November is here and no amount of beautiful weather can disguise the fact that winter is right around the corner. As the season changes, NDHA’s work turns from maintaining green spaces to clearing snow from pathways. We are also looking forward to our holiday light installation and winter foliage display that compliment Discovery Ridge’s wonderful landscaping.
Fall Cleanup: ULS crews have been working to prepare our median beds and other greenspaces for winter. Crews have tidied all median beds and linear parks by trimming back many perennials, weeding, litter cleanup, and sweeping gravel from pathways around playgrounds. ULS snow removal crews and equipment are in place and ready to go as soon as the snow flies.
Snow Clearing: When we do get snowfall this winter, you may notice the community pathways have been cleared while sidewalks next to main roadways remain snow covered for several more days. This is understandably confusing because ULS clears snow in both areas. The explanation is that the NDHA shares responsibility for snow clearing in the community with the City of Calgary. The contracts are independent of each other and the NDHA and City have different policies governing snow clearing:
• City policy is that sidewalks under its control will be cleared within 24 hours of the end of a snow event. If it is snowing anywhere in the City, the snow event is not considered “ended”.
• The NDHA’s policy is to have walkways and sidewalks under its control cleared within 24 hours of a snowfall in the community, and every 24 hours thereafter until the snow stops.
FAQ #22 on our website includes a map showing where the NDHA clears pathways. Note that unless adjacent to a private home or business, sidewalks on Discovery Ridge Boulevard, Discovery Ridge Lane, and Discovery Ridge Hill, in addition to several other small sections of sidewalks in our community, are the City’s responsibility. Please call 3-1-1 if you have concerns about snow clearing in these areas.
If you have concerns with a NDHA-cleared pathway, please let us know. Early season snow often melts during the day and becomes ice in the evening. Please take care when enjoying our pathways this winter.
Holiday Lights and Foliage: Our holiday lights at the entrance and near the leisure ice rink have been installed and will be turned on in mid-November. We will also have a holiday foliage installed in the entranced planters for your enjoyment.
Want to Help? One of the big benefits of living in Discovery Ridge is our top-notch community landscaping. NDHA is a volunteer-run organization, but it still aims to deliver the best landscaped public spaces in Calgary. Volunteering some time, as a Member of the Board or in another capacity, can help the NDHA a lot. If you have a few hours a month you can offer and want to help keep Discovery Ridge beautiful, we would like to talk to you. Reach out to us through our website (www.ndha.ca) or by emailing [email protected].
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