The Board would like to thank all those who attended our last Homeowners’ Meeting. As a reminder, our next meeting will be Monday, August 24, 2015.
The last couple of months have seen the end of the bulk of the refurbishment project with landscape being the last piece. Given the size and scope of our community, landscape is by far the most elaborate aspect that is addressed. The Board shares the frustration felt by residents who feel some areas of the complex still look too barren. In early July, Board members met with our vendor, Villa Park, and walked the complex. We would like to offer this update:
Villa Park divides our community into four sections, visiting on Mondays and Fridays with a full four-person crew and a supervisor. Each section is done in rotation as they prune and hedge plant material, check for proper irrigation, remove weeds and dead plants, sweep the walkways, and clear away any debris.
However, due to the ongoing drought, the city of Garden Grove has imposed watering restrictions. So far, this hasn’t had a drastic affect on our complex in terms of watering. But we do ask all first floor residents to check their outside water faucets to make sure they are completely turned off and not leaking. Every little bit helps.
As for planting new material, the board first created a template beginning at the West side of building 10610 and working its way to the middle of building 10540 and 10560. The plant palette chosen was designed to introduce color in certain sections to help offset the monotony of green. Yellow Lantana and Star Jasmine are two of the most popular choices given their low maintenance and aesthetic appeal.
Villa Park is currently preparing some new plant palettes and ground cover options to review for the next section of our complex. We are keeping in mind that ground cover needs to have a low-maintenance factor, be drought tolerant, and yet have visual appeal. Once approved, Villa Park can begin planting in the fall since the drought would make planting now very difficult. We also ask residents not to plant their own ground cover as it must be approved first by the Board, and we want to keep all new plant material under warranty.
Another area we are addressing is the removal of dead and leaning trees, and the planting of new ones. This will be a process, however, as we are trying to keep as many healthy trees as we can. Trees not only provide shade and shelter, but also help reduce sound while helping maintain a level of privacy for our residents. Again, due to the drought, we will not begin planting until the fall.
Sprinklers are another area we are addressing. In an effort to save water, we have capped and covered the sprinklers behind the carports. Additionally, Villa Park has walked every area near our trash receptacles verifying which sprinklers to cap. Ideally, we would like to keep only one sprinkler operational if necessary.
The Board asks all residents that if they see a bridge or walkway covered in water to report this to Optimum right away. We have done several walks checking for mis-spraying sprinklers, but we could always use an extra set of eyes if you see one that needs to be adjusted. At a later date, we will also review drip systems which will help us conserve water more extensively.
We would like to thank all residents for their patience, and rest assured we are working as quickly as possible to help improve and update the landscape.
Thank You.