Bill Barnard
We are working our way through the hottest summer on record and hope to see some relief soon. As of this writing, our temperatures are still reaching 110+, and it’s odd when we think 100 degrees is cool! We’ve had one monsoon windstorm the first week of September that damaged quite a few of our larger trees, and we are finalizing clean up and evaluating overall damage from that event. We are seeing some recovery of plants but still have to make our way through the next month.
As I have been reporting over the last several months, we still have ongoing projects that I would like to update you on:
Tuscany Falls West Golf Course Grass Replacement
As I mentioned last month, we re-sprigged some fairway areas with new sprigs to supplement the grassing that was completed at the beginning of July. The extreme heat in July stalled the growth of the grass. We are starting to see a marked improvement on the grass coverage on the fairways. Joe and his crew are fertilizing, mowing, top dressing, and doing all they can to promote the growth. The greens grass is coming in just fine, and we are getting on a regular mowing schedule to get the heights to a consistent level. While we were hoping for an opening date sometime during the overseed period, we are going to continue to evaluate the growth before making a decision to open the West Course. Eagle’s Nest and Tuscany Falls East are both in great condition going into their overseed period starting in October. Eagle’s Nest will close for overseed from Oct. 2 through Oct. 22. Tuscany Falls East closes on Oct. 9 through Oct. 29.
Street Light Replacement
I am pleased to report that the street light crew is back on property and finishing up replacements of street lights. They were not on property for a few weeks because they were waiting for backordered parts to arrive. It should take them about three weeks for completion. APS has repaired some of the underground electrical problems on their end, and only eight more lights are left for them to repair. When all is said and done, we will have touched about 1,300 lights, and they should all be functioning and under our control. We will be excited to get this project behind us and start saving electricity moving forward.
Toscana’s Restaurant Renovation
As I announced at the end of August, we now have a signed construction agreement with PWI Construction and were able to stay within our original estimated budget. Construction fencing has been installed around the building and mobilization will occur the week of Sept. 18. Construction is estimated to take about 28 weeks, but as with any construction project, things could change. We are in the process of setting up The Tiny Tavern Mobile Kitchen to offer food/drinks throughout the day for golfers and others that want to stop by for a quick meal. The menu has been finalized, staff is in place, and as soon as we get our health department inspection and permit, we can open The Tiny Tavern. We are subject to the County’s schedule. We hope this will offer a good alternative while the restaurant is under construction. Ed’s Dog’s will be available regular hours and Eagle’s Nest Restaurant remains a full-service facility with breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Please check the HOA website, PebbleNews and Cheers! for updates.
Overseeding
Believe it or not, it is the time of the year to start overseeding our common areas and golf courses. Prep work has already begun with lowering the height of the Bermuda grass. We will start backing off the water and then scalp the areas prior to overseed to provide a good seedbed for the winter rye grass. We will start this year at the Dog Park with some park improvements beginning Sept. 11, with overseed to follow immediately. The Dog Park will be closed through Oct. 14. Sunrise/Sunset Parks will close on Sept. 25 through Oct. 22. Finally, the clubhouse yards and other grass areas will be overseeded beginning Sept. 25 and closed until Oct. 25. While the overseed period is going on, we ask that you stay off of the grass areas. There will be consistent irrigation the first week or so and once the grass starts coming up, we will be mowing and fertilizing the new turf. It takes three to four weeks to get the grass established and we ask for your patience until the process is complete.
Road Work
We have just a few more small projects left for road work this year. We are adding an asphalt cart parking area at the softball field that is scheduled for the end of the month. We are also going to sealcoat Units 8, 11, 40, and 41 that were slurry sealed earlier this year on Oct. 4 and 5. We will send out an email to all residents that will be affected by the road work.
And finally, I did want to update you on two projects being done by external sources that impact our community:
CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber Upgrades
CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber are still on property working on upgrades to their underground fiber. They have added more crews in an effort to complete the project faster. They have completed the fiber upgrades on the Tuscany Falls side of the community and are now focused on the Eagle’s Nest side. A reminder—the original patches are just temporary to fill the holes and permanent patching will follow. They are still working on permanent patching of the roads on the Tuscany Falls side and then will come to the Eagle’s Nest side to finalize asphalt patching. CenturyLink has established a Construction Hotline at 602-357-5502 to field any questions or concerns that our residents may have.
Cox Communications
Cox Communications is also on property on the Eagle’s Nest side “proofing” their lines. This involves cleaning and evaluation of their existing communication lines. There is no trenching or digging involved and should be non-intrusive for the residents. You may see them getting into the boxes that are in your yard for a short period of time.
Before you know it, the community will be busy with the hustle and bustle of returning residents and the holiday season. I hope that season also brings us those cooler temperatures.