step in for six months, then re-set the program with a new ten-year contract. Since RSG Landscaping had been the vendor for ten years, the MBA said it had tremendous confidence the firm understood the scope and would perform above expectations.

The MBA thanked Carl Schlaudt, Revitalization Manager with Chesterfield, for his efforts administering the program, and credited Planning Commissioner Frank Petroski and Supervisor Leslie Haley as strong advocates for correcting the problem quickly. Chris Jenkins, the MBA's Vice President and Director of Community Affairs, called the county's administration of the program a key example of good government: constituents would have a hard time getting together, raising the funds and running a program like this, while the county was better positioned to negotiate with vendors, monitor their progress and execute the plan.

Long term, the MBA said it envisioned expanding MIRR, arguing that it benefits business and therefore the community — brand, business traffic, sales and real estate values all rising with it. Members with questions or concerns were invited to contact Commissioner Frank Petroski or Chris Jenkins.