HLV GROUNDS UPDATE MAY 10, 2022

HLV GROUNDS UPDATE MAY 10, 2022

GLM terminated its contract without completing the 90-day notice period. Fortunately, Starwood was able to accommodate our request to begin work now as opposed to June 26, 2022. Because the start date was in advance of that originally scheduled Starwood must borrow staff from other jobs to do our work. Given the staffing issue there may be some things that won’t get done as timely as we would like this month and next. Please be patient. If you would like particulars speak with any member of the Board.

On May 8, 2022 Starwood put down an application of fertilizer with a high nitrogen content and preemergent. We dialed back the irrigation schedule to 3 days a week. The theory being we want the turf roots to grow down in search of water to promote a more drought resistant growth and retard fungus in the thatch build up. We will adjust the irrigation schedule as we get into summer.

Starwood will cut the grass this week. Nothing happened last week given GLM’s termination. Starwood needed time to get a crew on site.

In order to avoid confusion and or increased expense we can no longer accommodate individual owner requests relating to courtyards. The contract commitment is that Starwood either cuts your courtyard and trims the hedges or you must do so yourself. If you do not want Starwood to service the courtyards let me know by email.

We hope to have the entranceway beds planted by Memorial Day.

We are doing a survey of the grounds to put a plan together to deal with the dead or dying Yaupon hollies between the driveways and the junipers in front of the walls which are dead and dying or into which the jasmine has grown. This will no doubt be a multi year undertaking and depends on funding availability. Point of interest, the leaves of the Yaupon contain the most caffeine of any native plant and are sometimes used to make tea.

To avoid further erosion and expense we must stabilize the bank on either side of the walkway to the gazebo with rip rap. We are waiting on a price quote. The urban legend is that alligators won’t go onto rip rap.

The Board has considered for some time how to deal with the Maples on the lake bank which are infected with scale and encroaching into the Oaks. The arborist advised the scale is not capable of being treated in a cost-effective fashion and that the trees are dying. We have received multiple quotes over a 2-year period. At its last meeting the board voted to award the work to M&M the company who has done the work on the live oaks. As part of the work the live oaks into which the maples have grown will be cleaned up. We do not anticipate sodding the areas once the trees are removed and the stumps ground out. We will make a decision on how to proceed once we see the area with the Maples removed and the stumps removed. The scheduling of this work is not yet set. We will let you know when it is scheduled.

Nothing else to report on timing of the fountain replacement.

Bruce

President