In October the maples around the center of Beacon Falls drop their color onto the sidewalks in a single wide sweep, and a lawn that has been kept all summer earns its finish right then. ZNH Property Services works toward that: mowing through the season on a set rotation, trimming close where the turf meets stone and step, running an edge along the walks so the boundary stays honest even under leaves. Sitting between the river and the state forest, the town gets shade from one side and damp from the other, so beds are mulched with an eye to drainage and the mower height is set to the light each yard actually receives. Then in November the leaves get cleared out for good and the grass goes into winter short, clean and even. Come the first hard frost, the property looks composed — which is worth more than any single afternoon's work.