Petersburg's new $50,000 remote-operated mower gets to work at Blandford Cemetery

PETERSBURG, Va. — Petersburg is counting on a new piece of technology to help change the appearance of the city.

The R-60, a remote-operated tracked mower with a 60-inch deck, went to work for the first time Thursday at Blandford Cemetery. The 189-acre grounds are the final resting place for more than 75,000 people.

"This is actually state of the art," Melvin Lewis, Petersburg's Facilities and Grounds general manager, said.

The mower is controlled remotely by a single operator standing a safe distance away, allowing the city to maintain more ground with less manpower.

"Because we are short staffed, it's hard to get people to come cut grass, but I think with this thing here, we're going to a whole new level," Lenny Jones, Safety Coordinator for Public Works-Utilities, said.

The new tool can safely mow areas that would otherwise require multiple people and much larger equipment.

"We can maintain a lot more of the cemetery with less manpower and quicker and we can get more done," Lewis said.

Because the remote-operated mower cannot be used around headstones, workers are freed up to tend to grave markers while the machine handles other parts of the cemetery.

"This is sacred ground and the ground has to be cuddled and controlled and respected," Kenneth Miller, Petersburg Deputy City Manager, said.

City crews say that once the mower has cleared brush from an area, returning to maintain it will take less time — a savings they expect will benefit the city financially.

The $50,000 mower will be used throughout Petersburg, not just at Blandford Cemetery.

For Kalley Saye, who was placing flags on her grandparents' graves Thursday, the change is welcome.

"It's not as nice as it used to be," Saye said of the cemetery's appearance. "I think they should use it. It's a whole lot better than people being out here sweating and not getting the job done."

City worker Bernadine Ridley is eager to put the machine to use.

"I just want people to know I will be one of the first people to operate it," Ridley said. "This is the new Petersburg. We're in the new and out with the old."