Landscape Strategic Plan Committee Update

from DWDM | June 2023 Newsletter

Landscape Strategic Plan Committee Update

Article submission by Kim Dwyer, Communications Committee

As a part of the Infrastructure and Landscaping Committee’s (ILC’s) work to develop a Landscape Strategic Plan (LSP), a workshop and a survey were completed in August 2022. The workshop Powerpoint and survey report are archived on our website if you would like to review them The survey indicated Residents strongly recommended we partner with experienced Landscape Design Professionals to design Del Webb’s LSP. We are pleased to share that a Resident team has been appointed by the DWDM Board and a Landscape Architecture firm is now consulting to help develop the LSP. The LSP team is committed to keeping Residents informed of our progress and to regularly sharing information in our Newsletter and potentially a new LSP bulletin board. Here’s your first update!

Who is on the LSP team?

• ILC Landscape subcommittee, including: Sherrie Hohnke, Jim Jansen, Mark Johnson, Brad Mason and Dave Eisenberg

• Residents Susan Clouser, Patricia Dion, Kim Dwyer, Judy Murphy, Bobby Nielsen, Susan Roden and Dara Sitter.

• All team members attended the 3 Smartscape classes that were held at the Saguaro Center.

Who are the Landscape Architects?

• DWDM has chosen to partner with a local firmWilder LandscapeArchitects (Wilder). Jennifer Patton and Ben Wilder are leading the effort.

• Jennifer and Ben have extensive experience and their firm is “driven by the belief that our built environments can serve the needs of both people and nature. We use our technical expertise, aesthetic sensitivity and environmental knowledge to create resilient landscapes that are firmly rooted in their locale. Our designs are creative, constructible and cost-conscious. We work in urban and rural settings, on projects ranging from roadways to campus and commercial sites, to yards.”

• The Wilder website provides numerous examples of their projects and it is easy to appreciate their love of our beautiful Sonoran Desert Please click: http://wilderla.com

What is the schedule?

• 15 LSP team meetings are planned between May 10th and November 3rd (half in person, half virtual). In our first meeting, we toured many of our Common Areas so that the team could be “on the same page” with our primary areas of focus.

• Wilder will thereafter complete the final report by the end of November 2023. The LSP will include proposed sustainable landscape improvements throughout the DWDMCA landscaped common areas that will be implemented over a period of years.

Please watch for updates in our Newsletter and on our website.

Saguaro Center Bollard Light Fixture Project: Kudos to Resident Volunteers and Impressive Cost Savings

One of the projects in the 2023 Reserve Study Project was to replace the Saguaro Center bollard lights located in the front lawn areas. Many of these bollard light fixtures are either loose, toppled over or the light bulbs did not work. The budget amount was $40,000.

As previously reported, the first two steps in the ILC Project Management process are to Conceptualize and Analyze. ILC members Ken Kozlowski, Kim Ecott and Danny Darr jointly managed this project and analyzed replacement or repair of the bollard light fixtures.

Ken obtained fixture replacement alternatives from local commercial lighting companies. After a detailed inspection, it was determined that bollard light fixtures themselves were in good shape but were not properly secured to the in-ground concrete base. Kim has plenty of construction expertise and was able to properly attach the bollard light fixtures to the concrete bases and now they are secure and plumb. Danny researched light bulbs and all existing light bulbs will be replaced with more efficient LED light bulbs.

Yard of the Month Award Program

For a cost of less than $250., the bollard light fixtures have been revitalized and will last many years. This is a perfect example of resident’s volunteering their expertise and time to come up with cost saving solutions for our community! Thank you very much to Ken Kozlowski, Kim Ecott and Danny Darr for your time, expertise and hard work!

We’re pleased to announce the kickoff of the new ‘Yard of the Month’ award program on July 1st. Developed by our Community Standards Coordinator, Andrea Broadhead, to recognize community members who maintain a beautiful front yard on a consistent basis, a photo of each month’s ‘Yard of the Month’ winner will be featured in the community newsletter, on the resident bulletin board, and a garden flag will be provided to display in the yard for the month that it’s being spotlighted. And as a reward for a job (consistently) well done, WeedCo (Tucson Weed Control | Residential Weed Services by WeedCo) has graciously offered to provide each month’s winner with one complimentary weed treatment service.

Yards will be reviewed by volunteers, and will be selected based on their appearance as viewed from the street. Winning yards must be neat and tidy in both the front and side yard areas, in full compliance with the Community Wide Standard (found on the website by clicking here) and the residents must in good standing with the Association, having received no compliance notices in the 30 days immediately prior to being nominated. Current members of the Board of Directors are not eligible to participate, nor are volunteers during the specific month they are judging homes. This award may only be received once per calendar year.

To nominate a home, or serve as a volunteer judge for one month, simply contact Andrea Broadhead via email at abroadhead@associatedasset.com

Healthy Bites

Submission by resident Diane Lewis

Today I thought I would write about a versatile item-Rice. Yes we cook with it, we used to throw it at weddings, it can dry out electronics, can be used it in salt shakers to absorb moisture, and makes an easy hot or cold compress.

I think we will all agree that cooking is the most common use for this item. It is a food staple all around the world. It is accessible and inexpensive, has a long shelf life, easy to digest, a comforting food and both savory and sweet recipes can be created from rice. And, yes, it is gluten free for those that cannot tolerate gluten. But if you are highly sensitive to gluten, always look for certified gluten free brands as cross-contamination can happen if handled in a factory that also processes gluten containing ingredients.

Over the years rice has had a bad rap as being nothing but a starchy carb in your diet. Yes, rice has carbs which is the body’s primary fuel. It also contains B vitamins, folate, protein, fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. It provides the body with energy, supports brain health, improves your mood, provides a vehicle for adding other nutrient-rich foods in a recipe, supports cellular health and bone health. There you have it folks, rice is not so bad after all. There is a downside though. It is high on the glycemic index and can cause a spike in blood sugar. This being said, people with diabetes should not consume it every day, and is best to incorporate a protein source when eating it such as salmon or chicken. Also try some healthy vegetables. Sushi lovers rejoice!

How does white rice compare to brown rice? Brown rice contains all three parts of the grain kernel and is considered a whole grain while white rice has the bran and germ removed. White rice typically is enriched with nutrients making it almost as nutritious as brown. Brown rice is higher in fiber so it won’t spike blood sugar levels as much. It also has a nuttier taste and adds a whole new dimension to a blah dish. Yes there are slight differences, but by adding nutritious veggies, herbs or a source of protein to either variety you can up your health needs so easily.

As you all know there are many different varieties of rice such as Basmati, Black, Jasmine, Arborio and Sticky rice just to name a few. I’ll save that info for another article in the future.

How to Watch the French Open

When you are watching the French Open, besides enjoying the amazing movement of the best tennis players in the world, isolate your focus on specific body movements.

The non-racquet hand plays a huge role in the forehand and the serve. In the forehand the generation of power comes from many areas, but especially in the shoulder turn. The shoulders rotate to line up with the direction of the ball path using the non-racquet hand to help the rotation and then using the hand to "push through the door" On the serve, as you make the ball toss, allow the hand to continue upwards after you release the ball. That will allow the non-racquet arm to stay up a little longer. This allows you to reach up for contact.

So, as you watch thematches isolate your focus on the nonracquet hand and your game will improve.

Adventures in Chair Yoga

Returning on Wednesdays at 1pm starting in June

Chair yoga is a form of yoga in which standard yoga poses and body movements are adapted to use a chair for support, either in seated or standing positions. It allows those with limited mobility to stay active and improve their muscle strength and flexibility without the risk of strain or injury

Chair yoga is accessible to everyone and can be done anywhere and at any time. It does not require any special equipment or clothing (just comfortable, loose-fitting clothes).

This class will allow participants to evaluate how chair yoga might suit their needs and goals, whether as a strategy to remain active while healing from injury, or as an ongoing form of exercise to improve overall fitness and health.