We take pride in the care, management and operation of the region’s public open space and recreational areas. These beautiful green spaces connect people and nature and promote healthy and creative lifestyles.
We look after around 1340 parks across our region. We have established these areas for active and passive recreation for our community, and to preserve the landscape features and natural environment of the Tablelands.
We take pride in our green open spaces. We use internal staff and contractors to keep our parks and open spaces safe, accessible and fit for purpose. Our mowing program includes our parks, some road verges, reserves and sports fields.
Seasonal conditions can impact maintenance and our crews work hard to keep our facilities, parks and open spaces mowed and maintained throughout the year.
To keep the grass in every maintained park looking great, we follow a mowing (grass-cutting) schedule. These schedules are based on a seasonal frequency. Grass will typically be mowed more frequently during the warmer months (peak season – summer and spring), when a lot of growth occurs and mowed less during the cooler months (off season – autumn and winter) when the grass growth is much slower.
Our high-profile parks (classified as Sunshine Coast Wide and District Parks) attract more visitors and tourists. These parks are typically serviced on a weekly to fortnightly schedule in the peak summer growth period.
Rainfall and damp ground conditions can impact our mowing schedules. While we welcome the rain over the summer period, we also welcome sunny days that help dry out the ground and allow our machinery to access sites so we can mow them.
In periods of significant rainfall, or extended periods of dry weather, these schedules will be amended to suit the local conditions, while ensuring our staff and contractors are working in safe environments and our beloved parks are not damaged in the process.
We do not use catchers on mowers. This means when the grass is mowed, the grass clippings are mulched and left on the ground to decompose, which returns nutrients to the soil and reduces water usage. Additionally, removing and disposing of grass clippings adds to the cost of maintenance.
eriods
If there has been no significant rain and conditions become dry, grass may be mowed less frequently for the following reasons:
- The grass will become dormant due to stress. If the grass appears brown and lifeless it will respond once it receives rain again.
- Mowing while the environment is dry, compact and dusty is likely to cause a lot of unpleasant dust, disrupt nearby residents and cause potential health and safety issues.
- Dust patches can form if mowing occurs frequently during dry conditions. Once a dry dirt patch forms, it is difficult for grass to continue to grow.
Unfortunately, during dry conditions weeds and seed heads can grow faster, creating an untidy appearance, while the grass surface remains short.
Our dry season typically coincides with our fire season. If the Queensland Fire Department (QFD) announces a critical fire risk, this will impact the use of any equipment used to maintain our open spaces. In this case, we will delay mowing schedules until the critical fire risk has been removed by the QFD.
As soon as site conditions improve, our resources will return to the mowing schedule.
If there has been significant rainfall, it becomes challenging to safely mow our open spaces. If our summers are wet, these periods are usually accompanied with lightning events, as well as hot and humid temperatures.
This combination of weather typically results in the grass growing at faster rates than normal. In some instances, the grass can grow so quickly that only a few days after mowing, it can appear to be untidy and give the appearance that it has not been mown. This creates extremely challenging conditions for our staff and contractors to keep our open spaces continually tidy and fit for use.
If you notice a greenspace in your local area that is overgrown, chances are it is due to recent or current wet weather conditions. We must wait for the ground to dry before it can be mowed again. If our mowing teams starts too early, the following is likely to occur:
- The machine used to mow the grass is heavy and the weight of the machine (>750kg) will likely create ruts and damage the park surface.
- If the grass is too wet, it does not cut well and may not disperse.
- We may be at risk of our staff and contractors placing themselves in unsafe conditions.
Please be reassured that Council is aware these parks need mowing. They are on a schedule which we regularly monitor. As soon as sites are dry enough to mow, we will return to the scheduled mowing.
In some cases the operators servicing the parks will mow the parts that are dry enough and leave the sections that are too wet. This may result in the sites that have not been mown to become very long over a period. Unfortunately, there is little we can do when sites are inundated with water and cannot be accessed.
In these situations, we will place signs up to keep our community informed.
If you notice a park or green space in your local area that is overgrown or needs attention, it is most likely caused by recent or current weather conditions. Please be patient and be assured that providing free, green, active and accessible open spaces is at the forefront of what we do.
When requests for mowing are made, we will continue to prioritise our mowing schedule as required.
Thank you for your understanding and patience, knowing that Council officers are continuing to work through our schedule as programmed.
To make a request, contact Council.