https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Subscribe to GovPro
    • Manage GovPro Subscription
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
acc.com

Co-op Solutions


Article

Pacific Northwest grounds manager tells what is important for equipment buyers (with related video)

Pacific Northwest grounds manager tells what is important for equipment buyers (with related video)

Joe Kovolyan, manager of grounds and automotive at the University of Puget Sound, discusses key factors in his equipment buying decisions.
  • Written by Michael Keating
  • 18th February 2015

GPN recently got the views of Joe Kovolyan, manager of grounds and automotive at the  Tacoma, Wash.-based University of Puget Sound on key factors in his equipment buying decisions.

The university is a private, nonprofit liberal arts college. The school won a 2013 Green Star Honor Award from the national Professional Grounds Management Society. The photo below on the right shows the grounds of the University of Puget Sound’s campus.

GPN wanted to know if the following or other factors were playing a role in 2015 purchases:
Tier 4 Final requirements
Green purchasing
Ease of maintenance
Good mileage and productivity

Joe Kovolyan offers his views below.

As both the grounds manager and garage manager, I’m definitely looking at new equipment on a regular basis. The first thing I’m looking hard at is the vendor selling that piece of equipment. Buying something on price alone, and then finding out you can’t get parts or that the vendor is too far away to drop off a loaner or demo, doesn’t help us.

Since most of us are now buying on government and state contracts, I think price has become even less of an issue. I want to have a partnership with a dealer. That philosophy has helped me out of more jams than price ever has.

As a grounds manager, it makes a better sales pitch to ask my boss for a $30,000+ mower that is useful both for the on-season and off-season, than for a $20,000+ mower that is going to sit unused for three to five months out of the year. A couple of good examples would be our Walker mowers, which can also take a broom or plow blade, or our Gator fleet, which can haul fuel transfer tanks to generators or plow sidewalks.

The other big issue is noise. We are looking for equipment that has lower decibels, both for the sake of the operators and, even more so, for the sake of the public around us. Noise sensitivity is a growing issue.

As the garage manager, I find that lower emissions and noise reduction play an ever-bigger role in what we seek in our equipment. This has meant the complexity of the equipment has grown, so the ease of getting parts is still number one in my book. Battery-driven equipment seems to be a trend, but I would love to see an evaluation of how many managers stick with this, or go back  to what they did before after seeing the replacement and recycling costs.

I have also noticed a growing manufacturer trend of using the same parts, such as the oil filter or fuel filter, on several models of the same make of equipment. If I can buy 10 filters and save 20 percent on the purchase, and throw them on a shelf knowing that they fit three machines on the floor, this is good budgeting, and it means better service when you get a window of time to perform your maintenance work.

GPN editor’s note: Thank you, Joe Kovolyan, for your views.

See more images of the University of Puget Sound’s campus grounds in the video.

_____________

To get connected and stay up-to-date with similar content from American City & County:
Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter
Watch us on Youtube

Tags: Administration Cooperative Purchasing Expert Insights Procurement Public Works & Utilities Smart Cities & Technology Co-op Solutions Article

Related


  • How the City of Fullerton navigated adding candidates to ballots remotely
    This time last year, we were all looking forward to 2020: the start of a new decade and big elections (federally and locally) were just a few of the things we were excited about as we closed out the year. Little did we know, the beginning of the end of “normal” would happen two month […]
  • Person working on laptop computer
    Embracing digital within local government in 2021
    While COVID-19 has brought on a litany of challenges, it has also shown government leaders the need to employ the right digital solutions for their constituents
  • FirstNet Authority releases new details about impact of Nashville explosion on broadband system
    Public-safety subscribers to FirstNet responding to the Dec. 25 massive explosion near the AT&T network hub in Nashville experienced a four-hour outage when some services were not rerouted prior to deployable cell sites becoming operational at the scene, according to a FirstNet Authority blog. Released Friday evening, the FirstNet Authority blog reiterated several facts previously […]
  • Report: Many governments facing revenue shortfalls due to COVID-19
    A new survey of local governments reveals that 68 percent of responding governments see moderate, significant or major financial adjustments as being needed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The State of Local Government Survey, released by cloud ERP software provider OpenGov in December, reveals the gaps that 501 local governments have found across their […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • How 2020 accelerated government reliance on new sources of economic data analytics
  • Will digital transformation of city procurement hold up beyond the pandemic?
  • Minneapolis cuts millions from police budget
  • Governments must help consortia drive autonomous progress

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

The latest episode The Young Leaders Podcast focuses on Cyril Jefferson. Cyril is the youngest African American to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

27th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Hillsboro, Oregon is pioneering a new #renewableenergy generation technology through a partnership with… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

27th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

The impact of the #COVID19 pandemic on #telework was swift and profound. Now, the big question is whether – and to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Get ready for the can't-miss webinar on how to kickstart your efficiency improvement plan with Luke Anderson of… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Among all states headed into the 2020 general election, which ones have voting populations that are the most demogr… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts in our readership survey to help us shape future content so that we c… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

23rd October 2020
AmerCityCounty

See how cities different approaches to distribute masks in their communities >> spr.ly/6010GAPLa

23rd October 2020
AmerCityCounty

While #facialrecognition is a powerful tool that can improve law enforcement efficiency, that doesn’t necessarily t… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

23rd October 2020

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X