Condo News Volume 2 2008
By Maria Finoro
It has been a
challenge for some condominium developments to maintain the well groomed and
"pristine" appearance of their properties due to the hotter and drier summers
that we have been experiencing. Insects are wreaking havoc on lawns, trees and
shrubs. Municipalities are banning the use of pesticides. Condominiums are
spending money on insect control for lawns and the removal of dead trees - which
are not the types of expenditures that may necessarily visibly increase the
value of the property and beautify the community unless even more funds are
spent to replace the trees and sod. Even condominiums that have lawn irrigation
systems are affected as the cost of water continues to increase and cities
enforce water bans.
The role of
the property manager is to assist the Boards and the condominium communities in
changing their attitudes on how the grounds are to be maintained and help them
to budget accordingly. We are becoming more of an "environmentally conscious"
society so we need to worktogether to integrate "new" ideas when developing long
term solutions.
Consider the
following:
- Communicate the issues surrounding the maintenance of
your grounds to your residents. Make them aware of the problems you are facing
as a community and ask them to share their ideas with you. Keep owners abreast
of developments as this type of project progresses. The worst thing to do is
to keep them "in the dark" while they see the dandelions blooming beautifully
in their yard!
- Establish a grounds/landscaping committee to assist
the board and manager in searching for ideas and developing a plan and a
budget.
-
Speak with your grounds maintenance company and consider the options available
to you such as:
- Replacement of sod with different types of
perennial ground covers (ivy, periwinkle, low growing shrubbery, boulders,
lava rock, mulch. etc);
- Use of drought-tolerant grass seed mixes, such as
clover, if re-seeding or overseeding areas;
- Establish "no mow" areas on berms and steep areas,
and seeding of a wild flower mix;
- Creation of boulder gardens and planting ornamental
grasses and perennials which bloom during different times of the growing
season;
- If necessary, testing of the soil conditions and
application of the needed nutrients to the soil;
- Annual core aeration, topdressing and overseeding
annually. Include this as part of your grounds maintenance contract. We find
that new developments have little, if any topsoil so it is little wonder
that sod and trees have a difficult time flourishing;
- Use of a good quality mulch around your tree
circles to maintain moisture levels.
- Reduction in the number of times the lawns are
sprayed for weeds, and augmenting the number of times lawns are fertilized.
The healthier the lawn, the less chance weeds will establish themselves and
spread;
- Ensuring trees and shrubs are watered. See if you can have residents
"adopt a tree" and water the tree closest to their unit. You cannot count on
everyone participating, but involve those who are interested and then think
about the possibility of paying someone to water or bring
in a water truck
.
Maria Finoro
is President of M.F. Property Management Ltd. which manages residential and
commercial condominiums in the
Guelph/Cambridge and Waterloo/Kitchener area. She has been actively involved in condominium
management since 1982. Maria is director on the Golden Horseshoe
Chapter of the CCI a member of ACMO's Communications
Committee. She is frequent speaker at director
courses and had wrote several articles for both CCI and ACMO.
Copyright 2008 CCI Golden Horseshoe Chapter
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