June marks the beginning of our summer season, a time when many homeowners have gone north for a few months; the temperatures begin to soar and a season that is challenging for our landscape and golf course maintenance crews is just beginning. With this month’s message, I’d like to share a few of the things we do during the summer months in these departments.
We have over 300 acres of maintained common areas, including our golf course desert areas. There are well over 100,000 plants, flowers, bushes, shrubs and trees to maintain. We also have plenty of grass at PebbleCreek including ten acres of common area turf and 270 acres of golf course turf. Overseeing the common area team are Ron Sawyer and Enrique Vigil. They supervise AAA Landscaping, our contract vendor, making sure that they are staying in their six-week rotation and are providing quality service, as well as supervising a crew of their own that maintains clubhouse areas, sports courts, parking lots, pools and main streets. Ron and Enrique’s team also responds to issues identified by homeowners via PebbleHelp.org (our homeowner feedback system) and our ALC department. The golf maintenance crew is headed by Jeff Lebo, golf course superintendent at Eagle’s Nest, and Joe Miller, golf course superintendent at Tuscany Falls. They oversee all of the maintenance at their respective golf courses.
One of our big projects in the common area and golf courses during the summer months is the trimming of palm trees throughout the community. There are over 5000 trees that will be trimmed on our main roads, community common areas and golf courses. Total Tree Care is the vendor that is contracted for this project which starts at the end of May and will run eight-ten weeks into July. This project is currently underway. If they haven’t reached your area yet, they will get there soon.
The major project on the golf courses during the summer months is the annual aerification of the golf courses. This process is where we will pull cores out of the greens, fairways and tee boxes in order to reduce compaction and to allow water and air to penetrate into the soil. It is also helpful in allowing us to leach the salts that have accumulated at the surface. Tuscany Falls West is already underway with the East golf course next, and finishing with Eagle’s Nest during the first part of July. AAA will also do this process on the common area turf in the upcoming weeks.
The summer season is also the time that we go through transition on our turf areas. This is when our winter rye grass starts dying out and the Bermuda grass base starts to come back. The winter rye starts dying out when our temperatures reach into the 100s and night-time temperatures stay above 70, but the Bermuda grass does not start flourishing until the humidity levels increase during our monsoon period in July and August. Many people do not realize that we are growing two different crops of grass and that this transition is a natural process. Unfortunately, it is a rough time of the year for the aesthetics of the grass and brown patches are the norm until the Bermuda grass can fully take hold. The goal is that by September 1 we have full coverage of Bermuda once again.
PebbleCreek is among one of the most beautiful places to live in the west valley with well-cared for grounds and golf courses. Keeping those maintained takes the hard work and dedication of many. I am proud of the work that those folks due, especially during these summer months, and I hope as you drive and walk through the community, you take a moment to realize just how lovely it really is. I hope you continue to live your best life here in PebbleCreek!