Landscape Architect Articles

No Mow Puts Spotlight on Contractor05-26-06 | News

No Mow Puts Spotlight on Contractor

A poster from Loudoun County, Va.?EUR??,,????'???s web site shows off the bucolic community?EUR??,,????'???s ample green.

Every contractor knows that mechanical breakdowns cost time and money, but one Virginia firm recently learned that untrimmed grass can attract unwelcome publicity. The excerpt below is from the Loudoun Connection newspaper of Loudoun County, Va.

The grass on the Sterling Boulevard median and the side framing the road has grown as high as 31 inches, generating queries as to why landscapers have not cut it.

Kevin Chroninger, chairman of the Sterling Foundation board of directors, said the contractor, Wye Creek Inc., of Catharpin, Va., has not been able to mow the 3.3 miles that runs through the center and sides of Sterling Boulevard. ?EUR??,,????'??They?EUR??,,????'???ve told us repeatedly that they had equipment problems,?EUR??,,????'?? he said.

Charlie Aaron of Wye attributed the late-May mowing delay to the breakdown of two trackers. Aaron said he would have to use a bush hog, a tractor with a larger deck and bigger blades, because the high grass is too difficult to cut for the usual mowers.

The mowing job usually takes 10 hours total, he added.

Chroninger said a payment of $1,075 is made only after completion of each job. The landscaping company, which has held the mowing contract for the past two years, has performed well until now, he said.