TruGreen Landcare being shopped around

In November, ServiceMaster's board of directors said it's exploring strategic alternatives designed to maximize value to shareholders. To that end, it's working with Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs as its advisors and Sidley Austin as its legal advisor.

Included in the company's Form 10Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission Nov. 15, is the following comment regarding ServiceMaster’s TruGreen Landcare unit: “The Company is exploring strategic options relating to TruGreen LandCare, including the potential sale of the business.”

“The early indications we’ve seen in the market are that there is a solid interest in TruGreen LandCare, so we think the time is right to evaluate the opportunities," said ServiceMaster CEO J. Patrick Spainhour.

“Our executive team is dedicated to exploring all strategic options that have potential to allow TruGreen LandCare to reach its growth potential,” he added. “In the meantime, we will continue to operate TruGreen LandCare in the best interests of our customers.”

The ServiceMaster Form 10Q reported a 7.9% decrease in revenue in its landscape segment and a $5.2 million decrease in operating income for the third quarter of 2010 compared to 2009. Contract maintenance revenue was down 9%, and enhancement sales were down 8.3%.

TruGreen LandCare, which has operations in more than 100 locations in 40 states, generates about 14% of ServiceMaster's annual revenues. By contrast, the TruGreen LawnCare segment delivers 32% of the company's revenues.

TruGreen Landcare, as many of your remember, was born in the mad dash in the late 1990s to acquire regionally prominent (although not necessarily profitable) landscape companies by national players, such as ServiceMaster and rollup upstart Landcare U.S.A., which several years after the landscape acquisition arms race sold out.— Ron Hall

Turf pros say that evidence is strong for global warming

It seems like we don't hear as much about global warming these days in the mainstream media because the economy continues to dominate the nightly news. But at a recent industry event, climate change — as two speakers preferred to call it — was talked about often. And both speakers, who appeared at the recent Green Start Academy hosted by John Deere Golf and Bayer Environmental Science, believe there's something to global warming.

During his presentation, Tom Rufty, Ph.D., a turfgrass professor from North Carolina State, displayed a slide containing two satellite photographs of Artic sea ice — one from 1979 and the other from 2008. The later photograph clearly revealed ice that had melted.

"We're in an inter-glacial period right now where the Earth should be cooling, but instead it's warming up," Rufty said.

Nick Hamon, Ph.D., who was recently named the head of sustainability for Bayer CropScience, said 95% of scientists believe there's a climate change issue.

"The 5 percent who don't think we have a climate change issue may end up being right," he said. "But 5 percent is not a great probability to live and work by when it comes to decide what the future may look like."

The basic message from Hamon and Rufty is climate change is something that can't be ignored.

"You may be cynical and say this is not going to happen," Hamon said. "But even if it's 50 percent correct, it's a little concerning."

Despite the challenges the world will face, Hamon has a good outlook for the green industry.

"Good science shows that the green industry has a place," he says.

Turfgrass plays a vital role in carbon sequestration, which can mitigate climate change, Hamon adds. He notes the following statistics should make people who work in Green Industry feel good about what they do for a living:

* Turfgrass removes 20 million tons of carbon — 5% of the carbon from our atmosphere.

* 10,000 sq. ft. of grass can produce enough oxygen for a family of four. 10,000 sq. ft. of healthy grass absorbs 6,000 gal. of rainwater without runoff.

* Managed turfgrass sequesters significantly more carbon than healthy turf.

Editor's note: Thanks to sister magazine Golfdom for the above report.

How will NY's organic yards initiative change lawn care in the Empire State?

It’s difficult to predict just how New York’s “Be Green Organic Yards NY” initiative will change the professional lawn application business in the State . . . but it will change it. Just how much will become more evident this coming Jan. 11, the opening day of the Empire State Green Industry Show in Rochester.

That’s when the Cornell University team of Dr. Jennifer Grant, Dr. Frank Rossi, Walter Nelson and David Chinery will present a 4-part session. Trained lawn care companies who successfully complete the course exam can apply for a NY Department of Conservation license agreement to use the “Be Green” logo. The course exam will be presented the same day at 4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Bring along a crisp C- note, yes, $100. DEC says you’ll have to fork it over to take the test.

Not familiar with the Be Green Organic Yards NY initiative? Here’s a website that explains it: www.dec.ny.gov/public/65071.html

For the record: Our guess is that the rooms for the organic lawn care sessions will be full. — Ron Hall

Jump-start 2011 business growth

Landscape Management visited many booths at the GIE+EXPO Oct. 28-30 in Louisville, KY, to obtain the latest industry news and trends and gather some education for readers on the business opportunities 2011 beholds.

Here is a collection of the videos we shot, providing you with tips to drive business improvement and growth next year.

OVERCOME PRICING PRESSURE
John Deere's Chase Tew gives landscape professionals his best advice for alleviating pricing pressure in today's economy.



2011 LANDSCAPE BUSINESS PREVIEW
PLANET president and landscaper David Snodgrass reveals the mindset of today's typical landscape professional, his predictions for business in 2011 and PLANET news.



BRAND BUILDING
Syngenta's Dan Steltz shares his tips on how lawn care and landscape professionals can improve their brands as they go into business in 2011.



FERTILIZER PRICING UPDATE & FALL FERTILIZATION TIPS
Agrium Advanced Technologies' Chris Derrick shares current data on fertilizer pricing and offers his best advice on how lawn care operators can improve fall fertilization.



ADD-ON OPPORTUNITY: AERATION
Want to know how to start an aeration service and sustain it? Turfco's Bob Brophy reveals his secrets from 36 years in the industry.



CONQUERING CRABGRASS
Crabgrass has been tough this year. Dow AgroSciences offers some tips for getting ahead of it in 2011.



POWERED BY PROPANE
Landscape Management Editor-in-Chief interviews the Propane Education & Research Council's Brian Feehan on the growing trend in propane-powered landscape equipment.



MAKE MOWER MONEY
Properly storing a mower for winter means a quicker, more productive and instantly profitable spring start-up. Cub Cadet's Allen Baird shares his tips.



CREATING OUTDOOR LIVING SPACES
Belgard's Ken O'Neill discusses a growing trend: outdoor rooms.



COLOR READY?
Landscapers: November is the time to build relationships with your growers for 2011 orders. Are you ready? Ball's Jeff Gibson shares some tips for improving your 2011 seasonal color programs.



SEE THE LIGHT
Kichler's Scott Pesta discusses the new "green" trend in LED landscape lighting fixtures.



PAVING THE WAY
Patrick Day of Boral Bricks updates GIE+EXPO 2010 attendees on one of the hottest trends in hardscapes today: permeable pavers.



ADD-ON OPPORTUNITY: STUMP GRINDING
Expand your business in 2011 with stump grinding. Learn more from Toro's Greg Lawrence.

Wow, this is a lot of candy for our troops!!

A tip of the hat and a "nice job" to all of the landscapers and other small businesses across the nation that promoted this year's Treat for the Troops candy drive. And a special thanks to Allentuck Landscaping for reminding us.

Today, on this special day, Veteran's Day, Bruce Allentuck emailed this note to his customers and friends, thanking them for their support of Treats for the Troops:

"You came through again! Congratulations on a superb candy drive for Treats for the Troops. When combined with the other groups collecting candy, the total came to over 10,000 pounds collected. That is over 5 TONS!

Mover Moms (http://www.movermoms.org/ ) has already trucked the candy up to a National Guard post near Wheeling, West Virginia where it is being sorted and orgnaized. Next it will be flown over to our men and women of all faiths serving in Afghanistan and Iraq in time for the holidays."

Sincerely, yours,

Bruce Allentuck
President

Huge fine should remind us to look before we dig

ST. CATHARINES, ONTARIO, CANADA — Please don’t accuse us of picking on this landscape company; we’re not. Indeed, we’re genuinely sorry the following tragedy, one of the strangest we’ve read about in a long time, happened in the first place. The purpose of this blog is to remind you of what can go wrong if you don’t you know about and mark all underground utilities before digging.

In July 2008, a worker for a Niagara Falls landscape company punctured a propane line with a reinforcing bar on a customer’s property. To make a long story short (you can get the details from a recent article in the Hamilton Spectator), the propane gas leached through the earth and followed a television cable conduit into the home’s basement. When enough propane collected in the home’s basement, it exploded and killed a 54-old-occupant.

The company has been fined a total of $225,000 for health-and-safety violations, reported the newspaper. The court said that company did not mark the propane line and its workers made no effort to locate the underground gas line.

Click here for the full story.

Expect fertilizer prices to rise 10% (maybe more) for 2011

None of us, and especially those of us in the turf health business, want to see fertilizer prices spike like they did a couple of years ago. Likely they won't, not to that extend anyway. Even so, if you're buying turfgrass fertilizer next season, you might want to heed Lebanon Turf's advice to watch corn prices.

“As corn goes, so goes nitrogen and as nitrogen goes, so go fertilizer prices,” said Harry L. Mathis, corporate director of Materials, Distribution and Order Fulfillment for Lebanon Seaboard Corp., parent company of LebanonTurf.

The USDA’s corn forecast – recently adjusted downward 3.6% – caused a ripple effect that likely will be felt at golf courses, sports fields and anywhere turf managers rely on nitrogen-based fertilizers. The forecast sent corn futures soaring to near $6 per bushel, a price that encourages farmers to plant more corn, which in turn, requires increased nutrients. The subsequent jump in worldwide demand for nitrogen increases costs to fertilizer producers.

“We were sailing along in pretty stable condition this summer, and then the USDA numbers and the corn harvest sparked the markets,” Mathis said. “It just goes to show how fragile and interconnected the supply chain is.”

While market conditions have stabilized in the last several weeks, Mathis predicts that prices for fertilizer products high in nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium will increase by 10% or more for the 2011 growing season. Any disorder in the worldwide supply chain, which could be brought on by disruptions at nitrogen plants and shipping interruptions, could cause another spike in costs. “N, P and K are in the mix together,” Mathis said.

“The corn number is real; the nitrogen situation is real, and when the season hits, low inventories of raw materials stateside could force some significant availability and pricing issues in the spring,” he said.

GIE + EXPO staying in L'ville through 2014

LOUISVILLE, KY — The GIE + EXPO is staying here at least through 2014 and Hardscape North America is returning for 2011, reported Bill Harley, president and CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI). This was the first year that hardscape suppliers, under the sponsorship of Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute (ICPI), had a large presence at the event.

Harley’s announcement Thursday, Oct. 28, ended speculation (as little as there was) that the GIE + EXPO might move elsewhere as the original agreement between the three-sponsoring associations approached its end. But the board, made up of members of the OPEI, the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), and the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS), decided Louisville was the place to be, at least for the next four years.

This year’s event, Oct. 28 – Oct. 30, featured 750 exhibitors and attracted an estimated 20,000 participants (including exhibitors), Harley said at a press conference the morning the trade show opened. The trade show is reported to be the 14th largest in the United States, says the OPEI. Final attendance numbers will be announced soon.

Why Louisville again?

A number of factors figured into the GIE Board’s decision to keep the trade show in Louisville, not the least being the 190,000 sq. ft. of indoor space in the Kentucky Exposition Center and the 20 acres of outdoor demonstration space just outside its doors. All of this located just minutes from the Louisville airport and an easy 10-minute drive from downtown. What other cities east of the Mississippi can offer this?

Important as that is, the efforts made by the convention people in the city itself appear to be an equally large reason why the event isn't moving soon. They genuinely seem to appreciate having the event and, from appearances anyway, do everything they can to accommodate the trade show and the concurrent PLANET and PGMS business conferences.

It's strictly business

While many of us, myself included, wouldn't squawk if a different venue were chosen (just for a change), there's no denying that, unlike other cities with huge convention centers (Las Vegas, Orlando, New Orleans immediately come to mind), if you're coming to the GIE + EXPO in Louisville, you're coming to learn, network, operate some really neat equipment out in a big dusty field and, perhaps, do business. As nice as the city's smallish Fourth Street Live entertainment district is, Louisville is not regarded as a family vacation destination. Not like other big convention cities, anyway, and certainly not in late October.

In the end, the decision to keep the event in Louisville for another couple of years is a good one. Louisville is a nice city with good facilities, and the people that run the event do a very good job.

Hey, that's just my opinion. What do you think? — Ron Hall

A chance to grab a Rain Bird grant

Here’s a heads up about a neat new contest from the folks at Rain Bird. You’re getting the news here before it’s released to the public. We’re one of the partners in this contest and we’re very excited about it because it addresses just what our landscape industry is all about.

In other words, we'd love to learn that one or more of the readers of this blog pick up some of the more than $50,000 in grants that Rain Bird will be awarding to companies, non-profits, homeowners or, in fact, anybody in the whole wide world that submits a winning water conservation or environmental sustainability project that promotes green spaces. The company is awarding three $1,500 grants, three $5,000 grants and three $10,000 grants.

The contest is the latest wrinkle on the company’s Intelligent Use of Water program it initiated in 2008. Any internet user can submit a project via the Intelligent Use of Water Awards (IUOW) website and can promote it within his or her own community.

All projects can be anonymously voted upon by visitors (one vote a day per project, per individual user. The projects with the most votes will receive funding from Rain Bird according to their funding category.

OK, there you have it; you can get a head start on submitting one of your great water conservation or environmental sustainability project. Visit the IUOW awards website here to get the details, submit your project, let people know about it and start voting . . . In other words, get crackin’. — Ron Hall

New 1099 Tax Rule = Paperwork Nightmare

Paperwork.

The very word sends a shutter through folks in almost every profession who after long, tiring days must succumb to the job that's not quite finished until the i's are dotted and t's are crossed.

Detectives who chase down bad guys spend most of their waking moments conducting witness and suspect interviews, but each evening as they get back to the office, there are mountains of paperwork necessary to record their day's work and justify whether someone is guilty or innocent. Paperwork lays the groundwork for their cases in court.

Doctors who make rounds from patient to patient, adjusting medications, performing surgeries, making emergency medical decisions. At the end of each day, medical charts must be in order to ensure the right continued health care for every patient and for insurance purposes.

While business owners have their own paperwork struggles ... their situation just got worse.

The impending 1099 tax rule that's slated to go into effect in 2012 in conjunction with the new health care legislation means a business owner - landscapers, too - have to file 1099 forms for EVERY vendor you spend more than $600 with in a year.

Consider this example, which shows how daunting the paperwork filing task will become: A business that spends $20 a week on pizza for its employees, for example, would spend a total of $1,040 a year — and would need to file a 1099 form to that local pizzeria.

Reuters has an easy-to-understand breakdown of how and why this rule came to be, the likelihood it will actually go into effect, and what business owners need to know about it. Check it out here and let us know what you think.

- Nicole Wisniewski

Today's Landscape Industry Pulse

Grade schoolers enlisted in anti-pesticide effort

OTTAWA, CANADA — A class of grade-school students at an elementary school in Canada crafted containers of natural slug bait and pesticide-free weed killer. The youngsters sent their classroom concoctions, each with accompanying note to Canadian lawmakers. The notes urged a nationwide ban on pesticide use, said a recent article appearing on Coquitlam.now,

This is wrong on several levels.

First, there is no such thing as a pesticide-free chemical weed killer. If it’s a chemical and a weed killer, synthetic or natural, it’s a pesticide

But, to the larger issue: While we applaud the students' earnest effort to advance the common good, we don't feel they should be used to advance anyone's personal agenda.

More disturbing was the image accompanying the online article. It showed a grinning Prime Minister Stephen Harper and MP (Member of Parliament) Fin Donnelly posing with one of the student’s creations, implying, whether intentional or not, an endorsement of the students' anti-pesticide message.

Pesticide use in a complicated issue with huge public health and food production issues way beyond the comprehension of most grade schoolers. .... and often it seems politicos, as well.

A great rain garden guide....and it's free!

Nothing attracts Americans' attention as quickly as the phrases "free" and "all you can eat," but this blog isn't about Hometown Buffet. It's about information that can help you prevent runoff and non-point-source pollution on your clients' properties.

You can pay $4.95 for the Oregon Rain Garden Guide or you can download a pdf version of by accessing http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/sgpubs/onlinepubs.html. That version is free.

And, don't fret because the title of the rain garden pub says "Oregon." The 44-page Guide contains great information about designing and installing rain gardens that would be helpful, regardless of where you live or offer services.

Oh, by the way, did I mention that the downloadable version produced by Oregon Sea Grant at Oregon State University is free. Yes, FREE! — Ron Hall

A neat app to serve (and impress) your livescape clients

I would hardly refer to myself as a technophile, but I’m far from being a Luddite. The evidence: I've been an eager participant in the incredible technological revolution transforming publishing — starting as I did with manual typewriters, lead editing pencils, copy paper and glue pots and now sharing information in this brave new digital era.

That said, I’m not a first adopter and careful with my dollars so I’m waiting until the price of the new ereaders comes down before writing a check. But I will be getting an iPad. Indeed it's almost certain we’ll all be carrying an iPad or similar highly portable, multi-functional digital tool with us and here's why — yet another handy app.

If you're in the business of selling and installing livescapes you need to check out the modestly priced Landscaper’s Companion app for an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch by Stevenson Software, LLC.

It’s a neat reference guide to trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials and all sorts of other plants. Landscaper’s Companion features over 1400 plants listed by their common and scientific names. Over 5700 high quality images from around the web. 16 categories of plants: Annuals, Bulbs, Cacti, Conifers, Flowering and Fruit Trees, Ground Covers, Herbs, House Plants, Ornamental Grasses, Palms, Perennials, Roses, Shade Trees, Shrubs, Vegetables Fruits Berries and Water Plants. The app is updated periodically with additional plants and images for free.

What client wouldn’t be impressed when you say (with an air of smugness and great confidence), “excuse me while I whip this out,” and start zipping through the colorful images, showing the prospect exactly what they’ll be getting in terms of greenery and seasonal color?

If you get Landscaper's Companion or any other app that you feel others would like to know about, share with us and the audience on this blog. — Ron Hall

Will this visionary landscaper/urban planner be Florida's next governor? Fat chance

Michael E. Arth wants to be governor of Florida. Fat chance. Visionaries rarely become governors, and especially in Florida. The Sunshine state chooses its chief leader from that small group of insiders firmly entrenched in party politics, possessing absurdly fat war chests and predictably bereft of vision. The lack of vision is an unspoken qualification. The latest polls have the candidate from the Democratic Party with a small but significant lead over the Republican. Arth has no party affiliation.

(In light of what we’ve been experiencing this past generation in terms of political leadership at both the state and federal levels is it any wonder the tone of this post? My guess is you feel the same way. But I digress.)

I want to acquaint you to Arth for several reasons but mostly because of his vision of urban landscapes. About 10 years ago Arth (an artist, author and landscape/urban planner) founded a movement known as “New Pedestrianism.” Essentially, Arth envisions clusters of small communities with our urban centers, neighborhoods with trees, walkways and bikeways in front of homes, and tree-lined automobile streets behind homes. The centers of these "villages" would be populated with stores and other amenities, all within easy walking or biking distance within these neighborhoods.

I'm sure other urban planners have promoted and, to one degree or another, executed similar plans. But none of them (to my knowledge anyway) has run for governor in a major state and then bicycled its length and breadth promoting his candidacy and his progressive ideas. But, not beholding to any particular special interest (Florida politicos have historically been joined at the hip to powerful moneyed interests, be they developers or sugar growers), Arth doesn’t have the finances to buy the name recognition necessary to be taken as a serious threat in the race. . .But he has the imagination and drive to get things done. Impressive things.

A decade ago, while writing a book, “The Labors of Hercules: Modern Solutions to 12 Herculean Problems,” he bought 32 homes in the worst part of DeLand, FL, a neighborhood known as “Crack Town.” Arth rebuilt the dilapidated neighborhood into a pleasantly landscaped, award-winning community within a community, DeLand’s Historic Garden District.

While I’ve never met Arth and only know of him and his political ambitions through newspaper and online accounts, I do know DeLand. I know it quite well from frequent visits to my brother's home there. He and his then-young family, seeking a small, quiet city with "old Florida" charm moved there decades ago. His two daughters, my nieces, both earned degrees at Stetson University, which is in DeLand, located just west of Daytona.

Arth is a fascinating person and my guess is that we will hear more about him even after this November’s election. His ideas about urban planning and safe, sustainable neighborhoods are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of his vision for a safer and cleaner society.

Google his name and check him out. You might find him to be kindred spirit — in a political and environmental sense. Or maybe not. — Ron Hall

Having a Ball

On a beautiful and sultry West Chicago afternoon, scores of landscape contractors and growers wandered the 9 acres of Ball Horticulture Co.'s well-manicured grounds. They were there as part of the company's Landscape Day, a chance to see what new varieties will be available in the coming years.
“We tend to talk about the pretty" when it comes to flowers, says Marvin Miller, Ball’s market research manager, but we often neglect the economic benefits — improving property values, drawing tourists and creating jobs.
Attendees also got the rare treat to hear Ball President and CEO talk about the history of the Ball trial gardens. To hear what she had to say about the site, click on the video.
While there was certainly lots of "pretty" to talk about, contractors got a chance to hear Ball employees explain everything from the latest varieties to the latest way to grow them. They also got to hear from a panel of experts about how growers and contractors can work together to make their operations more profitable.
The panel included: Steve Zylstra, Zylstra Greenhouses, Kalamazoo, MI; Bob Jones, SpringCreek Growers, Magnolia, TX; Ed Mrozinski, Acres Landscape, Wauconda, IL; and Bruce Hellerick, Senior Horticulturist (and LM columnist), Brickman.
According to Jones, clients have been trying to save money by reducing the number of color change-outs -- maybe skipping a spring or winter. The other big trend, Hellerick says, is the move away from annuals. Whether it's because of the U.S. Building Council's LEED program or just an attempt to save some money, people are moving away from annual installations, he explains. "I like annuals," Hellerick says. "I'm very nervous for the industry right now."
Zylstra responded by saying, "There's a lot of market out there. We need to do a better job of selling."

Take a peek into the Marianis' incredible landscape

Check out the landscape of one of the best-known landscapers in the Chicago region by accessing the recent article in the Daily Herald describing Frank and Sherri Mariani’s spread in Lake Forest, IL. Frank Mariani, of course, is the founder of Mariani Landscape, a 400-employee operation that specializes in designing, installing and maintaining landscapes. It's 17-acre headquarters are located in Lake Forest, just north of Chicago.

The article written by Deborah Donovan provides a peek into the 10-acre property that the Mariani’s purchased in 1986. The Mariani property with its Tudor-style home was once part of a dairy and cattle farm. It contains a butterfly garden, vegetable garden, woodland garden, orchard and a 2-acre prairie backing up to public preserve. Gone is much of the bluegrass that once dominated the property.

The click here to access the article, which contains more than a dozen images of the Mariani property. — Ron Hall

A shrinking Cooperative Extension not good news for our industry

Cooperative Extension is our bridge between research and what’s practical “down on the farm.” Or in the case of the Green Industry, what works for our growing, living landscapes.

Many of us have gotten to know and rely upon the experience and advice of extension specialists. We value the helpful and impartial service they provide.

An article today on onlineathens.com (available here) warns that Georgia could be losing yet more extension personnel due to mandated budget cuts at the University of Georgia. The University is being forced to chop 4% ($16.3 million) from its fiscal 2011 budget that began this past July 1.

Agriculture dean Scott Angle is protesting the cuts to the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He says the state’s ag research stations and the Cooperative Extension Service already have absorbed budget cuts of 20% in the last two years. The number of county extension agents in the state has dropped from 400 to 300 since 2008.

Other states, looking to save money, have been chopping away at Cooperative Extension these past several years, as well. This is not good. Extension specialists make a big difference in keeping our environment productive in terms of food and fiber, and advising our Green Industry on best practices and greener ways of providing our services.

Those of you in Georgia may want to contact the Georgia Green Industry Association (GGIA) to see what you can do to save your Cooperative Extension from shrinking anymore.

The rest of us must continue to support our extension personnel and the work they do. — Ron Hall

Sharpen your irrigation skills as the era of cheap water approaches

The significance of the results of a recent survey by Black & Veatch should be obvious to anyone in the business of installing or maintaining irrigation systems. The price of water is going go up, up, up so the need for irrigation that doesn’t waste water (i.e. money) is growing, growing, growing.

In other words, the era of cheap water may be coming to an abrupt end.

Black & Veatch’s 50 Largest Cities Water and Wastewater Rate Survey indicates the average annual increase in typical residential water bills is approximately 5.3% from 2001 through 2009, while the increase in typical residential sewer bills is approximately 5.5%.

“This survey is a tool for managers of water infrastructure to see how their rates compare with national trends,” said John Kersten, Associate Vice President and Water Industry Lead in Black & Veatch’s management consulting division. “The primary source of income for these utilities to pay for operating, maintaining, expanding and updating their infrastructure is through water and sewer rate collections, which must be continuously adjusted to address rising costs.”

A key finding of the survey is that water and wastewater bills for residential use across the country have increased at a steady rate since 2001 – when Black & Veatch began producing the survey.

This trend correlates with findings from The 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), showing approximately $2.2 trillion of investment is needed to improve vital infrastructure over the next five years. Overall, America’s grade is a cumulative “D” as noted by the ASCE.

Black & Veatch’s analysis cites five key issues that influence rates and sheds more detail around the value of water and wastewater services and the solutions needed to address these two areas of vital infrastructure:

— Commodity price increases. Primarily in electricity, chemicals and natural gas costs. A leading contributor to operating and maintenance costs of water and wastewater facilities - highlighting the important inter-relationship or nexus of water and energy.

— Lower consumption and high fixed cost. In general, demand or a consumer’s usage is declining while many utility costs, such as debt service, are fixed. Since most pricing structures include volume-based charges, revenues are declining while costs are not.

— Benefits. Pension obligations and health care benefits are prompting an increase in labor costs.

— Influence of wastewater legal action. Significant capital programs are being implemented in most major cities to comply with legal; action related to http://www.bv.com/About_Us/Default.aspxwastewater system performance.

— Aging infrastructure. Updating and replacing aging infrastructure are significant costs for most water and sewer utilities, as noted in the ASCE report available at: www.asce.org.

Black & Veatch Corporation is a leading global engineering, consulting and construction company specializing in infrastructure development in energy, water, telecommunications, federal, management consulting and environmental markets.

Arlington National Cemetery prettied up by trowel-wielding kids

ARLINGTON, VA — The Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) held its 14th annual Renewal and Remembrance event at Arlington National Cemetery here Monday. More than 300 Green Industry professionals showed up with spreaders, sprayers, aerators and other equipment to work in 90-F.-plus heat to improve the grounds at the huge cemetery.

In what’s become a trend at the event, many brought their families to help, children too. I’m estimating about 50 or 60 young people (some of them very young) got an opportunity to watch the changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and then plant perennials in the nearby Children’s Garden.

The children, under the guidance of adult volunteers, lined up, fitted with aprons, gloves and with trowels in hand, and planted one perennial each, enlarging a garden some of them had worked in the season before.

Here are some images of the youngsters in action. We hope you enjoy seeing them as we did watching them planting the flowers. — Ron Hall