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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | NOVEMBER 2021 31 Fall is officially here and with that the days are getting shorter and the nights longer. Remember, "spring forward and fall back." Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, Nov. 7, so don't forget to set the clocks back one hour. This is also the perfect time to test the batteries in your smoke detectors. Don't wait until they start chirping in the middle of the night. And it's always in the middle of the night! This is truly a walking community. With the lighter mornings and cooler temperatures, it's a great time to get out and walk; however, watch for a thin layer of ice, or black ice, which typically forms on bridges and can cause slips or falls. To make your walk safer, consider waiting until the sun comes up and with it, warmer temperatures. If you walk early in the morning or after dark, please watch for cars. As a pedestrian, please stay on the sidewalk unless you are crossing the street. It is a good idea to wear a reflective vest, jacket, or shoes. This will allow drivers to see you. As a reminder, the speed limit in the community is 30 MPH on Four Seasons Circle and 25 MPH on all inside streets. Remember to stop at all stop signs. When entering roundabouts, it is always a right turn only; turning left is illegal and dangerous, and the car already in the roundabout has the right of way. Electric bikes are new to the community and many residents are out enjoying the ride. Please remember to obey all traffic laws and to always wear a helmet. The Safety Committee meets the first Tuesday of every month at 10 am in the RCN Conference Room. All residents are welcome to attend. Stay safe. ~ Kathy Craven, kcravenbod@yahoo.com Safety Committee Landscape Committee Many, if not most, of the residents of the Four Seasons at Beaumont community appreciate and proudly treasure our generally lush green landscape. Residents, especially your Landscape Committee members, recognize that the health of our landscaping relies on adequate water. Since 2002, California has experienced five periods of drought, ranging from D0 (Abnormally Dry) to D4 (Exceptional Drought). Much of California is currently in D4 or D3 (Extreme Drought). Most of us in Riverside County are fortunate to be in D2 (Severe Drought), a lower drought classification than what much of Southern California is experiencing. We are also lucky to be in an area for which the short-term and long-term Indicator Blends (as predicted by the National Integrated Drought Information System) do not rise above D2. We're not out of the woods, however. The driest August in Riverside County of the last 127 years was in 2021; the driest year-to-date is 2021. Much of the water for our community comes from an underground aquifer called the Beaumont Basin, but we get additional water from the State Water Project via the San Gorgonio Pass Water District. With the drought severely affecting Northern California sources of water, the state may feel constrained to impose restrictions we all dread. Clearly, we have a condition about which we must all be concerned and even worried. The Landscape Committee is taking steps to do what we can to mitigate a water shortage. Our landscape contractor, Park West, is proactive in adjusting water levels to the minimum to maintain with plant health. They are also proactive in chasing down leaks that seem to occur far more than we'd like to see. Regrettably, the adjustments needed for optimal water dispersal are currently performed manually. Despite the best efforts of Park West, we cannot achieve as good plant maintenance as we want to see. We do believe we see a way of improving our water usage through the use of Smart Controllers. These controllers use 17 factors to provide the best water levels possible. These controllers will be expensive but the expense can probably be classified as a reserve expense, and therefore the cost can be spread over the many years the controllers will be in use. ~ Kirk Freyermuth, kafreyer@frontier.com

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