If you see robots roaming around Kiest Park, do not be alarmed; it is likely just the city’s autonomous maintenance equipment.
On Nov. 4, the city of Dallas launched its new fleet of all-battery-powered autonomous maintenance tools. The state-of-the-art tech is part of the city’s plan to help reduce carbon emissions and improve environmental quality.
“Our new battery-powered equipment is reducing emissions & supporting the CECAP! From robot mowers to trimmers, we’re paving the way for eco-friendly park maintenance,” reads a post on social media platform X from the Dallas Park and Recreation Department.
As reported in The Dallas Express, the CECAP, the Comprehensive Environmental & Climate Action Plan, was created in 2020. It is a strategic framework to help address climate change and environmental challenges, with a goal to reduce city greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by the end of the decade and to hit “net zero” carbon by 2050.
Leaders from the city were on hand at Kiest Park in Oak Cliff on Monday to preview the new gear. The equipment, which includes new robotic mowers, trimmers, and blowers, cost the city over $250,000. Dallas Parks and Recreation will use the high-tech gear to help maintain the 277-acre park. Eventually, usage of the futuristic tools could expand to other parks in the city.
“My questions are how much is this costing, and where can we find the funds to expand it? My goal would be to expand it,” said Dallas City Councilwoman Kathy Stewart, who chairs the Parks and Environmental Committee, per Fox 4.
While the new gear can run without the aid of a human, the city says no jobs will be impacted as a result of the equipment’s adoption.
“The robotic mowers will not impact current employees. It will allow us to get to work we normally couldn’t get to because the robotic will allow us to be more efficient. They can go focus on detailed work, other tasks they couldn’t get to… Mowers mow the field where normally it would have taken me two employees out there mowing. Now, all I have is an operator,” said Dallas Parks and Recreation Department Director John Jenkins.