Vista Ridge - March 2015

February / March 2015

Pool & Park Cleanup Day Saturday March 7th

Neighborhood parties planned for 2015

We are getting a delivery of wood chips for the playground area on Saturday, March 7th and need as much help as possible to spread it evenly. It is important that these chips are replaced each year to make sure the playground stays safe for children.

Mark your calendars, the Events Committee has determined dates for this year’s set of neighborhood parties. We expect great turnout and a lot of fun for the whole family, we hope you all will join us. The annual Summer Splash has

Please bring gloves, wheelbarrows, rakes, and shovels if possible. We expect to get a full dump-truck sized load of chips which will be delivered into the parking lot. We will transport them via wheelbarrow to the playground and spread

them underneath all of the equipment.

We will also use that time to clean the park of debris and trash and give the pool a once over including the chairs and loungers in preparation for summer.

A little maintenance including bracing the main gate to the pool, treating the grounds for ants, and organizing the pump room will be going on as well.

Pool & Park Cleanup Day Saturday, March 7th 11:00am

been moved to the end of summer to make room for a pair summertime parties!

Just before the end of the school year there will be a pool party and mid-summer we will be having a 4th of July parade.

May 16th School’s (almost) Out Swim Party Join us at the pool to celebrate the end of the school year and enjoy the weather and water with your neighbors!

July 4th Independence Day Parade Parents, decorate the wagon and bring the little ones out, have the older kids decorate their scooter or bike. There will be awards for the best decorations!

August 22nd 6th Annual Summer Splash Volunteers needed for pool reservations The Pool and Park Committee would like a few volunteers to help out with reservations at the Pool and Cabana during the summer.

This entails registering individual reservations and logging them on the public calendar and checking in with the residents who are renting the space before and after their events.

If you’ve ever taken advantage of the free Cabana rental this would be a great way to give back to the community so that we can continue to offer this great amenity to all of our neighbors.

If you can help out please contact Tim Lehner. lvrpoolandpark@gmail.com

Its the last Saturday before heading back to school. We are breaking out the big stuff for this party. Giant inflatables, a slip and slide, and a lot more. Bring a side dish, we will have food and drinks!

October 31ST Halloween Parade and Costume Contest Come out before you go trick-or-treating wearing your spooky costumes and makeup.

DECEMBER 19TH Holiday Party Food, crafts, general merry-making – you don’t want to miss this one! Bring the whole family.

News From the 10 Ways to Make Your Landscape EARTH-KIND Earth-Kind® focuses on using environmentally friendly management practices to produce landscapes that are beautiful, low-maintenance, and sustainable. The goals of an Earth-Kind® landscape are to conserve water and energy, reduce pesticide and fertilizer use, and to recycle landscape wastes. Unfortunately, some Earth-Kind® principles can be difficult to implement in an established landscape especially if the owner does not wish to make drastic changes to the existing design and plantings. The following, however, are ten practices that can easily be implemented to transform an existing landscape into one that is Earth-Kind®.

1. Mulch Adding and maintaining a three-inch layer of plantderived mulch, such as native hardwood, will significantly reduce the amount of water required in the landscape. This is especially true when drip irrigation is placed underneath it. Mulch also helps prevent weeds and erosion, modifies the soil temperature, and serves as continuous supply of organic matter for the soil beneath. Mulch can easily be added to an existing landscape and may be available free from municipal or utility sites.

2. Low-volume irrigation Micro and drip irrigation is typically at least 90 percent efficient compared to traditional sprinkler irrigation (50 to 70 percent) because it applies water only where it is needed and slowly enough to minimize runoff and evaporation loss. It also reduces salinity damage and disease on foliage by keeping the water and soil splash off the plants’ leaves. A wide variety of products and kits are available, as are many internet resources that offer guidance on installation.

3. Irrigation auditing/evaluation An assessment of your irrigation system’s efficiency and effectiveness will help identify problems such as leaks or sprinkler heads that are damaged or misaligned. Measuring sprinkler output and coverage will help you determine if the coverage is even and how long to run your irrigation system.

A licensed irrigator can perform a formal system audit, or a homeowner can conduct an informal evaluation.

4. Cycle and soak watering Programming your irrigation system to split run times into several shorter cycles can save a substantial amount of water.

This method allows more time for water to soak into the soil than if you apply the water all at once. Cycle and soak watering is especially beneficial on compacted or clay soils or landscapes with steep slopes where infiltration is slow. Modern irrigation controllers can be easily programmed for cyclic watering, and some are already equipped to perform this special function. For manual irrigation, move sprinklers around instead of completely watering one area at a time.

5. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) This balanced approach to pest control focuses on using cultural, biological, and mechanical control measures.

Under IPM, chemical control is used only as a last resort.

Strategies include using pest and disease tolerant plants, preserving pest’s natural enemies, and excluding or physically removing pests. Chemical treatments are selected carefully and used only when pest populations warrant such measures.

In the case of chemical control, select the product that is least toxic, but yet still effective, and avoid using broadspectrum insecticides that also kill beneficials.

6. Composting You can convert yard waste such as leaves, grass clippings, and pruning waste into compost, rather than paying to have it removed and added to a land- fill. A properly managed compost pile can produce a valuable soil amendment in one to three months — and often without disagreeable odors.

Compost is derived from once-living material so it contains most of the nutrients that plants need.

7. Fertilizing based on soil tests Sampling the soil in your lawn or landscape properly and having it analyzed can help the environment and your wallet.

A soil test will reveal the specific nutrients that your soil may be lacking and will help you choose an appropriate fertilizer. This will save money and avoid excess nutrient levels by applying only the type and amount of nutrient needed. You will also reduce pollution in the form of runoff or groundwater contamination.

8. Rainwater harvesting Collecting and storing rainwater can reduce your water bill. It is also pure, and in areas where tap water is high in salts or chlorine, irrigating with it can allow you to grow sensitive plants such as azalea and camellia where they otherwise could not. Capturing rainwater is easy if gutters are already in place, but if not, they can easily be installed. Capture and storage can be as simple as placing a barrel under a downspout.

9. Preparing planting areas Preparing the soil properly can drastically reduce the need for fertilizers in both new and existing beds.

It can also reduce disease problems and the amount of water required. Incorporating at least 3 inches of finished, plant-derived compost into the soil will improve the nutrient and water holding capacity in sandy soils and improve drainage in clay. Compost supplies nutrients slowly, encourages beneficial soil microorganisms, and allows roots to penetrate deeper for greater water uptake. Raised beds approximately 12 inches high and crowned in the center will greatly improve plant performance where soils drain poorly.

A note from the Liaison

Randy Hutchison

I am excited to serve as your Liaison for 2015.

Since moving into the neighborhood in 2008 I have had the privilege of working along side three previous Liaisons (Lola Monaghan, Terri Hall, and Tim Lehner) who have set the bar very high.

At this point some of you are probably wondering what the “Liaison” does. As the Liaison, I will serve as the channel of communication from the Neighborhood Committees to the Board and Management Company. I will serve as the Chair of the Community Action Group (aka CAG) which meets every other month and also participate in an advisory role on committees. We have awesome group committee chairs and volunteers working hard to help Vista Ridge continue to be a great place to live. It is my job to ensure they have what they need and that the residents of Vista Ridge have a voice in what happens in our neighborhood.

With the transfer of control of the HOA Board from the developer to the residents on the horizon, more resident involvement is needed to ensure a smooth transition. Please consider joining a committee and/or attending CAG meetings.

If you have any questions or comments I can be reached at lvrliaison@gmail.com -Randy

10. Turf maintenance Sound turf management can greatly reduce your lawn’s labor, water, and fertilizer requirements. Keeping turf mowed to a reasonably greater height promotes a deeper root system, reduces plant stress, and provides more shade for the soil surface. All these factors reduce the lawn’s water needs. Grass clip- pings generally contain approximately 2 to 3 percent nitrogen.

Leaving them on the lawn will significantly reduce the need for nitrogen fertilizers. Mulching grass clippings (rather than bagging them) also re- turns organic matter to the soil. Research shows that this practice does not contribute to excessive thatch accumulation when the turf is mowed regularly.

Adapted from: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind/files/2015/02/ eht_10ways2earthkind.pdf

Join the Leander Parks & Recreation Department for the annual Spring Eggstravaganza candy hunt at Robin Bledsoe Park. The hunt will be done in waves based on age groups.

Bring your baskets, smiles, and join us for a hopping

good time! The Spring Eggstavaganza is presented

by HEB Plus in Leander and Randolph Brooks Federal Credit Union. This is a free event!

Spring Eggstravaganza March 29th, 12:00pm

Welcome Home HOA Website

Neighborhood Nextdoor Page

LeanderVR.com

vistaridge.nextdoor.com

Neighborhood Facebook Group

Need a Pool Key?

facebook.com/groups/vistaridge

PoolKey.com

HOA Committee Email Contacts Communications

Marshall Hines

LVRCommunications@gmail.com

Crime Watch

Bob McDonald

LVRCrimeWatch@gmail.com

Events

Rebecca Poulton

LVREvent@gmail.com

Lawn and Garden

Connie White & Gabe Pope

LVRLawnAndGarden@gmail.com

Pool and Park

Tim Lehner

LVRPoolAndPark@gmail.com

Liason to HOA Board

Randy Hutchison

LVRLiaison@gmail.com

Encino Drive

Pool and Pavillion

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Olmos Drive

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Villas at Vista Ridge (not part of the VR HOA)

Peregrine Way

Lomo Cedro Bend

Lomita Drive

Cerezo Drive

Chaparral Drive

Paseo Verde Drive

Red Hawk Drive

Alta Vista Drive

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Las Colinas Drive

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Arroyo Lindo Drive

Bledsoe Park