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12 | THE COLONY NEWS | NOVEMBER 2023 | Mosquito Bite Prevention With the holidays fast approaching, it's time to review the cautions for front yard decorations. We don't want you to have your extension cords cut by the landscapers. The homeowner is responsible for making sure all cords are off the lawn during mowing days (soon to be every other week), and that the cords for lights on shrubs and trees are disconnected if pruning is anticipated. See Article 5.5.5 to 5.5.7 (The Colony Telephone Directory, Rules & Regulations, pg. 24). Utilities vaults in your front yard. The Colony does not maintain these. They are the homeowner's responsibility. If one is knocked askew, and you can't straighten it, you need to contact the utility involved (i.e., Frontier, Verizon, So Cal Edison, etc.). Some of these are so old it's hard to determine whose it is, but The Colony is not responsible for them. Please see The Colony Maintenance Matrix, Article 24, Public Utilities, pp. 71-73, in the Telephone Directory, or CC&Rs Article 12.7 (Repair and Maintenance of Public Utilities). Drain covers on the drains in your lawn. In front yards on 12 streets there are no 3" (backyard) exit drains cut into the curbs. Instead, the tops of the drains on these streets are maintained by the landscape contractor, and they replace missing or broken grate covers as discovered. The 12 streets are Via Isabella, Via Francisco, Via Amapola, Corte Lorca, Via Tonada, Via Marisa, Corte Delfin, Via Tapadero, Via Camposeco, Via Ambiente, Corte Albara, and Corte Cordoba. This is in Environmental Concepts' contract. Homeowners on other streets MAY have no curb exit drains if the original owner opted not to have them. In those cases, our contractor has graciously replaced some broken drain tops which are in the lawn, as needed. Please note that The Colony is not responsible for keeping the drains from your back yard to the street unclogged. That is the homeowner's responsibility. If your back patio was flooded during the spring rains, be sure to get your drain lines roto-rooted ASAP. Our Landscape Department has been diligent in seeing that the V-ditches and drains in the greenbelts and wild belts are clear. They are also watching the swales to be sure they don't overflow. We haven't had to deploy sandbags in anticipation of flooding here since 2017. Fall Planting. This is the time of year we replace the dead plants noted in the Spring Area Walks, and add mulch. There is a mulch drop-off lot on the corner of Colony Drive and Calle Alpina. This mulch is not for residents to help themselves. It has been purchased for the landscapers to put in the front yards per their schedule. There is a plant-staging area behind the shrubs in W5, down by the sycamore trees, where Avenida Florita meets Colony Drive. These plants are not for residents. The plants have been purchased, counted, and allocated to jobs already in the pipeline. Reseeding of Front Yards. This should be under way by the time you read this. The area will have been sprayed for weeds prior to reseeding and given a layer of compost. Hopefully, the winter rains will not wash away the seeds. The reseeding will be monitored, of course. Greenbelt Turf Renovation. We will be moving ahead with our plan to reduce further turf in the Rancho California Water District's half of The Colony in order to take advantage of the District's current rebate offers to reduce water usage. LANDSCAPE ADVISORY By Jan Foster, 951-698-0170

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