Not every city in the country can lay claim to being plumb in the geographic center of the country. Belle Fourche, South Dakota, can. Not every city can look at its public grounds and know they're being maintained with the same vigor and expertise as a proud homeowner would give his or her lawn. Again, Belle Fourche can.
This city of some 5,000 residents lives up to its name - it means beautiful forks in French - with 80 acres of parks, ball fields and other turf areas groomed just as if every day were Memorial Day or the Fourth of July. The city does it with a maintenance department comprised of three full-time and six or seven seasonal employees, and four Walker Mowers.
Willie Humann, supervisor for cemetery, parks and recreation, won't take credit for how the city looks, but he's proud of the end product. When Walker Talk visited in late spring, the grass was growing like wildfire, and Humann and his crew had all they could do to keep up with it.
"At times like this, we sometimes mow with our 62-inch side-discharge decks just to knock the grass down, and then come through with our 48-inch GHS decks to pick it up," says Humann, who has been working with the city for 10 years.
After the grass and moisture settle down, he adds, and the Memorial Day rush is over, the maintenance team can settle into a routine. That routine means mowing approximately 80 acres a week; aerating, spraying, fertilizing and pruning; maintaining the irrigation system that covers most of the acreage; and just keeping the city looking neat.
The city contracts out its irrigation work, and some of its fertilization and weed control. Aeration and other maintenance chores are kept in-house as is the routine maintenance on its Walker Mowers.
Versatility and Flexibility
The city saw its first Walker Mower at a Rapid City home and garden show in 1994. It purchased its first Walker a year later, and followed up with other purchases every year since.
Today it operates four Model T's with 20-hp Kohler engines. Each has a 48-inch GHS deck and a 62-inch side-discharge deck.
"We needed an industrial mower," relates Humann. "The Walker was also maneuverable around stones and trees, gave us the flexibility of using two decks, and was easy to maintain. The fact that the nearest dealer from here is three to four hours away in Nebraska was a concern at first. But it hasn't proven to be a problem at all."
Belle's mowing terrain varies from the small plots of grass surrounding the library, Chamber of Commerce, recreation building and other coves in and around town to a large cemetery, four parks, a soccer field and several ballparks.
"We used to have gang mowers for the larger areas and thought about getting a wide-area mower before we purchased the Walkers," tells Humann. "But the Walkers with the large-area decks do a good job."
Put on the GHS decks and they make quick work of the cemetery, he adds. In fact, the use of Walker Mowers has completely eliminated using a push mower to trim around the headstones.
Walker dealer Dale Lee sold the city its mowers. He attributes some of their popularity to the GHS deck's ability to vacuum the turf. The cemetery is a good example, he points out. The pine needles readily blanket the area, but the Walkers take care of them. It's not just the mowers' ability to mow that makes them stand out, he adds, but their ability to clean the turf, too.
Lee says he gets to Belle Fourche a few times a year, or whenever one of his customers gives him a call. In addition to the city's four mowers, there are two other Walkers in town, one owned by the school and the other by a contractor. The city, he notes, rotates its equipment every three years, so every year a new Walker comes to town.
When parks and recreation people aren't mowing, they're maintaining the landscape in other ways. The city spends enough money per capita on trees to be named Tree City U.S.A. So Humann's crews can be found installing new trees, or pruning or limbing older ones.
They also plant flowers, install fences, and ready the city for big special events such as a professional rodeo or smaller ones like a car rally in the main park.
"From Memorial Day to Labor Day, there's always something going on," says Humann who, before joining the city, said he knew absolutely nothing about landscape maintenance.
"The city has not only been real good about getting us the kind of equipment we need to get the job done, but they've also encouraged us to get the education we need. Whenever there is a seminar or workshop nearby on landscaping, tree care or lawn care, one of us attends. "
"We were also pleasantly surprised when they allowed us to purchase the Walkers. Normally, buying something from out of state is frowned upon, but they knew we really wanted the mowers."
The end result really speaks for itself because grass in Belle Fourche doesn't stop growing when the spring rain ends. The fertilization, in combination with irrigation and hot summer days, keeps mowing crews and their Walkers busy all season long.
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