Cooler nights and earlier sunsets tell us all that we are into fall in Discovery Ridge. With leaves turning colour and falling, you will see ULS on site picking up leaves and preparing our community parks and pathways for the winter.
In the fall, the NDHA board reflects on the growing season just passed to determine what the priorities might be for next years. This summer was a busy one on the landscaping front but many of the current projects are wrapping up this fall. We will be looking at our ongoing “to-do” list and projecting our focus for next year. Let us know if you have any suggestions!
Water Restrictions: When thinking back on this year so far, a standout fact has been the City-mandated water restrictions we have all been under since the June watermain break. This has been hard on your yards and the landscapes NDHA maintains on your behalf. NDHA has supported the City’s efforts by minimizing the use of our irrigation when allowed, by not running the waterfall feature at the entrance to our community, and by having ULS water medians and other areas using non-potable water sourced from outside the City. However long Calgarians remain under restrictions, NDHA encourages all Discovery Ridge residents to do what they can to help conserve drinking water. Tips can be found on the City’s website.
Tree and Shrub Watering – Help Them Survive! This summer brought a lot of hot weather and watering restrictions for all of us. This is the latest in a string of hot dry growing seasons and this has caused extreme stress to all plants, including trees and shrubs. Many have died after years of strong growth. Our dry winters haven’t helped. As long as watering restrictions allow, we encourage all owners with yards to deep water your foliage, especially the trees and shrubs, right up to freeze-up. This will give your plants the best chance of surviving our long, dry winter. Many park trees cannot be watered using ULS’s heavy tanker truck. If you notice a park tree near you that is young or seems to be struggling, please do not hesitate to water it. This will give it the best chance of winter survival and give you a beautiful tree (rather than a dead one) to enjoy. Thank you in advance for helping out!
Projects and Landscaping Update: It was a busy year from NDHA’s perspective with completion of the two-season re-mulching program, replacing 150 shrubs in medians, repair of the chain link fence at exit, along with the usual mowing and landscaping operations. As of writing, we have seen the start of the repair of the wrought iron fence at the roundabout and are working to have benches in green spaces re-stained before the weather turns too cold. It has been a highly successful year on these files, and we hope you agree that our community green spaces looked great.
This has also been a year of surprises with the City’s draining and work on the Discovery Heights Pond and the season-long water restrictions we have all faced. We have also noted progress on the work to construct an accessible crosswalk into Griffith Woods on Discovery Ridge Boulevard below the pond and hope to see the retaining wall on the walkway behind Discovery Ridge Mount to begin before winter sets in. We monitor progress on these files and communicate with relevant City departments regularly. As a reminder, the City is very responsive to input provided to 3-1-1 (telephone, on the web, or through the app) for all manner of concerns including things like graffiti on garbage cans and utility boxes, damaged equipment, and other issues in our parks and pathways.
Outstanding Fees: The 2024 NDHA fee of $325 was due on June 29. As of this writing, over 90% of members have paid their 2024 fees – thank you! We ask that those who have not, please pay your fees immediately. If you are unsure of your payment status, please access your membership portal on our website. If you have questions or concerns, you may contact the NDHA Treasurer at [email protected] or our Membership Director at [email protected]. Please reference your property address.
Can you Help? The NDHA is currently managed by six community volunteers. The work of these volunteers, your neighbours, saves the association more than $100,000 per year in professional management fees. That’s the equivalent of fees for over 300 homes! These savings are why we have the funds to invest in the landscape upgrades and maintenance that have made Discovery Ridge one of the most striking in the city. We can always use help in many ways so if you are interested in helping keep Discovery Ridge beautiful, please reach out.
We hope you all are having a wonderful autumn and that you get a chance to enjoy our parks and pathways as the seasons change.
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