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6 | THE COLONY NEWS | FEBRUARY 2026 | ACCESS CONTROL & SAFETY The December statistics are as follows: 25,534 gate entries were recorded consisting of guests, recreational vehicles, vendors and golfers. Allied Security performed six property/resident checks, 35 stop sign violations and 13 speeding violations. There were 34 medical, fire and police incidents. Allied cited 29 residents for various parking violations and 27 residents for putting trash cans out too early and/or not putting them away on time. There were 27 garage doors left open and Allied made calls to each resident to advise them to close them. Allied responded to 147 miscellaneous incidents related to dogs (barking, off leash, lost), suspicious activity, trespassers, disorderly conduct, signage not allowed, reckless driving, vehicle accidents, welfare/wellness checks, gate strikes/tailgaters, and broken/burst water lines. How long does it take for something pertaining to Landscape to get done? Of course, it depends on what the "something" is. Right away: Irrigation problems during business hours, such as stuck valves or broken sprinklers, are turned off as soon as the Landscape Dept. is notified. After hours, our irrigation company is called in to the front gate, and our contractor's emergency number is called to assess and turn off the issue. One week: If you have a dead plant in your front yard and have submitted a Property Service Request, and that plant is available in our nursery, it will typically be replaced within a week. Likewise, hanging palm fronds or low-hanging greenbelt branches overhanging your fence can usually be pruned in a timely manner. Several weeks to several months: If you have a front yard dead plant, have filled out the form, and the plant is NOT in the nursery, the request is grouped with other plant orders to go to the commercial nursery. There can be a wait here. If you want to redo your front yard plants, and you have filled out a Landscape Change Request, the Landscape Department will give you a price through our Contractor as to what the revision will cost. After you agree to pay, the work can be scheduled with the landscape contractor. Six to 18 months: If you can wait until the Landscape Advisory Area Walks (which happens each March), the Area Walker can possibly determine the plants that need to be replaced because of various causes. There would be no charge to you, but you would have to wait longer for plant replacements. Area Walks claried: Every March the Landscape Advisory Committee members each walk an assigned area within The Colony, along with the Landscape Supt. and a member of our landscape contractor, to inspect every tree and plant. The plants which have become too big or too old for the space, have become rat infested, or just aren't doing well, are noted by each LAC Area Representative. At the end of the month, the results are tallied by the Landscape Supt., who then sends his list to the LAC Area Representative for verification of accuracy. Then the list is sent to the landscape contractor for costs to replace the plants. After these are received, a request is made to the Board for approval to release the funds. After this, the work is scheduled with the contractor's Special Projects team. Because of this process, the work identified in March will usually take place in late Fall. Tree pruning: Every year, the Tall Tree Pruning team from our contractor arrives to trim palms and other trees over 15.' Usually, any tall tree requests that are outside of the annual schedule are grouped to occur during this time. Every year, half The Colony has their front yard trees pruned. This year it's the west side of Florita's turn. As a side note, the LAC has a Tree Subcommittee. The policy is not to remove a healthy tree. If a tree root is causing problems for the homeowner, it can be root-pruned. If it is overhanging your fence, it can be pruned away. If your drain from the back yard to the curb is filled with roots, it is your responsibility to repair. All front yard work requiring any type of excavation should be referred to the Landscape Dept. as to how to proceed without damage to other parts of the landscape. There have been cases where palm tree roots were cut off on one whole side of the tree during the drain repair, causing the tree to tip over later. One to three years: Greenbelt turf renovations. These take the longest from LAC recommendation to completion. First, the LAC and Landscape Dept. determine which water district rebates make the most sense to apply for. The LAC and Landscape Dept. review each area under consideration and make suggestions for renovation design. After the design phase, the landscape contractor estimates the costs. The recommendation for each area is sent to the Board for approval. Next, the rebate-request packet (photos, measurements, plan of action) is sent to SoCal Water Smart for pre-approval. Then SoCal Water Smart sends a representative to the site to ensure turf is viable; to verify dimensions; to confirm the correct number and types of plants per square foot and that the water-retention feature is included, etc. Since Environmental Concepts serves many HOAs and many are requesting rebates for turf renovation, we need to get on their Special Projects calendar. There are delays in getting this visit. AFTER the representative has OK'd the project, they send us the approval for the rebate. Then we have 180 days to complete the project before we receive the rebate money. Keeping all the rebate requests and timelines going requires both the LAC and the Landscape Department's best efforts and attention. We are busy! LANDSCAPE ADVISORY By Jan Foster, LAC Chair, 951-698-0170

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