Sturgis City Commission has authorized facilities manager Dan Root to move forward with purchase of equipment to help maintain the new softball fields and Little League fields.
Root said the ABI Force zero-turn mower, with numerous attachments to perform multiple functions, would make the process of daily maintenance efficient and streamlined.
He said with this equipment, one staff member could complete many tasks on one piece of equipment that has previously taken multiple staff and multiple pieces of equipment.
The city could maintain the fields at a high level, reduce the loss of play due to wet conditions, and provide improved player safety and reduced injury by maintaining proper level compaction of the playing surfaces. The equipment costs about $30,000.
Partial funding for development of the fields was provided last year by the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners.