Please read the letter from Lexington Landscape Companies requesting your support for Article #29b- thank you.
Betsey Weiss
Dear TMMs,
Please read the letter that I am posting from the Lexington Landscape Companies, requesting your support for the one-year delay. Article #29b.
Thank you,
Betsey Weiss
Precinct #2
March 17, 2024
Dear Town Meeting Members,
We respectfully request that the blower ban be pushed back one year to 2026, which aligns with the homeowner ban. We are still facing supply shortages and the technology although improving, still has a long way to go before being sufficient and economically feasible. Our commercial suppliers are having difficulty getting the blowers, lithium batteries, and chargers. There is also the issue of disposing of the lithium batteries. It is brought to our attention continuously that electric blowers, batteries and chargers are readily available through Home Depot and other suppliers. What needs to be understood is that Landscapers cannot use equipment that is meant for “personal use”. We must have access to “commercial grade” equipment that is meant to be worked all day, every day. The distinction is enormous.
The capability of the battery operated blowers cannot keep up with our normal spring and fall work load. After trying out the hand held battery blower provided by the Town, we learned firsthand that even doing the simplest task of blowing grass clippings off walkways and driveways was a tremendous drain on the power of the battery, requiring 4 batteries per blower, per work day. To further this point, there is no way we can move fall leaves, especially wet leaves with the lack of strength and efficiency of the battery operated equipment. For a crew of six to complete a fall clean-up, they typically would need 8 batteries per blower, per day. This is providing we could recharge batteries during the course of the day, which is a difficult concept.
As a result of the inefficiency of the current electric blowers, each job will take a considerably longer time than it currently does with the gas blowers. We will be forced to modify our business plan by reducing our client base. If approximately sixty landscapers servicing Lexington residents are forced to eliminate say twenty jobs from their base, thus leaving 1200 loyal, long time Lexington residents with the problem of having to seek out other landscape providers. Considering that there is currently only one all electric landscaper servicing Lexington, this would prove to be an unsurmountable obstacle for residents. This is not taking into consideration the enormous effect it has on the livelihoods of Landscapers and their businesses. All current landscape companies servicing Lexington will be faced with this same problem.
Thank you for your consideration.
Best,
Lexington Landscape Companies, Requesting your support.
sarabothwellallen
Betsey Weiss
From: lex...@googlegroups.com <lex...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of sarabothwellallen <saraboth...@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, March 18, 2024 7:05 AM
To: LexTMMA <lex...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [LexTMMA] Re: Please read the letter from Lexington Landscape Companies requesting your support for Article #29b- thank you.
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