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Council OKs robotic mowers and other golf-course equipment; expense to be financed via lease
Summary
Andover approved three golf-course equipment purchases — robotic mowers ($42,814.90), a Toro Workman truckster ($35,222.88) and a Hustler Super 104 rough mower ($27,499.10) — with the city planning a tax-exempt or other lease purchase; Oaks Golf will contribute 20% of capital costs by contract.
The Andover City Council on April 8 authorized the purchase of three pieces of golf-course equipment — a robotic-mower package, a Toro Workman utility vehicle and a high-production rough mower — with staff planning to finance the acquisitions through a tax-exempt or other lease purchase.
Rick, a city staff member who presented the items, said the purchases were part of a broader equipment plan and that some items were moved forward because existing equipment was failing. He said Oaks Golf, under contract with the city, pays 20% of capital equipment purchases for course operations.
The council authorized the city to purchase robotic mowers from BAS Turf (vendor location stated as Denver, North Carolina in the agenda) in the amount of $42,814.90 with the intention of using a tax-exempt or other lease; the motion passed 4–0. The council separately authorized a Toro Workman Truckster from Professional Turf Products LP (Lenexa, Kan.) for $35,222.88 and a Hustler Super 104 rough mower from Kansas Golf and Turf (Wichita, Kan.) for $27,499.10; both motions also passed 4–0 and were described as part of the same lease-purchase package.
Vendor representative Colby Bertram demonstrated a robotic mower at the meeting and answered technical questions. He said the robotic units carry a two-year warranty and that his company would perform maintenance. He described operation details: a docking/recharge station, roughly 20–25 minutes to charge, typical run times of about 1.75–2 hours per charge depending on grass and conditions, a SIM card/cellular connection for monitoring, an approximate sound level of 45 decibels, and battery life typically five to seven years. Bertram said spare batteries and backup units are available for swap-out; blades are inexpensive (about $0.25 each) and are replaceable parts.
On insurance and risk, Bertram said his company carries insurance that covers damage or theft of the robots. Council discussion cited safety and long-term maintenance savings compared with older, heavily used equipment; staff noted the city will deploy the technology at the golf course first and evaluate other uses later.
Votes were unanimous, 4–0, on each purchase authorization. Staff said delivery timing is short for the utility and rough mower (days to a week) and that robotic deployment may take several weeks to set up the receiver/RTK antenna and site mapping.
