As the summer has progressed, you might have seen the flower displays in our planters, flower beds, and weekly mowing in our green spaces. You may also have noticed that several of our parks receive irrigation, and quick response times for both litter concerns and 3-1-1 calls. This is because Hawkwood is one of 13 Calgary Non-Resident Association communities who are fortunate to have voted in an Enhanced Landscape Maintenance Program (ELM) – affectionately known as LEAF (Landscape Enhancement Appreciation Fund).
20 years ago, Hawkwood was beginning to show its age, and as the City of Calgary needed to scale back its care of Calgary parks, the Hawkwood Community Association saw an opportunity to dedicate a portion of Hawkwood resident tax money back into Hawkwood. Originally intended as a means to breathe new life into ageing and deteriorating communities, the program is growing roots in new communities as their residents and prospective homebuyers want the same care and attention Hawkwood enjoys. Hawkwood continues to maintain our LEAF Special Tax Levy contribution fees among the lowest in all these communities.
What LEAF Provides:
• Weekly mowing of green spaces
• Median watering during droughts
• Spring, fall, and post-windstorm cleanup
• Flower bed and planter design and maintenance
• Irrigation in eligible parks
• Direct control over our green spaces
• Volunteer opportunities
• Stable funding – 100% of applicable tax dollars (Levy) go directly to Hawkwood
• Future ongoing improvements
LEAF News
We’ve finally enjoyed a smooth transition between seasons this year! This has allowed LEAF to catch up on some rejuvenation in our flower and shrub beds. The flowers were planted early this year, allowing more robust establishment.
LEAF has also been an advocate with Urban Forestry’s tree planting program along our medians. LEAF has assisted in watering these new trees – increasing their transplant survival rates.
Most of the year’s initiatives have been at the administrative level. The popularity of the program city-wide and the requirements placed on communities and volunteers has ultimately forced a re-think on ensuring its sustainability. As such, Calgary Council has allowed the ELM program to begin work on a new program model. The model includes terms such as inaugurating new communities, community ongoing support and engagement, administration, and of course, funding. This is all still in its infancy. This will likely be a multi-year process – so stay tuned for more news!
Further, the requirement for a recurring five-year re-affirmation vote has been paused. General information on the program can be found at www.calgary.ca/communities/enhanced-landscape-maintenance.
Once again, we are graced with green fields – sprinkled with dandelions! Dandelions are not considered noxious weeks, and restrictions inhibit chemical control for this in Calgary parks. Dandelion season is typically short lived but coincides with the lush greens we typically enjoy in early summer. Worried about exposure to pesticides in Calgary parks? LEAF does not carry out any pesticide control currently, and one of our tot-lot playgrounds is a regulated pesticide-free park. Located at 10 Hawkmount Green NW, this park contains a new playground with plenty of trees and a green space to enjoy. Other pesticide-free parks in Calgary can be found here: www.calgary.ca/parks/pesticide-free.
Whatever the rest of our summer in Hawkwood has in mind, we hope you will regularly take some time to explore and relax in your community and enjoy both the floral displays of colour and our maintained parks. We live in a beautiful community with an Outdoor Recreation Facility providing many activities for everyone to enjoy. For more information, please visit our community website at hawkwoodca.com, and our community Facebook and Instagram pages.
LEAF
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