The Homewood-Flossmoor Park District approved equipment purchases that will help improve baseball fields and parks, and guarantee that most every golfer wanting a cart at Coyote Run will have one.
Tom Denklau, golf course manager, told the park board the 68 golf carts at Coyote Run aren’t enough. Since the pandemic, Denklau said golf rounds at Coyote are up 30%. He recommended the board agree to purchase eight additional carts.
“As many days have produced more than 225 players, we regularly staff an attendant in the cart lot to control who needs carts next in order of their tee time,“ Denklau informed the park commissioners. “There have been quite a few days when a group were next to tee off and they were just getting their carts.”
Last season Coyote rented 10 additional carts for two months, and Denklau said “they were a blessing as our current fleet had carts in needs of repair.” To rent them again would cost approximately $15,000 for 10 months. Denklau said a better solution is to buy the eight carts.
Coyote’s golf cart stock was purchased in 2018. The carts for purchase are 2017 models and are coming from a local course. Denklau said the windshields and seat covers will be replaced and each will have a full tune-up before Coyote accepts them.
The board agreed to the purchase for $47,450 from Harris Golf Cars Sales.
The board approved a $29,733 purchase of a ballfield groomer to replace the park district’s current 2010 machine that has needed repeated repairs, according to Doug Boehm, superintendent of parks and planning. The machine will be used for a trade-in. He said the cost is approximately $6,000 less than budgeted and the Toro groomer is available from Reinders, Inc. on May 1.
Boehm said the equipment gets a workout Monday through Friday from early April through mid-August on the 21 ballfields the park district maintains. The groomer is also used for sand volleyball courts at Pinewood and Apollo Parks.
The board accepted the low bid of $20,690 from Russo for two Wright standup mowers. They will be replacing two 2012 models that are among six standup mowers the park district owns. The bid was $3,310 under what Boehm budgeted.
The board agreed to purchase a standup aerate machine for use in the parks. Boehm said the machine will allow crews to work in tighter spots and help with the quality of earth. Bohm said since the park district has reduced its use of fertilizers in some parks, aeration should help the condition of the grassy areas.