Sarasota's ValleyCrest new landscaper for Benderson Park

New company, which has a location in Sarasota, is favorite among five bids

UNIVERSITY PARK -- Nathan Benderson Park has a new landscaper.

ValleyCrest Landscape, a company with a location in Sarasota, was awarded the bid Tuesday by Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates Evaluation Committee. Details of the contract are expected to be finalized soon.

With a lower cost and landscaping service offered at the park four days a week, Valleycrest emerged as the favorite among five bids. Other bidders were: Your Green Team, Total Landscape Care, Buccaneer Landscape Management and Wilhelm Brothers.

"All the bids I thought showed a lot of time and concern for the park and we greatly appreciate that," SANCA operations manager Bob Whitford said. "It's a challenging park. ... We have a large responsibility. We want to put the best face on that we can to the rest of the world as we put on these events."

SANCA events coordinator Sarah Kupiec echoed Whitford.

"It is a community park and it is seen by a lot of people and needs to be kept up like it was your own home," she said.

All five companies individually presented to the Evaluation Committee, which included Kupiec, SANCA business administrator Brenda Ward and citizen Bill Johnson.

Terms were not made public and a start date for ValleyCrest had not been finalized.

Claire Aronson, University Parkway/Sarasota reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7024 or at caronson@bradenton.com. Follow her on Twitter@Claire_Aronson.

This story was originally published February 12, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Sarasota's ValleyCrest new landscaper for Benderson Park ."