About those dying shrubs - communication to owners

The previous post was about the most recent association newsletter and the board generated Landscaping Report. That report included the statement that "The bushes along most of our buildings are infected with an Asian beetle. Every hedge must be removed. This will occur in late spring."

The Spring 2019 newsletter article about these shrubs is not the most recent. In fact, the first article about this was written in 2017.  As as the case with many other newsletter articles, I was the "ghost writer" for the August 2017 article.

Here's a link to the previous post:

http://briarcliffelakes.blogspot.com/2019/05/about-those-dying-shrubs.html

Here are the newsletter articles or comments contained in the newsletters from 2017 and 2018. I frequently "ghost wrote" articles with the respective board members permission because had I not done so, there would not have been an article.  Click on the images to enlarge:

From newsletter published in August 2017

From Newsletter published in April 2018

From Newsletter published September 2018 - my final newsletter

Here's a couple of photos I took about this problem in 2017 which were formally submitted to the entire board with the monthly "board packet":

About those dying shrubs......

Dead Viburnums while other shrubs flourish.....

The most recent association newsletter included a Landscaping Report and a statement that "The bushes along most of our buildings are infected with an Asian beetle. Every hedge must be removed. This will occur in late spring."

That's inaccurate. Our association has a variety of shrubbery and many of the shrubs on the property are healthy. It is the Viburnums that are dying because of a beetle.  The photo above was added June 15, 2019 which is typical.  It shows healthy shrubs and dying viburnums. I encircled the viburnums in the photo above.

The issue was first observed in 2017
This was observed in 2017 and reported to the board. Only certain viburnums are under attack, and some as well as many other shrubs are healthy. I noticed this problem in summer 2017 and discussed with professionals, took photos in July and August of 2017 and submitted them to the board with the professional assessment. This was discussed during the August 10, 2017 association meeting and in 2018. In fact management and I walked the association with a contractor and a proposal was obtained in 2018.  The Landscaping Director was scheduled to make that meeting but did not show up.  Proposals were submitted to the board.......

The August 2017 email I sent to management and to the board member who was/is the landscaping director included two photos. These were printed for distribution to the entire board during the August 10, 2017 meeting. The email said:"Dave; Can we get some printouts of this email and the attached photos to discuss tonight? I’ve added a second photo at another location."

Here are the photos:

The pest is the Viburnum Leaf Beetle. It only attacks one species of shrub (viburnums). There are some viburnums that are very resistant to the beetle. 

http://www.hort.cornell.edu/vlb/

This was discussed by the board over, and over and over. LOL!

I advocated replacement of infected plants on a rotational basis. A meeting with a landscaping contractor was scheduled for June, but by summer 2018 the board had made no progress.

Here are some viburnums that have been observed to be very resistant to the beetle, per the Cornell website:

Viburnum most resistant to the viburnum leaf beetle:

• V. bodnantense, dawn viburnum
• V. carlesii, Koreanspice viburnum
• V. davidii*, David viburnum
• V. x juddii, Judd viburnum
• V. plicatum, doublefile viburnum
• V. plicatum var. tomentosum, doublefile viburnum
• V. rhytidophyllum, leatherleaf viburnum
• V. setigerum, tea viburnum
• V. sieboldii, Siebold viburnum

My email about the June 6 2018 meeting to replace dead viburnums.  Our landscaping director agreed to attend, but did not. This was my email and part of my report to the board after that meeting:

"John, and Landscaping Committee;

Dave Grill [Our manager] and I met with [Our Landscaping Contractor] today to discuss issues with the dying virburnum shrubs.  This is in accordance with the site survey conducted a week ago with ...... our landscaping director.

Here is what was discussed:

1. We need a plan to deal with dying viburnum shrubs on Plymouth Court and Harrow Court. This is the first step in a multi-year program. These seem to be the worst impacted by the leaf beetle. Thereafter, other areas will be dealt with in a multi-year program.
2. We want shrubs that are 3-4 feet maximum height to replace the viburnums. We want low maintenance and hardy. We want the “cut back” to be reduced to reduce the amount of bare soil. Length of the shrubs at each building to be about 15-20 feet.
3. Our landscaping director has proposed a tree nursery on the property. The board is aligned with this and we need to know how to proceed.
4. The board has a long term commitment to the property, but we do need to balance this with financial realities.  Street entries off of Briarcliffe Blvd, while beautiful, are not as important to our owners as the internal beautification  and landscaping maintenance issues.  Ergo, recent discussions on the committee about adding ground cover for these area.
5. Shrubs will be replaced early fall (August and thereafter). This is optimum for the foliage.
6. We request the numbers so we can discuss these during the July 12 meeting.
7. We do want to address the landscaping issues at the Plymouth pond, but any work in that area must be delayed until after the concrete work on the stream.
8. There are other internal property issues, but these will require specific requests.

I think this covers the recent discussions and immediate landscaping concerns. "

We did receive a proposal, but it included plants which would require additional watering. In other words, it added maintenance and water costs.  This languished for several months and I refused to approve it unless the board member who was the Landscaping Director would provide specific guidance. He did not. 

So that approach died when there was no action as of September, 2018...LOL...

And some wonder why I am no longer on the board.  Give me a break....if I wanted a hobby, I'd get a hobbly!  Like doing more painted rocks...LOL.   The butterfly in the center is a work in progress.......

2017 - A Year of Fun

As 2017 comes to an end, it has been another year of fun on the board at BLMH.

The board tackled one of three stream segments this year and completed a common area deck which had begun in 2013. Both of these projects actually atrophied for more than a decade. Earlier boards went for large, visible projects such as the re-roofing, but couldn't do much of anything else because they or their predecessors had failed to save.

Turning our Titanic around has had its fun moments. I'm not a proponent of spending money on flashy projects, so under my watch it has been primarily about dealing with the crisis and breakdowns created by others.   Doing so has been as much a grind as it has been a party. However, it can be satisfying to see others live in their cone of impossibility and then show then how really stupid they have been.   They'll never learn of course, so after three years of trying I stopped. Much better and more satisfying to deal with REAL problems instead of the personal agendas of others.

I think this demonstration is just about over and has run its course.

We now have two boards. One forward thinking and forward looking and the other mired in the past.

I did complete my 2018 project list and I have completed the estimates for their cost.  Meanwhile the "Henny Penny" is still fighting be battles of a decade ago. Too bad they are so little and so late. The owners could have been spared a lot of pain with a little timeliness.

I'll probably publish the project list in February 2018. Whatever happens will be determined by the entire board. There will be some stonewalling of course. If you can't build anything then perhaps all that one can do is tear down anything and everything around them.

Being on the board since 2010 has brought back some fond memories. I was one of a large number of children. When it came to doing chores, or anything they didn't want to do, some of the siblings had be dragged kicking and screaming all of the way. Boards are like that!

It's a New Year

We're into January and in Wheaton that means winter cold. Snow is optional.

What do we do in the winter? That varies. Boards generally don't have too much to worry about. Yes, there will be rules violations, and there may be breakdowns to deal with. However, for many of us the real issue is simply to keep warm and avoid automobile or other accidents. 

But accidents do happen. Of course, the consequences of speeding in unsafe conditions isn't an accident is it? A slip and a fall may be an accident, or blacking out may result in a fall. Health isn't something to be taken for granted. Even a simple break can require eight weeks of convalescence. 

Meanwhile, the budget has been completed and put into motion. What will happen this year? In the "planning and preparation" department there will be surveys to do when the weather improves. There will be some project work and there will be the usual exterior repairs and painting of 1/6 of the buildings on the property. Other repairs will be done, the gazebo is looking a bit shabby, and the deck behind Thames isn't there, yet. There are a few driveways which require attention (we have a total of 84). 

Some street repaving will be a necessity. Optional items for 2017 include that deck behind Thames, certain stream repairs, limestone sills to replace some 40 year old brick sills, adding protection to the newest streets, and so on. Scarifying of some walks is a possibility, as is some tuckpointing. Other items will only occur after the surveys. Surveys too are "optional" and so it is to be determined if garage floors will be surveyed, or even the driveways. Of course, the landscaping improvements which are really repairs created by dead and dying trees will continue in 2017.

What is important to point out is what specifically happens will be determined by the board. Our board is understaffed and there is the usual disparity of duties. In fact, board members ultimately decide what they should do or what they could do. There will be opposing views about nearly everything, and "doing" requires spending money. It would be easier to talk and do nothing. Which has been the modus operandi of some earlier boards. 

What should occur in 2017? In addition to working on any breakdowns which occur, the board should conduct a Reserve Study update; work for this purpose was completed by three board members in 2015 and presented to the entire board. We can look into long term water main replacement planning and so on. This is all in addition to the items in the previous paragraphs. However, boards are comprised of volunteers. Those volunteers determine what will be done and what won't. It will be easier, less work and less time consuming to do nothing. Of course, there will be budget concerns and that too will be a reason to tread carefully when spending association money. 

To anyone who will listen I have stated repeatedly that boards will spend every dollar they collect. Our association has nearly 40 years of financial history to substantiate my opinion. The board has a great deal of discretion about how soon and how magnificent certain projects are to be. While it can always be argued that the owners benefit from all projects and maintenance, it can also be argued that benefits are sometimes in the eyes of the beholder. 

Of course, it is necessary to avoid kicking the can down the road. Our HOA has been here for nearly 40 years and owners have seen it all. I've kept this blog as a means of documenting the recent history of this association. It may help to avoid repeating past mistakes. The substantially expanded newsletter is also a resource. But of course, that is like saying we have rules, regulations and bylaws to help our community. Some past and current board members have argued no one reads them. If so, why should I ever expect anyone will read this blog? 

Nevertheless this blog is here. What people do is their personal decision and their responsibility. 

2017 will be an interesting year, there will be ups and downs, some owners will be unhappy for a variety of reasons and in the fall there will be an election. Will I be here? Who knows. According to the SS Administration mortality tables for anyone of the age of 70 there is a 2% chance of dying in the year. Women have a better life expectancy than men.