5/28/24

Landscaping minutes

Present: Linda R for the first 10 mins, Kay, Vicky, Kellie (notes)

Topics: irrigation control box update, irrigation expenditure, tool donations to rummage sale, tree diapers, wood chip work party plan, Plantings/ cuttings for the community landscape, adopt a spot WITH pictures, task list email, East side water

Note: before the meeting, Kellie and Kay made sure all the areas on the west side have time on the control box in the common house inner office. IE, everything on the west side is on the watering schedule. The east side still needs to be fixed, the next session is this Sunday at 11am.

Irrigation expenditure

    Kay and Kellie would like to use the landscaping budget to make a purchase of $560 on drip depot to get main line tubing and irrigation connectors. These upgrades will help upgrade many of the lines from ¼ inch tubing (which is small and frequently cut by weed wackers) to drip tape rings to go around shrubs and trees. Currently many trees have small emitters attached to the ¼ inch line and the emitters are too small and frequently break from the high pressure of our water system.
  Status: approved by committee. (see attached screenshot of order including parts, which is also on the community wiki). Update: this was purchased with the community credit card on 5/29/24
  link to purchase screenshot:https://photos.app.goo.gl/CNXBgRefs8mCRg9b7

tool donations to rummage sale
Based on the tool inventory we did last fall (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yasDPsFMyjCtEYFCb17GZiZTpzlwSTrMxLuSvCaRMb0/edit#gid=0)  and our discussion, we decided that the following items can be donated to the rummage sale:one of the seed spreaders (we have several), all but one of the manual edgers, a few of the cat carriers,  and the push mowers.

Tree diapers
Amy mentioned she could put in an order for us with Tree Utah and we may be able to get a wholesale discount. We don't have that number yet, but per the website wholesale is $800 for a 24 pack (less than $35/each). What is the $ we’re comfortable spending? Kellie is okay with investing a couple hundred to a thousand to help our trees, but we need to remember that tree work eats up a significant portion of the budget. We have also lost out on a lot of value (monetary and otherwise) because so many established and new trees have died from drought stress. Vicky reminded us we have fundraising money as well. Need to decide which trees to use it on, but that would just be a short walkthrough since only the small/ newly planted trees are eligible. Tree diapers are meant to go on top of the soil and be covered with mulch, so they should be protected from weed wacker damage. We should probably mark which trees they’re used on so people are aware. 

Wood chip work party plan

We made an order from Chip Drop (https://getchipdrop.com/) a month ago, but we haven’t gotten any woodchips yet. Kellie donated $20 to move us up in the list, and Chelsea offered to also put in a request for the same spot. Were hoping to get the wood chips and start spreading them before it got too hot. Perhaps we should also try again in the fall 

   Plan when the wood chips finally  arrive: schedule a weekend work party. The delivery will be on the Utah street side, so will be easiest to start with the common house sign/west berm. Need to weed wack/ mow that area as low as possible right before the work party, then take wheel barrows, buckets, shovels and spread the wood chips 6-8” high to suppress weeds. Also need to spread around the base of 

 We can also purchase mulch, which is really wood chips, from the landfill off California ave.

Plantings/ cuttings for the community landscape
  Kellie is trying to spruce up the south end of the west berm near the driveway entrance, and planted ephedra viridus (mormon tea) and three-leaf sumac. The blue sedum is thriving after years of inconsistent watering, would be a good idea to introduce more succulent-type plants to this area.
Purchasing quality specimen new plants is expensive, but we have so many thriving plants   throughout the landscape, we should make an effort to acquire cuttings/divisions of such plants. The silver horehound is thriving by the east driveway and should be trimmed, we can take those trimmings. Vicky volunteered many of her sedum and succulent plants in pots around her home. We  can take half the plants in the pots and leave the rest to reestablish. She has many varieties of sedum, hens and chicks, etc. Kellie also may rock mulch, Kay suggested add heavy rock mulch to deter weeds. Vicky suggested ksl for free rocks.
  Other plants can be divided and put in pots until they can be planted in the ground in the fall. 

  Would be a good idea for fundraising and landscaping to collab to organize community members to take divisions of plants they’d like to donate, and split between landscaping for adding to the community and fundraising for sale.

 Adopt a spot

   This is a great way to give attention to our large landscape.  There is  a digital link and a physical map in the common house next to the kitchen, but it needs to be updated to make sure both physical and digital copies match.
    What does it mean? Community members are encouraged to sign up for certain areas as shown in the mapped out area (

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K2uxEH2Mpuuy82ZLr_4_IrWP9Qu4rJEhOU7GqL12g2s/edit#gid=781475401

)

     What are the expectations? Do you have to plant things? You don’t have to, but if you’d like to, remember:landscaping should approve trees. Shrubs and perennials, please make them drought tolerant and appropriate for the Utah landscape. Annuals will have to be tended by the adopt-a-spotter
      Community members do NOT need to consult the adopt-a-spot owner before weed wacking.  We want people to weed wack, and that’s shared responsibility and not just on the person who adpots it. If you are adopting that spot and concerned about things you’ve planted, make it obvious where not to weed wack with mulch around plants. Also communicate with the community.  

  What should you do with your adopt a spot? Keep it tidy and weeded.  Keep an eye on the plants, if you notice flooding or if the soil is bone dry send an email/ notify landscaping that it needs more water or there may be an issue. Also dig up siberian elm sprouts to keep them from spreading.  Be an advocate for this spot! This is especially important for weed wacking.  Lastly, feel free to ask your neighbors for advice. 

 Some adopt-a-spot area are suffering more than others. Vicky mentioned to take a look at the plants on the cheyenne side, the entrance that Kathy A used to handle really needs attention, could be fined by the city. Need to weed wack, can also divide the plants/take cuttings from various plants. Lavender would be a good plant to take cuttings of, Kay suggests you take woody cuttings with new green growth on them and propage in soil to plant in the ground in the fall.
    Another area is the north end of the east parking lot.
    Also, near the hydrant on the east garden

task list email
  Kellie would like to start sending out a weekly task list email so people know how to contribute for pay-or-play hours.
Kay suggests we can suggest ambitious vs non ambitious items, ie pull out grass vs just weed wack).
  Also need to visually mark where the control box is on the workshop, which control the east side water. Often it is blocked with lawn mowers and makes it difficult to get to to program. We  could add clearing this area to the task list.
  Mike will be gone after June 20th, need someone else to mow the lawn. Also need Carol’s yard to be watered. Vinnie will do the west side, can someone do the east end of her yard. There is also  a tree in her front yard on the east side, don’t know the name, but it is a small purple-leaved tree that is struggling and needs supplemental water.

Vicky mentioned several of the four way hose valves have gone missing, not sure where they went. We need these to help water trees. Okay with vicky getting reimbursement to buy a few replacement 4 way hose valves. 

East side water
The water on the east side is not on yet because we still have repairs and trouble shooting to do. We also need to followup about what work was done on the system there, as there are reports that a drip system was put in, but Kay can’t see anything visually. Kellie will check the management minutes from around 6/2023 to find the details and follow up with Jorge, who coordinated the repair.
  Perhaps next year we should start in March with testing the water system to make sure the watering system is on by may.