Town Crier Articles

The Landscape Advisory Committee (LAC) will be conducting a landscape services survey. Plans are to circulate the survey to ALL homeowners of the NTRA later this spring. Information gathered will be used to establish policies, create a budget and update specifications for the landscape contract, which expires at the end of this year. Your participation and comments are an important factor in the ongoing efforts to provide quality landscape services from our contractors. 

 

The LAC has set itself on a tentative time-line as follows: 

 

• complete the final draft of the survey by April 30
• send the survey out to homeowners by May 15
• collect responses from homeowners by June 15
• communicate results to homeowners by July 15

 

To help homeowners answer the survey questions, we think it is important to first understand what landscape services are the responsibility of the contractor. To that end, we reprint here (with a couple corrections) from a document available on the NTRA website called “Living in New Town; A quick guideline for the homeowner living in New Town.” 

 

Homeowner Responsibilities*: 

 

• Providing clear access to yard for landscaping contractor?(contractor is not responsible to move items out of yard for maintenance) 
• Contacting the irrigation company if the homeowner’s system needs repairs (repairs are the homeowners expense) Hampton Roads Irrigation – 757-877-3748
• Ensuring homeowners irrigation system does not over/under water homeowners property 
• Replacing dead/dying shrubs and trees (with similar kind) located on homeowner’s property 
• Landscape enhancements and plants (with LAC approval) that are additional work above landscaping contractor’s responsibilities 

* New Homes Plants and irrigation systems are maintained by the builder for 1 year from closing on new homes (if stated in warranty) 

  

NTRA Responsibilities: 

 

• Community pool/pool facilities and surrounding grounds 
• Playground facilities and grounds?- Designated trails within New Town?- Park and common areas within New Town 
• New Town banner flags?
• Street trees (on NTRA controlled roads) 
• Light bulbs for street lighting?
• Pet stations 

 

Landscaping Contractor Responsibilities:?

 

• Mowing, trimming, and edging property (edging is done every other week) 
• Mulching (once a year in the Spring)?
• Pruning shrubs and trees (up to 10 feet), (as per schedule on website) 
• Weed pre-emergent application (once a year in the Spring) 
• Weeding around trees and shrubs will be done on an as-needed basis - Fertilizing (as per schedule on website)?
• Aerating and over-seeding (once a year in the Fall)?
• Lawn insect control application (as per schedule on website) 

 

Irrigation Support Contractor Responsibilities:

 

• Irrigation Systems (startup*, backflow testing, 1 mid-season inspection, and shut down) 

*Systems are started and checked to make sure heads are working and spraying the appropriate area