June 24, 2010

Sprinkler Boxes

Our landscaper came out yesterday to investigate several dry patches on the HOA-maintained parkstrip running along the east side of Pointe Meadows Drive. When he checked the sprinkler boxes, he found that three of them had been turned off.

We ask all homeowners to please realize that the sprinkler boxes located on the park strip should not be tampered with. Doing so not only puts at risk the health of the neighborhood's grass and trees along Pointe Meadows Drive, but if left unchecked could also result in expensive replacement costs that would negatively impact the HOA's budget and potentially increase HOA dues.

If a homeowner is experiencing a problem with the sprinklers along the park strip, they should contact a member of the HOA board by sending an email to pmchoa@gmail.com. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

June 14, 2010

Mosquitoes and Watering

Throughout Salt Lake and Utah counties, we've been hearing reports of flooding caused by groundwater. This is due in part to the large amounts of snow in the mountains which has only recently begun to melt off due to a cold spring and start of summer. In addition, precipitation levels have been high for May and June, and weather has been overcast, providing for little evaporation. Add to this the fact that we already live in a neighborhood that has a high water table and you'll soon begin to realize that many in the community could be at risk.

As such, we are asking that all homeowners be conscientious about the amount of water being applied to your yards. Many homeowners are still running sprinklers once (even twice) a day despite all the recent rain and cold weather. We've recently had very minor flooding in the park strip of the southeast corner of the Pointe Meadows Drive cul-de-sac. After having our landscaper confirm that it was not due to a pressurized irrigation leak, we had the city water department investigate. Their diagnosis was that it was groundwater swelling up—a problem they have been seeing throughout Lehi this summer.

Another problem being experienced throughout the neighborhood due to high precipitation combined with over-watering is mosquito infestation. Mosquitoes reproduce by laying eggs on standing water. Having overly damp lawns provides the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. According to the city water department, most people in our neighborhood could be getting away with watering as little as a 2-3 times a week given recent weather patterns.

If you are having problems with mosquitoes in your area, you can call the Mosquito Abatement Hotline at 801-851-7637. They will ask you to leave your name, phone number, and address, so that they can come out and analyze and spray if they find a severe enough problem. Also, the more people that call from our neighborhood, the more likely they'll address the issue more quickly.

In the meantime, we can all do our part to help mitigate flooding risks and mosquitoes in our neighborhood by reducing lawn watering to a more responsible amount. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.