Town Crier Articles

 

Raising the level of service for our community landscaping is a key goal for the Board and our new management company. Part of reaching that goal is for owners to also have realistic expectations – NTRA does not provide custom landscaping. An array of basic services are shared among all neighborhoods.

 

So what is coming this summer? The 2022 schedule for mowing has now been defined by Virginia Lawn and Landscape (VLL) as required by their contract’s turf maintenance scope of work. After discussion with our new community manager, VLL outlined the following frequencies per month:

Mowing season will begin in March and end in December at a height of 4 inches. During the heat of July and August, only 3 mows per month will be provided.  This should help to minimize lawn burn.

 

Given all the past turf damage issues with irrigation and rain, VLL will make an effort to notify Chesapeake Bay when it is too wet to mow an area. (Look for info on the website “Landscape News” feature box if have a question about possible delays in mowing.)

 

It is the homeowner’s responsibility to make sure that your property drains water including following prudent irrigation practices. Coordinate the timing of your waterings with your neighbor to minimize soaking adjacent side yards. Consider where your downspouts and condensation units are draining. If VLL experiences repeated issues with overwatering, an owner’s address may be reported to the Association for followup. Management will then contact the owner to let them know of these irrigation concerns so they can be addressed.

 

Leaf cleanup has been extended into December. (The prior statement of work called for leaf cleanups only in October and November.) Owners have complained that yards needed blowing prior to setting up their holiday seasonal decorations. So two leaf cleanups in December have been added.

 

These modifications are an effort to address community concerns and still provide quality service. If you experience an issue, submit a website ticket which goes directly to VLL as well as NTRA staff. Don’t forget to pay compliments to the crew as well! Keeping staff during the pandemic has been a major challenge for most landscape companies.