Left to right: HOA Vice President Gregg Clymer, Director of Common Area Landscaping Ron Sawyer and General Manager Bill Barnard
Gregg Clymer
The first major monsoon storm of the summer came with full force on July 29. Some of the winds came in a straight line; some came in a swirling manner. Each damaged trees as they came through PebbleCreek. Some of you may have lost some limbs or even a tree in your yard. The damage on HOA property was magnified by the size of our common areas and golf course acreage. The force of the wind even blew in a chain link fence at one of our tennis complexes. Some homeowners may be forced into replacing their fences if the force of the wind managed to knock them down. Living in places that are prone to weather conditions like this should make owners think about the types of fencing that they will buy. Something similar to this vinyl fencing in Los Angeles could be a great choice as this type of fencing has been known to be more pliable than any other material when it comes to serious conditions. This should ensure that no one gets hurt and that any damage is limited.
Our General Manager Bill Barnard and Tuscany Falls Golf Superintendent Paul McGinnis coordinated efforts that night to get emergency crews working first thing the next morning. There were more than 25 trees down on HOA property and at least 100 large limbs with countless smaller ones strewn about. Our common area and golf course maintenance staffs plus our landscape company, AAA, along with an emergency tree service, worked non-stop to get the clearing begun.
Our trees are insured for $1000 each but replacement value for the larger ones is many times that amount. Cost of overtime, emergency tree services and street sweeper services will be $12,000 to $15,000. No damage to buildings or other facilities occurred. We look forward in the Valley for the monsoon season to cool us off but it can certainly have a more damaging side effect.