Hallet Oak Foundation demos new mower for Lavaca River access trail

The Hallet Oak Foundation’s Friends of Lavaca River group hosted a demonstration for a mower they’re interested in using.

The mower is a Ventrac Tractor and is used for uneven terrain and steep slopes.

The Hallet Oak Foundation is fundraising to purchase this mower as part of their civic sustainability program, helping to create a safe and accessible space on Fifth Street or the Lavaca River access trail.

“The mower is very versatile,” Ventrac representative Danny Bowen said. “It won’t sink or cause more erosion because it has dual wheels. What the Ventrac does as far as versatility is that it has all aspects of ground maintenance. You can attach a blower out front to blow leaves, different mowing decks to finish mow, and brooms to sweep.”

The Foundation’s goal is to help local schools and communities connect with the local ecosystem and native plants in that area.

The Hallet Oak Gallery is a non-profit and needs to raise some money, about $40,000, to purchase this. The number one reason for a Ventrac mower over a standard mower is the safety features to the driver according to Hallet Oak Gallery Director Mieko Mahi.

“It mows six feet at a time and it has eight wheels and a flex frame,” Mahi said. “It’s designed for steep mowing. A lot of flood control departments have this Ventrac Mower. This is equipment for safety for a large entity like flood control. Anyone can get on this machine and operate it safely without it being complicated.”

“Volunteers will be using this mower. When you do a grassroot effort, you have to figure out how much time it takes to use this. We want to make improvements for the river grass in the Lavaca River access trail.”

The Hallet Oak Foundation made the Lavaca River on fifth street a public access trail.

“This mower will be for safety and it’ll be a community effort to save native plants and put in native grasses and so we’ll need it for maintenance,” Mahi said.