With the contract for lawn-mowing services suspended at U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach, residents of the garrison have available dozens of lawnmowers available for free rental through the Self-Help Issue Points, located at Katterbach Kaserne behind the K...

ANSBACH, Germany (June 6, 2013) -- With an exceptionally rainy spring preceding the coming summer months, lawns are primed to grow quickly. Though the U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach cannot directly provide lawn maintenance, it is ready to support keeping communities clean and kempt.

Ansbach is an enduring garrison, but even as an enduring garrison the post is not immune to widespread fiscal constraints faced by the U.S. government as a whole.

The garrison's top priority is Army Force Generation, or ARFORGEN, which is the Army's core process of building trained and ready forces. Its next largest mission is maintaining the life, health and safety of its Soldiers and community members. To ensure these missions are not negatively impacted by the federal government's new fiscal climate, other services must be suspended.

One service to be suspended is the grass-cutting services contracted for housing. What this means for residents of the garrison is that keeping their lawns neat and tidy is now wholly within their power. Now is the chance for residents to participate in the beautification of their neighborhood with one of the most outward symbols of community pride -- the finely trimmed lawn.

And the garrison is available to support its residents.

The Self-Help Issue Point at Katterbach Kaserne is located across from the fire station behind the Katterbach Physical Fitness Center. It is open Mondays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. and 1:45 to 4 p.m. The SHIP at Storck Barracks is at Bldg. 6555 and is open Mondays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 2 to 4 p.m. The SHIPs are closed during German and federal holidays.

The SHIPs are in possession of a fleet of dozens of lawnmowers, as well as many other gardening, ground-keeping and home repair tools. These tools and machines residents living on post can check out. Lawnmowers, like their other equipment, are available for 72-hour rentals. The SHIPs provide the fuel and will help load the lawnmowers, which are collapsible, into the renter's vehicle.

All residents need to do is spend a pleasant hour soaking in fresh air, sunshine and the sweet scent of shredded chlorophyll.

For those who wish to get a workout while mowing, SHIP has available a few cylinder reel motors (the type that the mower must physically push forward to cut).

The best time to mow is when the lawn is dry. The blades of the lawnmower will cut through the grass more easily, and the trimmings are less likely to adhere and clot the machine. According to personnel at the Katterbach SHIP, lawns should be mown every 8 to 10 days, maybe weekly considering the consistent rainfall in May.

To find out more about renting lawnmowers, call SHIP at Katterbach at 09802-83-2149 or DSN 467-2149 or call SHIP at Storck at 09841-83-4666 or DSN 467-4666.