Discovering the state of the sprinkler system would have been impossible during the bidding phase, which Senske Lawn and Tree Care won in April, Mike Graves said in a letter to the Statesman.

Another factor was a lack of access to begin treating weeds during the best timeframe, Graves said.

After winning the contract, Graves said, Senske was not allowed to address the “vast pre-existing weed problem” for more than three weeks.

Airport director Rebecca Hupp said she wasn’t familiar with exactly when Senske won the bid and took over management of the landscape.

“It’s not uncommon for there to be a time lag from when a contractor is selected to when they actually begin work,” Hupp said.

Members of the Boise City Council voted July 31 to dismiss Senske. Airport staff and the city’s Finance and Administration and Aviation Department complained that Senske, which won the $70,000, one-year contract, repeatedly failed to address problems with the sprinkler system and manage weeds and shrub beds.

The council simultaneously awarded a $60,000, one-year landscape maintenance contract to Forever Green, the runner-up in the bidding process.

“We apologize to the city for its frustrations ... but would argue that both sides have fault in this situation,” Graves wrote. “We as a group look forward to working with the city of Boise in the future and are hopeful that this will remain an isolated incident.”

Matt Petaja, the airport’s deputy director of facilities and engineering, said last week he is open to hiring Senske in the future. He said Senske has agreed to stay on as airport landscaper until Forever Green takes over.

Sven Berg: 377-6275