ITEM:		CONSENT CALENDAR
5.	CONSIDER EXPENDITURE FOR ADDITIONS TO WATERWISE WEBSITE BY GARDENSOFT
Meeting Date:			September 21, 2015	Budgeted:	Yes
From:			David Stoldt	Program/	Water Conservation
			General Manager	Line Item No.:	4-2-3
Prepared By:			Stephanie Locke	Cost Estimate:	$4,000
General Counsel Review: N/A
Committee Recommendation: The Administrative Committee reviewed this item on September 14, 2015 and recommended approval.
CEQA Compliance: N/A

SUMMARY: In 2004, District staff worked with GardenSoft to create a Water-Wise Gardening CD-rom and web application which promotes drought tolerant and low water use landscaping. This software is an interactive program that allows the user to view images of mature drought tolerant landscapes, select plant species from the images and load them into a printable shopping list. Features include a design tool for planning a new landscape, irrigation efficiency principles, maintenance tips and a basic water guide.

Upgrades to the Water-Wise Gardening program are now available through GardenSoft. These upgrades would add features such as a landscape watering schedule calculator and streamline the site navigation for an improved user experience. The Water Calculator will allow home owners to plug in their location, plant type, sprinkler type, slope, exposure, and local watering restrictions to create an accurate watering schedule for their landscape. For a cost of $4,000 the following changes would be made (Exhibit 5-A):

· Rebuild cascading menu across all pages

· Build a Water Calculator based on local ETo Zones

· Float the message panel

· Add hotlink toggle switch

· Switch backgrounds

RECOMMENDATION: Authorize staff to enter into contract with GardenSoft for menu upgrades, design improvements, and the addition of a Water Calculator in the amount of $4,000. The funding for this is reimbursable through the CPUC approved Conservation budget.

EXHIBITS

5-A GardenSoft Scope of Work

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