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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: Giovanni Santana, Superintendent of Parks & Recreation
DATE: November 20th, 2023
SUBJECT:
2023 Parks mowers procurement
PURPOSE:
To ensure that the City's Park divisions have adequate mowers to perform their missions safely, efficiently, and effectively.
BACKGROUND:
Two of the large-scale mowers assigned to the Parks and Recreation Division have been in service for over 20 years. Due to diminishing reliability, increased downtime, and accumulating maintenance expenses, both mowers are approved for replacement in the City's 2023 Budget.
Advancements in technology have introduced new features and safety measures that are absent in the existing mowers. The acquisition of modern large area mowers such as the Toro Groundsmaster 5900 and 4000-D, will not only enhance operational efficiency, but also take advantage of the Tier IV emissions standards, and prioritize the safety of our maintenance personnel.
Due to ongoing global supply chain issues and labor shortages, equipment manufacturers have drastically reduced or delayed equipment production. The bulk of equipment manufactured this year was allotted to fill orders placed in 2022 and various product lines were not available for new orders.
DISCUSSION:
The City participates in Sourcewell (formerly known as the National Joint Purchasing Cooperative) for the purchase of replacement and additional vehicles. This program bids vehicles for purchase, which allows the City to satisfy our own bidding process with less effort, and use a greater purchasing power to get lower prices.
Toro, a reputable manufacturer of landscape maintenance equipment, has begun accepting orders for the next wave of mower production which is tentatively scheduled to commence early in 2024.
In order to secure our place in the production que, the Parks Maintenance Division is requesting authorization to place orders for both mowers from Reinders Inc., which is an authorized Toro distributor, for ...
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