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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | APRIL 2017 19 The Landscape Committee is very proud of the work we do for our community, but there seems to be some confusion about what we really do. Our purpose is to provide advice and assistance to the Board on all matters concerning the Association Maintained Landscape and the Front Yard Cost Center landscape areas. We also monitor the performance of the Association Landscape Maintenance Contractors. We are a nine-member team with support from a FirstService representative and our Board Liaison, Fred Weck. FirstService brings us concerns expressed by you, the community, as does the Board, in addition to assigning special landscape projects. We are not the "HOA police!" We do not write up anyone and turn them in to management. Members of our team walk the common areas with the landscape contractors on a weekly basis looking for problem areas. We watch for dying plants or trees, irrigation problems, or problems with infestations, such as gophers, skunks etc. and to be sure trees are kept trimmed away from the roofs. This last year we met some challenges, one was fruit-bearing trees. Doesn't it seem strange that after 10 years a fruitless tree starts bearing fruit? This has caused some very messy sidewalks and driveways. The second challenge is the many rosemary bushes planted throughout the community, mainly in the Springdale and Front Yard Cost Center areas. After 10 years or so they get very sparse in the middle and are no longer pretty. So our challenge will be to replace all that rosemary! This is not an easy task and will take quite a while to complete. Our Landscape Budget is not large enough to do it all at once. And of course the work needs to be approved by the Finance Committee and the Board. We want to choose plants that survive in our environment so the plants don't have to be replaced frequently. So, if there is an area that needs some TLC, please have patience with us, as it takes time to analyze the soil and determine what would be the best solution for the area. Our goal is to help maintain the aesthetic appearance of this beautiful place in which we live. The Landscape Committee meets the second Monday of the month at 8 am in the RCN Building. ~ Joyce Tautrim Landscape Committee

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