Landscaping Standing Committee
Lighthouse Landing Estates sits on 12 acres, therefore landscaping is a big part of the strata’s operations and budget. Strata Council is striking a committee to be made up of 4 or 5 owners who are interested in landscaping issues to manage this portfolio.
COMMITTEE MANDATE
The committee has two main functions:
- To support and assist the Landscaping Coordinator in carrying out the strata’s ongoing landscaping requirements.
- To identify areas where the Strata Corporation can save money, come up with plans of action to make the changes required to save money.
Over the last few years our landscaping costs have gone up significantly and some owners have expressed an interest in finding ways to keep costs down. Ideas include:
- looking at things we could do to reduce contract work/time, such as:
- not having the contractors mow or trim inside the fenced areas for the units that have fenced areas.
- replacing some of the grassy areas with xeriscaping in order to reduce contractor work/time and watering requirements. Examples of xeriscaping see can be seen in Nanaimo’s handout (PDF). And here’s a link to an article on “Meadow-Making“.
- the Strata Corporation could purchase our own equipment and hire and oversee summer workers to cut the grass, trim the hedges, etc.
Whatever the suggestions are, they will need to be planned and costed, before being presented to Council and then eventually voted on by The Owners at an AGM or SGM.
COMMITTEE DUTIES
Duties of the committee can be divvied up between members as per each individual’s area of interest.
- To oversee the landscaping service contract: contract negotiation, vendor selection and oversee contract services.
- To identify areas that require landscape work beyond the landscaping contract: create and oversee work parties to carry out that work, including:
- Pest management.
- Seasonal plantings.
- Pruning and perennial planting.
- Ponds.
- Grounds cleanup.
- To oversee the irrigation system operations: maintenance and repair.
- To liaise with the Regional District of Nanaimo and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and to ensure we are in compliance laws and regulations.
- To work with arborists to address potentially hazardous trees.