Community Input and Next Steps
A big thank you to the community for sharing your valuable input to help shape the future of landscaping services in Countryhouse. Here’s a summary of where we’ve been and what’s next:
- Input Gathering: We’ve collected input from our community meeting, online survey, and individual Close walkthroughs.
- Review and Summary: The board has reviewed all the input received and developed a summary of community input, which can be found below
- Creation of a Request for Proposal (Bid Document), for seeking 2025 Landscaping Services: Using the input and summary, the board and landscaping committee has developed an outline of landscaping services for seeking proposals for our 2025 community-wide landscaping services. The Request for Proposal will be shared with landscaping vendors at the end of August, with bids due mid-September.
- Short-term and Long-term Plans: Input from the walkthroughs has been shared with the landscaping committee, who are focusing on both short-term improvements that can be implemented soon and planning for longer-term landscaping projects.
It has been great to see such involvement from the community, which helps ensure that decisions are well-informed and inclusive of community preferences and priorities. If there’s any additional information you’d like to share or questions you have, please don’t hesitate: bod@countryhousehoa.org
Review of Community Landscaping Input
Top Three Landscaping Priorities
- Mowing, Blowing, Weeding, Edging
- Pruning and Removal/Replanting of Shrubs and Trees
- Process, Communication, Accountability, Transparency
Summary of Community Input
Mowing, Blowing, Weeding, Edging:
- Improve care and attention to grass mowing—including use of smaller/mulching mowers with improved clearing of debris
- Improve attention to grass growing–specific to conditions and/or alternatives where grass cannot grow well
- Improve care with blowing–specific to needs and using care around buildings, vehicles
- Improve edging and cleanup of fallen sticks/branches and resident gardener trimmings
- Improve weeding, including in flower beds—by hand and/or with non-toxic alternative to Roundup
Pruning and Removal of Shrubs and Trees
- More proactive and careful pruning and re-planting of shrubbery
- More proactive and responsive tree pruning and removal to improve safety and avoid property damage—with a clear process, schedule, and responsive communication with homeowners
- Develop a plan, budget, and execution for ongoing shrubbery/landscaping replenishment with native, deer-proof, and appropriately sized/low-maintenance dwarf species
Process, Communication, Accountability, Transparency
- More frequent and detailed ongoing communication of landscaping work and schedules
- Clarify landscaper vs. homeowner responsibilities–with additional flexibility for homeowners regarding plantings
- Improve cost-effectiveness, communication, and oversight of landscaping services
Additional
- Improve and increase frequency of drain clearing
- Maintain consistent depth levels of mulched/pine straw areas, and allow flexibility for homeowner choice
Prioritized Suggestions
- Separate Landscaping and Tree Committees to enhance responsiveness and safety
- Clarify and simplify landscaping guidelines and processes in the homeowners’ guide
- Improve landscaping communication, accountability, and review through assigned close representatives
- Enhance communications with homeowners regarding requests, status, and scheduling of work: refine process with Property Manager/AppFolio serving as central clearinghouse for facilitating all landscaping and tree requests and effective communication of responses and schedules
- Explore separate multiyear landscape replenishment process (and budget) using input and guidance from close representatives and homeowners, landscape committee, and local expertise (cooperative extension, master gardeners, landscapers, etc.)
- Develop detailed Request for Proposal (bid document) seeking itemized costs for each major area–allowing flexibility for prioritization and alternate options according to needs and budget