November 2014, Landscape News

November 2014, Landscape News

The Landscape Committee met for the first time this season, on November 11, 2014. Over the Summer, Sunshine Landscape Company worked with members of the landscape committee to complete projects that had been approved by the Board of Directors (BOD). The Landscape Committee is charged with maintaining all community property so that it looks well groomed and attractive on a year round basis.

As part of the required maintenance at Silver Sands Racquet Club (SSRC), forty, (40) front garden beds, which had barren areas where plants had been removed and not replaced, were replanted with low water, desert plants. Some landscape boulders were added (no water, no maintenance, no pruning).

Twenty (20) Side yards and corridors were upgraded with curbing, new desert adapted plants, desert gold ground cover and boulders. All side yard corridors and freshly planted gardens were upgraded to low water use irrigation.

Sixty, (60) homeowners paid to have curbing added to their front gardens. Four thousand five hundred and fifty (4,550) linear feet of curbing was added this summer. A number of homeowners put in their own curbing as part of their custom landscape projects. Forty, (40) of the newly curbed homes also chose to have desert gold (DG) installed in the front garden beds. Our management company, Desert Resort Management (DRM) billed each homeowner for the desert gold.

Two hundred and fifty, (250) tons of desert gold was used in side yards, front garden beds, and to refresh the fountain, front entrance beds, and other bare areas until we ran out of DG. This will ongoing as part of community maintenance.

The palm tree replacement sub committee, Ken Whitaker, Fred Appleton and Paul Lorenz, identified areas for palm tree replacement. Four (4) Date Palm trees were planted at the front gate, eight California palms were planted around the club house area. Some of the smaller Mexican palms that were planted did not thrive and were removed. Sunshine is crediting us for those trees.

An opportunity to apply for Turf Buy Back funds from the City of Palm Desert and the Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) appeared in
The Desert Sun newspaper. The idea of applying seemed sound for several reasons. The Governor has declared the current water shortage, a statewide emergency.  The CVWD is asking for 20% reduction in water use. CVWD has plans to reduce the cost benefit communities such as ours currently receive during seasonal over seeding. SSRC had an opportunity for grants to help with re-landscaping that would reduce water usage, water damage to infrastructure such as walls, streets, curbs, cars and power pedestals. Desert landscaping reduces lawn mowing, seeding, fertilizing, and labor. Low water usage dribblers can reduce water runoff.

Two (2) Ten thousand, square foot (10,000) parcels along inside and outside community walls were identified. The Silver Sands Parkway, outside the back gate, is a continuation of landscape modernization begun on Country Club and Portola in years past. Smaller, narrow parcels are along upper Verde and Acapulco were also selected. The BOD was notified. Sunshine and DRM prepared the applications for the City of Palm Desert and CVWD, then delivered the applications to the appropriate agencies at the specified date in August. At the October 28, 2014 Board meeting, it was announced by our DRM representative, that SSRC had received the grants. In Executive session the BOD approved accepting the grants.

NEW LANDSCAPE APPLICATION FORM ONLINE

The landscape application form has been updated and will be available on line at the new SSRC Website or at the Desert Resort Management Office. Please DO NOT leave them at the front gate. Thanks.

IMPORTANT EMAIL ADDRESS: serviceorders@drminternet.com.

When you notice a missing plant, see evidence of ants or other insects damaging the landscape, notice lights not working in the common area or pool areas, just some of numerous things you might notice, send an email to the above address. These items get logged in, routed appropriately, and reported to the BOD.

Landscape Committee members will be doing a weekly drive around with our work crew manager. We have set up a protocol for the gardeners to report missing plants. Replacement plants will be ordered every two weeks where appropriate.

The next meeting of the Landscape Committee is December 2, 2014, 1:00PM, at the Club House. Everyone is welcome at attend.