Neglected in Southern Walk - Unruly Grass

We all pay the same astronomical HOA dues, so why is the back portion of Southern Walk neglected???????????

Is it possible to fine the HOA for unruly grass since they are able to fine homeowner's for unruly grass? Seriously... I lost my 40 pound dog in the grass yesterday.

The community grass was cut if you live between Claiborne and Larchmont; however, anything beyond Larchmont has not been cut this year to my knowledge.

Maybe the landscapers only cut actual grass and do not trim weeds. Is that the issue -- that Larchmont and beyond only has weeds (yes, that should be another forum topic)? Can someone please explain why the second half of Southern Walk is ALWAYS neglected???

1. No actual grass, just weeds
2. No landscaping service and it's nearing the end of April

This is out of control and a shame considering the "pristine" sense of the Broadlands communities. Maybe the aura of "Broadlands" is only the sections of Broadlands that can be seen from the main roads.

What is going to be done to remedy this issue?

 

There are areas of actual grass that are pretty unruly, too!

I often think the same thing -- if the HOA can fine us for not mowing our lawns, we should be able to fine them back.

The "reason" they gave last week for being behind on the mowing is that the rain last week set them off a few days.

Doesn't look like they've been trying very hard to catch up.

I was also amused to see some dandelion plants had been pulled from the ground along Village drive across from Windover/Arbor Green Way... and each left lying on the ground surrounded by about 10 more, larger dandelion plants.... Heh.

 

I live on Larchmont and everyone I can see has their grass cut.

And have you contacted the HOA office at the nature center? Call and let them know your concerns. If it is an area that is meant to be cut and was missed, HLS (landscapper) will probably come back and mow.

 

I personally haven't called, but I am giving them today since they could be working through the weekend for all I know. I'll probably call tomorrow if the mowing isn't done today.

Maybe the landscapers are giving priority to the SF homes where they do the lawns for the homeowners, and will be coming back for common areas later? Of course I have my own thoughts on that, but... different discussion entirely.

Oh -- and re: astronomical dues -- I don't think the portion of the dues we pay for the general HOA is THAT astronomical. Maybe, but I don't think so.... Don't forget in SW we pay the SW HOA dues which doesn't pay for landscaping or grounds maintenance... that $$$ all goes to OpenBand for the phone/internet/CATV service.

 

Drove by those areas a bit ago and I can see cause for complaint. Most of the common areas have not been mowed from the townhomes all the way up Village.

I hope they were NOT "neglected" and not done because of the recent rain.

 

There are many areas in N Broadlands that haven't seen a mower yet this year, so have a little patience...good grief Charlie Brown.

 

Well, belly-aching on an anonymous forum accomplishes nothing.
Contact the HOA Office with your specific areas of concern.
Yes, they are working 7 days a week when possible. The crews were out today.
Yes, they try to get the single family homes done before the common areas to cut down on the complaints.
Oh, and show me how the Broadlands HOA fees are astronomical. I've done the comparisons. I'm sure you have not.
Yes, it is common for grass to get long during the beginning of the season.....grass grows faster, more rainy days, etc. Happens every year.
And no, the HOA does not fine for long grass during the obviously fast growing periods.
Ans since your dog should be on a leash, I don't know how you could lose him.
Happy now?

 

The HOA is not astronomical. But, that doesn't explain why they have not cut the grass in more than 3 weeks? I don't know if the problem is with the HOA or the landscapers, but it needs to be resolved. If I can get a letter about having Christmas lights on my trees in February then you should be able to take some unhappy residents about the common areas that have not been mowed yet this season...

 

Let me get this straight, you could not get Christmas lights down in 6 plus weeks and but yet, you think the entire community should be able to be mowed in less then 2 weeks with it raining almost every day?

With the amount of rain we have gotten and the warmer temps, I am not surprised that the grass is growing fast and the mowers are having a hard time keeping up. If you do any research through this forums you can see almost every spring especially the rainy ones it takes a little while until everything is caught up but it always happens.

Staci

 

With all due respect the areas in question are usually the courtyard homes, of which we do pay a higher rate of $118/mo vs. the $77 than the rest of the SFH community.

Yes this is a issue every Spring and it would be nice for HLS to be more proactive - especially in the Courtyard common area. As for the rain - it has NOT rained almost every day in the past 3 weeks, in fact it has been a rather dry season.

Further more residents (like myself) get tweeked because we pay 40-50% more than most residents and yet our common areas in the Courtyard sections are neglected year after year. Don't get me started on the mulch, especially on Claiborne (south of the NC) which continues to look like crap.

 

I for one would like to see something done about the actual lack of grass in the area south of Larchmont. It's mostly WEEDS!! I think they tried treating the HoA owned portions last year by plugging the ground, but it was a fruitless endeavor. Nash's sarcastic remark about "losing" the dog in the grass isn't a huge stretch albeit an exaggeration.

I also am not to keen on the statement that the SFH portions are being taken care of first because it keeps down on their complaining. Last I checked we were higher density and pay the same or higher fees. All I've seen is that the quality of the common areas is slack in comparison and this can't be attributed to heavy rains or contractors that can't find a way to mow straight down Village Avenue. It's an ongoing issue that yearns for a remedy. The grassy areas will never look better until the landscaping is properly fixed. I think the myriad of frustrated posts on this should be enough to get the HoA's attention.

 

Yes, but it's somewhat meaningless attention.
If you want some type of response, pick up the phone, call the HOA Office, give them your specific areas of concern, note the response, and see what happens. Then maybe you can report back what the HOA's answer is.

You may not be keen on the fact, but the fact is there are far more complaints from residents in Southern Walk wanting their lawns mowed than concerns about Common Area.
Of course, I have a simple solution I would love to implement......have the HOA stop all landscaping services on private lots. That would solve ALL of these problems and your HOA fees would go down.
Good luck getting similar services for anywhere close to what you pay.

In addition to rainy days, it is difficult to mow on day/days immediately after a rainfall.
If you look at the number of days for mowing over the past three weeks, it hasn't been that many....which is why they are out mowing on Saturdays and Sundays.

 

Staci,

Believe it or not, I did NOT do any research prior to claiming the grass should be mowed in the month of April. I will do that next time.

Do you really believe there is a comparison to someone taking their Christmas lights down vs. a housing association that collects money for grounds keeping, that does not mow the lawn for 3+ weeks? That's a tough comparison to make.

Whew! I'm glad I never got involved in hospital debate.

 

I to believe it should be done in April but seeing how was still almost 1/2 the month left when you started the thread I am not sure this is what you were upset about. Yes the grass needs cut, yes it is getting unruly I am not arguing that but I think people need to be a little more patient. Around my section people have only been mowing for 2 weeks and I have seen HLS out hard at work even on the weekends so I do not believe this is neglect. I just believe it takes a few weeks to get under control and the spring tends to not be as fast as most people would like.

Do I think there is a comparison between the lights and the mowing - not at all. But you are the one who decided to bring you getting a letter for lights into this discussion I was just responding. The HOA is patient in allowing people to get things done and I guess I just expect people to be patient with us as well. At least as long as progress is being made.

Staci

 

So now the HOA wants to remove the services sold to the courtyard homeowners? BAD IDEA, you think the HOA is getting complaints now and just how can the HOA make such a decision with out a vote from the homeowners who bought their homes with the lawn services.

How about if the HOA members meet with HLS and resolve the issue?

Residents in the Courtyard/SouthernWalk area complain because we PAY MORE ($480 a year more) than the rest of the community for lawn services.

 

Why not knock the chip off your shoulder, and actually do something about it? You waste too much time telling people not to use the "Broadlands Community Issues" portion of the forum to communicate with the HOA. Sure, the forum is not the ideal way to get action, but just like newspapers and tv, it is a form of communication and if all of the HOA members are READING and RESPONDING, then maybe it is WORKING!

Don't you think the complaints would stop if it were done right in the first place? I don't think that running from the problem is a solution at all.

Your solution, however, would be brilliant for the OB package.

 

Cliff,

The areas in question are the HoA owned portions that are outside of the owner property lines. For instance, anything between the bike paths and the roads. I see many owners mowing up to their property line but leaving the rest of the area for the HoA to mow, which is their perogative really. It still looks bad. There's one particular area at the corner of Fieldthorn and Sunderleigh where the weeds are 18" tall. Across the street the owner mowed to his property line and stopped.

My understanding of the "Broadlands Community Issues" forum was that it was to be used to raise issues the community has with the community. Sure I could call up and list specific areas of concern, but isn't this just as good? This thread has 750 views already in just a few days - clearly there's some interest and the HoA wouldn't be able to see what's bothering people most without the metric.

It's also possible that the specific areas of concern are so numerous that it's just easier to say "Hey, this whole region of the development needs some looking at." Which is a statement I would agree with.

 

Just as an FYI...Management staff does not regularly monitor the Forums - honestly, there are just not enough of us to keep the forum under constant check. That is why it is always recommended that you call the office with questions and concerns.

 

This is classic. We're one month into spring and barely two weeks into the rainy season and everyone's crying foul. It's this way every stinking year. Come on people...I'm happy not having to mow my grass for a couple more weeks and by July, I'll be wasting water in vain attempts to keep the grass looking green!

 

KTdid,

Head to the southern area way in the back and you'll see what we are talking about.