This-N-That
This-N-That
Echo Introduces Fleet Discount Program
Chicago, Ill.—ECHO is introducing the first Arborist Fleet Discount Program to reward arborists and tree care companies who purchase ECHO chain saws, power pruners and related accessories with product discounts starting at 16 percent off MSRP and “no-hassle” financing.
To qualify for the program a customer must purchase a minimum of $1,500 worth of product at MSRP from a single dealer. Deeper discounts are available for customers who purchase $2,500 worth of product. Once the initial $1,500 or $2,500 purchase threshold is achieved, customers are eligible to purchase additional chain saws, power pruners and related accessories from the same dealer for the next twelve months at the same discount regardless of purchase size.
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Word On The Web
On “Memorial Day: Not Just A Day Off From Work” May 15 Week-Ender Blog:
“Be grateful for Memorial Day! Lots of Americans gave up their lives for it!”
“I never served but I have great respect for those who do. Thank you for your service. For myself, I will travel about 100 miles to Johnson Island in Sandusky, Ohio to honor the soldiers in the Confederate Cemetery there.”
“I don't have the day off but I make sure my yard is aptly decorated with American flags ... one of a few in my neighborhood of 200 homes that recognize the Memorial Day.”
--Renee Lawson
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Letters
Thanks For The Memories
I just finished reading “Gone But Not Forgotten” (by Ron Ciancutti) in PRB May with tears rolling down my checks.
My boss, who I have worked with for the past 20 years, is retiring next month. There were so many similarities in your article—10 years older, ups and downs with children, burying our fathers and our little meeting every morning before work begins to go over the previous evening’s happenings.
I thank you for that beautifully written article. I enjoyed it so much.
Cheryl Greenberg
Publicity Coordinator
City of Plantation
Parks & Recreation Department
Plantation, Fla.
END OF CARRYOVER
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No Excuses
Randy,
I just wanted to take this Friday to let you know my hand is shaking yours. Your latest story concerning the disabled Marine was an award-winner (“Your Excuse Is Invalid,” Nov. 12 Week-Ender). The story made me realize this wonderful young man, and Marine, was not disabled but enabled. It was very inspirational and, you’re right, all my disparaging thoughts went out the window. There is nothing that can’t be achieved if you believe it, heart, mind, and soul. It brings to mind a saying that I always use, probably overuse, that is: “if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
Thanks for reminding me how lucky I am.
Brian Muller
Park Planning and Facilities Manager
Highlands Ranch Metro District
Highlands Ranch, Colo.
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Looking Good Overall
Just wanted to comment to the editor that this month’s magazine (November) was excellent; a lot of great articles in there. Keep up the good work.
Thank you,
Andy Rice, CPRP
Community Activities Manager
City of Alamosa, Colo.
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Title Change Requested
Thank you for bringing up a topic that unfortunately is still relevant in all levels of our society (“Looking Beyond A Pretty Face,” PRB October). To that end, I wish the title of your piece would have been “Looking Beyond Gender,” “Level the Playing Field,” or some title that did not perpetuate that women are valued for their attractiveness. Of course, the title may have gotten more readership that way.
Angela White
Horticulturist
Certified Arborist MW-4506
Poplar Bluff Parks and Recreation
Poplar Bluff, Mo.
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Field Notes
Vortex Aquatic Structures International, a manufacturer of aquatic play landscapes and entertainment solutions, announced that it has acquired AquaBlue, a Cornelius, NC-based designer and manufacturer of waterslides and water play equipment. Formed in 2008, AquaBlue is a fast-growing waterslide company, and is focused on developing innovative products for the municipal and commercial market segments.
Go Ape’s high-flying corporate culture has earned it a SmartCEO Corporate Culture Award. The treetop adventure company has been recognized among other companies in the Washington, D.C. region for its productive, positive, performance driven corporate culture.
Koch Agronomic Services, LLC has launched an improved website, www.KochTurf.com, to support its new Koch Turf & Ornamental brand. The website now contains videos, webinars, literature and additional product information to provide more robust content. Additionally, turf and ornamental professionals can use the website to locate their Koch sales representative, and learn more about products specific to their industry.
Cherrington recently delivered three Model 5500 beach cleaners to Honolulu, Hawaii to maintain several beaches on the Island of Oahu. The Cherrington 5500 was chosen because it is a high-capacity beach cleaner in a compact, self-propelled unit. Its unique three-wheel design offers impressive maneuverability and zero-turn ability.
Club Car has formed the industry’s only UTV Technical Support Team dedicated exclusively to rental customers. The team troubleshoots issues with clients remotely and on site, speeds parts delivery and serves as a single point of contact, all at no charge.
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Manchester City Upgrades Toro Irrigation System
Bloomington, Minn. – Etihad Stadium, home of Premier League football club Manchester City, recently upgraded its irrigation system with the installation of 16 ToroR Series conversion assemblies.
Installed with new artificial turf covers around the perimeter of the pitch, the football stadium has cost-effectively upgraded its existing sprinklers by replacing only the sprinkler internals, along with some of the nozzles to ensure no water waste. This was all done while keeping the existing body and piping system intact.
Etihad Stadium head groundsman Lee Jackson explains the reasons behind the upgrade: “There were no issues with the previous sprinklers we used; however, after seeing a demo of the new Toro conversions kits in July 2014, I was impressed with the fact that there is no stopping point at the edge of each arc. This maximizes water getting onto the pitch itself and not ‘puddling’ on the perimeter.”
For more information, visit www.toro.com.
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Rain Bird IQ Platform Expands
Tucson, Ariz.—Rain Bird Corporation’s IQ Platform for irrigation central control can now be used with smartphones and tablets to meet the industry’s growing demand for mobile-compatible water management tools.
Irrigation professionals who manage systems for municipal properties can now manage those same systems on the go from their smartphones and tablets using IQ-Cloud v. 3.0. There are no recurring annual fees to use IQ-Cloud. IQ-Cloud access can be shared with authorized personnel who perform maintenance and to alert them to problems in the field. For more information, visit http://iqweb.rainbird.com/iq/.
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Cost-Effective Comfort For Concession Workers
The only facilities at the Sharon Little League Ballpark in Clifton Forge, Va., were an equipment shed and a concession trailer. The shed worked fine, but the 20-year-old trailer where athletes and parents bought snacks was cramped and dilapidated, with only one working window.
Seventeen student-architects from Virginia Tech’s design/buildLAB decided to change that. Over the course of a year, they designed and built a new, modern fieldhouse that included a concession area, restrooms and an outdoor covered patio.
Improving comfort was at the top of the architects’ list when designing the new space, but with a consistently tight budget, the Little League would need to cool the space without expensive, energy-intensive air conditioning.
The architects took three steps to provide inexpensive comfort: installing an energy-efficient ceiling fan donated by Big Ass Fans; orienting the building with windows facing prevailing winds for effective, natural ventilation; and painting the interior and exterior walls white to avoid trapping heat.
Whereas air conditioning would cost hundreds of dollars or more per year, the Haiku ceiling fan uses less than $5 worth of electricity per year and the other comfort solutions require no ongoing investment.
“Even though we’ve got bigger coolers and more appliances putting off heat, the new facility is comfortable,” said Tina Hostetter, treasurer of the Sharon Little League.
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Calendar
March
5-10 Association of Aquatic Professionals Annual Conference & Exhibit, San Diego, Calif.—Town and Country Resort and Convention Center; www.aquaticpros.org
28-30 Iowa Parks & Recreation Association Spring Conference, Council Bluffs, Iowa; www.iowaparksandrecreation.org
April
12-14 Maryland Recreation and Parks Association Annual Conference, Ocean City, Md.— Princess Royale Hotel; www.mrpanet.org
25-28 Louisiana Recreation & Park Association Annual Conference, Lake Charles, La.; www.lrpa.net
May
16-20 River Management Symposium and National Outdoor Recreation Conference, Boise, Idaho— Riverside Hotel; www.recpro.org