To: Landscaping in General
Everyone should remember that I, along with twenty to thirty other folks over the last four years or so, have been taking care of the landscaping chores and monument chores, for all of North Shore. We did it quietly, and we did it for the friendships we built with each other and for the good we felt we were doing for the entire neighborhood. We did these things in conjunction with College Cutters, who were a bunch of young college kids just starting of their landscaping business. All of this went very smoothly until last October/Novmeber. The problems surfaced and after a short while I was able to resolve them and things got back to normal.
The twenty or thirty folks varied over the years. Sometimes these folks could volunteer and other times they couldn't for some reason or another, like vacations, etc. We always had six to ten people at any given time. And, as a result, the landscaped areas always looked pretty good. Every once in a while a planter would get ratty looking and we would take care of it. But for the most part it always looked O.K.
It is only now that, since my landscaping retirement, the issue is even being discussed. Had I not elected to remove myself after four hard years of continuous service, this issue would not now be before us.
I wish all the newcomers all the luck in the world. Its hard work and it is forever.
P.S. We are not the only neighborhood that has this landscaping arrangement with the city. I believe every neighborhood association who received landscaping in their neighborhood plan or received some form of matching grant type funds, also have the obligation of maintaining their landscaping. This issue is not unique to North Shore. Just ask Creasant Lake N.A. for one.
By Steven D. Lange
