Cookeville plans to once again use contractors for much of the city’s mowing work thanks to the system’s success from 2024.
Leisure Services Director Rick Woods said using contractors for lawn care provides more reliable workers as his department has struggled to find consistent seasonal employees. Woods said his department has to monitor the contractors and their work but the system is still beneficial for the city.
“We don’t have the liability of those individuals, those workers for injury and that sort of thing,” Woods said. “The contractors are responsible for all of that and transporting mowers from place to place and fuel.”
Woods said the new agreement would be very similar to last year’s plus a few more properties that contractors will manage. Woods said the city will open bids for the contract Thursday and he hopes to get a bid approved at city council’s meeting on Thursday, March 6.
“We have eight parks that they take care of that are included in the contract,” Woods said. “We have twelve public buildings, we have eight vacant or miscellaneous properties and rights of way along streets that are part of the bid.”
Woods said the contractors will handle mowing, weed eating, trimming, and edging. Woods said his department still handles mulching and grounds keeping duties like managing flower beds.
“We’re still maintaining Cane Creek Park, we still maintain the ball fields at the Sportsplex and a few areas that are specific to our department like that, so we still have plenty to do,” Woods said.
Woods said the contract will last throughout the mowing season and ends October 31, 2025.
