Image Up Advertising & Design

FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | AUGUST 2022 27 We all know that California is in a drought and that several measures are in effect to help preserve water. Many of our homeowners are making landscaping changes to meet these demands. ARC is receiving multiple applications for installation of artificial grass and installation of drought-tolerant landscapes. Each of these changes or upgrades has specific requirements. INSTALLATION OF ARTIFICIAL GRASS: Swapping living grass for artificial grass, even if keeping the same footprint, requires ARC approval. The Architectural Guidelines and Standards require artificial grass to have the look and feel of live grass. It also requires a minimum weight of 60 ounces if installed in the front yard. No color other than green is allowed. Please remember that any work that is more than $500 (labor and materials) requires using a licensed contractor unless the homeowner does the work. If you are installing artificial grass yourself, please see Exhibit I of the Architectural Guidelines and Standards for the minimum requirements for front yards. All installations of artificial grass require proper drainage for runoff. INSTALLATION OF NON-LIVING MATERIAL: Decomposed granite, gravel, rubber mulch, rock, boulders, and bark/wood chips may be approved. Installations of these materials require ARC approval. Non-living material seen from common areas must be black or a natural earth tone color. White and non-earth tone colors can not be approved. Exceptions may be made for non-living material used to simulate water. Again, please remember that any work that is more than $500 (labor and materials) require using a licensed contractor. Extensions of hardscape (e.g., patio area) also require ARC approval and may require building permits from the city of Beaumont. No more than 50 percent of the front yard property may be covered by non-permeable material, including driveways, walkways, and patio areas. ARC is committed to working with all homeowners to have the landscape they love while staying stay within the rules, laws, and guidelines. As you read this article an/or consider changes you want to make to your home and property please consider that ARC (as well as all committees in our community) can only function with the help of volunteers. These volunteers are your neighbors and friends who live around you and help make Four Seasons Beaumont the fantastic place we live in. Can you share a small part of your time to ensure that your community continues to operate and remain one of if not the best HOA community in the nation? We meet the first and third Wednesdays of the month in the RNC Conference Room at 8:30 am. If you have any questions about ARC related issues or how and why you can volunteer, please contact me. ~ Steve Cooley, cooleyaudit@gmail.com, (801) 815-5302 Architectural Review Committee Missing Links You never know when we will need any emergency equipment. That is why it is important to not only know that you have it but know how to use it. Having emergency supplies is not like dressing yourself but it should be. You should be able to retrieve your emergency lists for Go Kits and Sheltering in Place. You should practice how to shut off your electricity, gas, or water in case of an emergency. Do you remember how to manually close your garage door? When was the last time that you checked and restocked your emergency supplies? Having lists and plans are good but having lists and supplies at your fingertips is better. If you are asked to evacuate your residence, you will probably need less stuff than if you were asked to shelter in place. Staying home means that you might have to have alternative methods to supplying your basic needs of food, water, and electricity. This means that you might need an ample supply of food, water, and a generator of some type. If you are evacuated, those needs should be supplied to you at the shelter or your second residence. You must remember that if you do not plan to have this stuff at home that you may be forced to eventually have to evacuate yourself. You cannot stay at home if you run out of water, have no source of electricity, or have no natural gas. Electricity is important for lights, computers, communication equipment, and to run refrigerators. You need at least a minimum of one gallon of water per person per day of water. You will need more if you plan on bathing. If you lose your natural gas you will have to have an alternative way to cook. Do you have enough propane to last a week? Sick or older folks will need access to extra medications or at least prescriptions for them. Do you know how to shut off your utilities? Do you need special tools to do so? And do you remember where you kept them? Getting rid of bodily waste may become a problem if you cannot use your toilet. Do you have a camping toilet or an emergency five-gallon bucket with an attaching toilet seat? An important thing to do right after an earthquake is to fill your bathtub with water in case city services are impacted. This water can be used to flush your toilet. Just don't drink it unless you first purify it. Preparing for an emergency is not hard. You must remember that the longer you go without checking your supplies the greater the chance that you will wind up with something missing. The Four Seasons Emergency Preparedness Committee meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 10 am in the RCN Conference Room. Our next meeting will be Aug. 16. ~ Michael A. Mendoza, srmendoza@verizon.net Emergency Preparedness Committee

• Cover