August 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 66

Operations
other form of efficiency that really
caught his attention.
" Right away we saw an improvement in efficiency in locations that
were not equipped with fuel pumps
by not having to refuel daily, " Page
says. " We have a large propane storage cage, and the propane company
delivers twice a week, so we have fresh
propane onsite and always ready. "
Many of the department's mowers
are dual-fuel models that run on either propane or unleaded gasoline. On
ozone action days in Dallas, unleaded
fuel has to be limited before 10 a.m.,
but the mowing crews can still get an
early start by using propane instead.
Most of the time, operators stick with
using propane all day, but the unleaded gas tank serves as a backup.

" We really gained an efficiency with
fueling, because by the time you have
two propane tanks and a gas tank, it
limits refueling to about once a week
per mower, " Page explains.
Using propane also eliminates the
possibility of fuel spills, which can be expensive and time consuming to clean up.
" Cost, longevity, spilling, safety
- all factors that were a concern, "
Page says. " I think as far any equipment operations, you must match the
mower to the application. "

Continued from page 19
there is any better investment we can
make than helping them to be successful in life.

understanding of the importance of Louisiana, not just during hurricanes or oil
spills, but in the context of what we provide. Our state is blessed with incredible
natural resources, but we also help feed
and fuel the nation, and I think we can
use both our park system and our bully
pulpit as elected officials to help educate
people on the importance of preserving
the natural beauty and bounty of Louisiana - I think we're doing that now.

Baton Rouge is located in one of the
most beautiful natural areas in the
country, but is also at the crossroads
of many environmental challenges
- energy development, sea-level
rise, loss of wetlands and more. Do
you believe that parks and recreation
can help meet these environmental
challenges? How does BREC do this?
I've been very active in the America's
Wetland Foundation's work to draw attention to our fragile wetlands and the
importance of a healthy Mississippi River to the nation. On the local level, Baton Rouge is investing in preserving and
increasing green space, especially within
the city center. BREC maintains many
conservation areas and is currently reforesting some of its smaller parcels of land
to increase habitat for birds and continue
to improve air quality. But I believe people throughout the country need a better

Parks & Recreation

The Long Run
Naturally, newer mowers are going to
have less downtime than older models,
no matter what they run on. But Page
and Stearns are optimistic about the potential longevity of propane mowers.

We also asked BREC Superintendent Carolyn McKnight: How do
Mayor-President Holden's priorities help to guide you in determining priorities for the park and recreation system of BREC? Does his
leadership give you opportunities
to advance conservation, health
and wellness, and social equity?
Mayor-President Holden has played
a significant role in helping BREC
advance health, wellness and social
equity in this community. In 2008,
he created the Mayor's Healthy City
Initiative as he strongly believes that

| AU G U S T 2 0 1 3 | W W W. N R PA . O R G

" We put the mowers through a
good two to three pilot programs to
test wear and tear, terrain, engine, stability, performance and replacement
parts, and basically what we found is
that the propane vs. diesel unit stood
up to be the same, " Page recalls.
" Our mechanics feel that since they
burn cleaner and the engines and oil
don't get as dirty, they will have a lot
longer lifespan and a lot fewer maintenance issues, " Stearns says. " If true,
I believe in the long run these mowers
will be great for us....Employees have
commented that they are way quieter,
cut well and have very little fumes. It's
been working very well. "
Elizabeth Beard is the Managing Editor of
Parks & Recreation (ebeard@nrpa.org).

in order for Baton Rouge to be a great
city, it needs to be a healthy city.
Mayor Holden saw that organizations were working in silos, duplicating efforts and struggling to fund and
sustain programs in isolation, so he
quickly reached out to agencies like
BREC to serve on his Board of Directors team to foster collaboration,
coordination and communication.
Today there are 58 local organizations working together to accelerate
positive population health outcomes.
Another key initiative of the Mayor-President and his team was to actively engage BREC in helping to set the
course for the future of this community
through the FutureBR Comprehensive
Plan. A diverse group of residents and
stakeholders provided input through
workshops, open houses, interviews,
focus groups and surveys. The mayor
and his team actively engaged BREC
in the development and implementation of the plan to address two core
values identified in the discussion: conservation and sustainability.

August 2013 - Parks & Recreation

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