Poet’s Green Fountain Working Again - More Equipment Found

Geoff Primeau, a member of the Grounds Committee, has located something in Poet’s Green that no one, including our landscape contractors, was apparently aware of.   They found a water supply valve connected to the small fountain in Poet’s Green.  The fountain’s working again, and neighbors are happy not to be carrying buckets of water any longer.

Doug Klamerus and I also found a line of sprinklers which should have been watering the grass on the South side of the tennis court in Val Jean Park.  The grass in that location had been in bad condition for a very long time. These sprinkler heads were buried and grown over, possibly since the beginning.  We’ll inform the City of this newly-found line.  It hopefully it can be connected to the irrigation system and timers.

Tennis Court - Good News & Bad News

Grounds Committee members have been working hard to keep up with the wind we’ve been having lately.  They’ve been reattaching the windscreen on the tennis court fence.  

Unfortunately, I have some bad news... Committee members have reported a problem that is beyond their ability to fix.  The posts that suspend the tennis court net (not the fence) have begun to move. They may have buckled under pressure applied by the net tensioning winch. It’s possible that unsuspecting tennis players over-tightened the net's tension, possibly in combination with heat-softened asphalt, causing the damage.  

John Roerich is a tennis player and a neighbor who's been helping out a lot on the windscreen. He told me today that sometimes players think that the net should be very tight and perfectly level.  Actually, it shouldn't.  Apparently, tennis regulations say that the net should be higher at the anchoring posts and slightly lower in the middle. A regulation height is also specified for these distances, similar to a regulation height of a basketball net.  

Since the tennis court is in a City-owned park, we’ve notified Chris Petree, Hugo’s Director of Public Works about the problem.  

New Maps & Site Plans Added

Dave Hempel of CPDC has forwarded new maps (site plans) of Victor Gardens.  They show much more detail than we’ve seen before including the new and proposed retail and residential construction projects.  Trail and sidewalk plans, irrigation layouts have also been added.  Please visit our Maps page for links.

Financial Information Available Online

To be better informed about Victor Garden’s current financial situation, some financial documents are now available on this website.  To view documents for Victor Gardens Community Association and Victor Gardens Single Family Village please visit the Financials page.

Neighbor’s Meeting Confirmed for Wednesday, July 18

A Neighbor's Meeting for all homeowners in Victor Gardens has been confirmed for Wednesday, July 18 7:00PM at Hugo City Hall. 

We'll discuss our Community Association's financial challenges, including budget reductions for our Social Committee's events, outstanding debts to contractors, and reduced financial support from V.G.'s developers.  It's important that homeowners provide input on the way the Association spends and saves money in the future. A few other items, including the Pool, Parks, Common Areas, and the Intranet site will be also discussed.  

Read the latest post, "Neighborhood Meeting - How to Spend & Save Wisely".  You're encouraged to post comments about some of the topics we'll be discussing at the meeting.

Progress on Tennis Court Windscreen Repair

Work has begun to reattach the windscreen on the Tennis Courts.  John Roerich completed reattaching the South side of the screen.  Other members of the Grounds Committee’s tennis court group will be continue the work in the days ahead.  Thanks!

Common Area & Parks Sprinklers

The following is a status report from Early Bird, our Association’s sprinkler contractor regarding the sprinklers in V.G.’s Common Areas.  It was told to Gina Higgins today June 27.  She forwarded the info to me:

1. •Jardin Fountain sprinklers:  On & working - also turned up the times to run more frequently

2. •Poet's Green sprinklers: On & working - also turned up the times to run more frequently

3. •Cossette Way mail kiosk sprinklers:  Not working properly - Contractor will check into a timer problem

4. •Clearwater Creek bridge & Victor Hugo Blvd. sprinklers:  no report (I think these are working)

5. •Neighborhood Activity Center sprinklers:  Partially working - there are issues from the land office being moved.

6. •Victor Square sprinklers:  On & working 

The City of Hugo has assumed responsibility of maintaining and repairing the sprinkler systems in Arbre and Val Jean Parks.  City Staff has been working with another irrigation contractor, Northway Irrigation, to repair a few broken main lines and replace damaged sprinkler heads.  For the most part, City-run systems are working properly now.

Volunteers on the Grounds Committee will be assisting in monitoring both the City and our Common Area sprinkler systems.  They will map the sprinkler zones, report problems, and in some cases do minor repairs when necessary. 

New “Grounds Committee” Needs Volunteers

In the last few seasons, homeowners have noticed a decline in the condition of some of Victor Gardens parks and Common Areas. To begin correcting problems, homeowners suggested forming a neighborhood "Grounds Committee".   

The theory behind forming this committee was for residents to do a better job of monitoring and preserving Victor Gardens parks and common spaces.  Essentially - Neighbors wanted to take more responsibility for their surroundings.  

One of the problems we've seen is the time it takes to fix simple problems.  For example, a homeowner notices that a sprinkler head is not working, she waits for a few weeks to see if the mowing crew will fix it.  After waiting, she sends Mark an email, then it’s forwarded to Gina Higgins, then Gina writes a work order and speaks to the contractor, the contractor puts the sprinkler on his to do list, and schedules the repair for the next time he is in VG, etc, etc, .... You can see that this process is unnecessarily long - and it hasn't been working for us.

Some have asked if it’s a measure to save the VG Community Association money.  In part that’s correct - but not the overall goal.  The Committee will hopefully be able to save money by correctly diagnosing small problems when they arise, and work to quickly fix the issues before major damage occurs (like large patches of dead turf or burned-out fountain pumps).  The goal is to help preserve the beauty of the neighborhood.  Saving money is just another positive outcome.

I have asked for volunteers and have received a good response so far.  Some of the members responsibilities will be: mapping out the irrigation systems & reporting specific problems (such as a broken sprinkler heads in Zone 4), following up on repairs, and taking an more active role in minor maintenance jobs (like fountain clean-up, tennis court windscreen repairs, etc.).  The Committee will be broken up into small groups, with each having it's own area of interest.  For example, one group will fix the tennis court windscreen when needed, another will do routine clean-up in the Jardin Fountain, others small groups will monitor sprinkler systems in Val Jean Park, Arbre Park, and Poet's Green.  These are not the only interests of the Grounds Committee, but a great beginning nevertheless.

Of course, the Grounds Committee does not intend to take over the ultimate responsibility of these systems. Members will mainly supplement and monitor the work that the contractors and the City of Hugo already perform.  It will be made up of individuals who have some technical experience, mechanical ability, and those who can monitor sprinklers because they live adjacent to the Parks and Common Areas.

I'm happy that homeowners are taking the initiative and working towards a better Victor Gardens. I hope we all will support the goals of the Grounds Committee.  When the Committee groups are formed and working, I'm sure we'll all see positive progress.

As of today we have some volunteers for:

Poet’s Green

The Jardin Fountain Area

The Val Jean Tennis Courts

Val Jean Park

We still need volunteers for:

Victor Square

Main Entrance Areas

Neighborhood Activity Center & Pool

Arbre Park

Planning Fall & Spring neighborhood cleanup events.

Please email mark@victorgardensnews.org to volunteer for the Grounds Committee.

Garden Matter Still Unresolved

As many of you know, the Garden area near where the Land Office used to sit is the source of some controversy.  Some of the issues relate to the responsibility of irrigation, plantings, and budget.  Charles Kirk, who represents Victor Gardens Townhomes residents, CPDC, the developers, and I need to work together to solve these problems.

Despite the great efforts of Victor Gardens Garden Committee, the current state of the Garden is a disappointment to many of us.  Whether we live in the townhomes or the single-family homes, we must work together to settle the issues.  Until that time, unfortunately, major improvements to the Garden will be delayed.

Mark

USA Karate to Open in August

Thanks to Phil Stein for forwarding info about one of Victor Gardens future retail businesses:

“...We will be opening our Hugo location sometime in August 2007.  We offer a free 15 minute introductory class to all new students (by appointment only).  This introductory class allows you to try out some karate moves, see our school, and meet some of our instructors.  If you enjoy your free introductory class, we have another trial opportunity called our one month special.  The one month special is $29.95, includes a karate uniform, and allows you to attend class twice a week for four weeks.  If you would like us to contact you to schedule a free introductory class closer to opening, please contact us.  Also, if you would like more information please call us at (651) 998-0960. Thank You, Lisa Pruden Director of Operations USA Karate Office: (651) 998-0960 Cell:     (651) 248-1502 Fax;     (651) 998-0961 Email:  usakaratewoodbury@yahoo.com<mailto:usakaratewoodbury@yahoo.com> Website:  www.usa-karate.net <http://www.usa-karate.net>”

Maintenance Update: Irrigation & Drinking Fountain

According to Chris Petree, Hugo’s Director of Public Works, the sprinkler watering systems in Arbre Park and Val Jean Park were started yesterday.  The drinking fountain in Val Jean Park was also started yesterday.  In the future, the watering for Val Jean and Arbre Parks will be the responsibility of the City. 

For your reference, a list of Parks responsibilities can be viewed by clicking here. 

From what I’ve heard from neighbors, the common areas sprinklers have also been turned on.  I will speak with Gina Higgins for confirmation.

More Work Done by Shelly Tompkins of CPDC

I received an email from Shelly Tompkins, Vice President of CPDC recently.  She’s been working on many projects in Victor Gardens.  Here’s a few excerpts from her message:

I spent most of the day Saturday doing clean-up around the neighborhood.  Here are things still outstanding:

•I brought it to the site, but my tractor can not mow the empty lots.  Most of the lots are too rugged/uneven for that type of equipment and requires a larger equipment approach or weed whipping.   I can't personally do either one, so we have to find an alternative.  As a courtesy, Early Bird did the remaining "alley lots", but not the remaining empty lots in the neighborhood.  Unfortunately, I don't have enough arm or back muscle to weed whip them...it would take me about 20 hrs!   I did get the village green in the East Phase (west of the creek) whipped, however.  With limited funding, I'm doing some research on how to accomplish the remaining...

•I left the site with the intention of bringing the rusted barrels with me, but then forgot them.  I have them on my "to-do" list and will get them out of there this week. 

•The entry median fountain was not entirely resolved.  I paved the edge of the curb, repositioned the urn, planted a minimum amount to test the success due to lack of water and mulched the remainder.  I tried to plastic cover the cement area with the intention of covering it with mulch for a temporary fix.  The rain weighted the plastic down and mulch would make it even worse.  I'm going to have to come up with an alternative temporary fix.  I have contacted a couple of nursery garden friends for advice and am waiting to hear back from them. 

•The two temporary entry structures were too heavy for me to move to the garden.  I will need more muscle help for that one.  I'll be working in it this week.

•The retail owner took our single family/townhome signs down at the entrance and put up those two "lovely" RETAIL SALE signs.  I layed the signs down on the mulch behind the fence on the west side and will decide what to do with them. 

•I moved the sign from the garden to north of the bridge, but just layed it down.  I'll be installing it there this week. 

The other items on my check list were complete....