Chesapeake In The Know

Mowing season is here!  The Public Works Department is busy managing two contractors who trim public rights-of-way across the City.  Supplemental help comes from the Sheriff’s Inmate Work Force and Public Works staff when needed. Medians are mowed every 10-14 days, shoulders every 21-28 days, open areas 4 times a year and back slopes 3 times a year. The first cycle often must focus on litter removal, which remains a constant battler throughout the season. (Hint: If fewer people litter, we can concentrate more on mowing. So please don’t litter!)

While you may mow your own yard more often, Chesapeake is no small city so there’s a lot of ground to cover. The contractors cover over 7000 shoulder miles and over 2300 acres of medians, not to mention open areas and back slopes. Just to put that into perspective, that’s like mowing over 1700 football fields every 10-14 days.  And that just covers the medians!  All of this has to be done with a $1.7 million annual mowing budget.

Keep in mind that not all public areas are mowed under the Public Works contract.  Interstate roads and on/off ramps are maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation.  Mowing of park grounds and public building grounds is handled by the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department.