It may not be “Star Wars,” but Taylor has found the droids the Public Works Department was looking for.
Now, city officials have a new hope residents will come up with names for the robotic mowers, which are helping maintain Taylor City Cemetery.
“The Taylor City Cemetery has deployed two new robot mowers to help keep the cemetery grounds beautiful and free up time for our Public Works Department to work on other projects around the city, and now we're looking for names for the pair. We want your suggestions,” reads the Facebook post.
“Think famous duos, like Batman and Robin, Butch and Sundance or other dynamic duos,” the message adds.
To see the suggestions or offer your own, visit facebook.com/cityoftaylortexas. There also is a video showing the mowers at work.
“Next month, you’ll get to cast your vote for the winning combo,” the post noted, and presumably the selected names will be plugged in afterwards.
The town recently added the two ECHO Turf Mower 1000 automatons, which operate on their own and return to their charging stations when they need a boost.
According to the ECHO website, the TM-1000 uses up to eight times less energy than conventional mowers.
The mowers have three floating cutting heads and nine stainless steel blades designed to follow the contours of the ground as they cut.
They also can be monitored and controlled remotely through a smartphone app or online portal.
According to reports, the two mowers cost $59,725.42, with funding from the utilities budget approved Aug. 13 by the City Council.
Some of the suggestions already beamed in by residents include “Plot” and “Twist”; “Blade” and “Runner”; “Thel-mow” and “Low-weeds” in a nod to the 1991 movie “Thelma & Louise”; and even “Elmer (Fudd)” and “Bugs (Bunny)” to honor famed cartoonist Tex Avery, a Taylor native.
