Neighborhood Update

REPAIR OF ENTRY WALL
by Jay Reinhardt, Willowbrook Grounds

The Willowbrook Homeowners Association is currently taking bids for the repair of the damaged brick entry wall at Leslie and Willowbrook Place. If the damaged section cannot be replaced with brick that exactly matches the undamaged sections, then it may be necessary to replace the entire wall. At this point it appears that insurance will cover the damage, and that the community will not have to pay for the repairs.

The wall lighting was also damaged slightly, and that will be repaired as well. The missing letters of the community sign will replaced with matching letters. It appears insurance will cover these costs as well.

The wall was damaged when a Willowbrook resident lost control of their vehicle while making a turn. Fortunately the resident was not seriously injured, though their vehicle was totaled. The resident and their family promptly cleaned up the damage and notified the Homeowners Board of the accident. They very much regret the damage. Their insurance company has already contacted the Willowbrook Homeowners Board and has been cooperative.

DAMAGED LANDSCAPING ALONG LESLIE

The widening of Leslie and the installation of a new sidewalk, while welcome, did damage to the common area landscaping. Here is a status on the repair.

Replacing the dead sod south of Willowbrook Place:
The sod that was installed along the new sidewalk on Leslie has died and will be replaced. There was a waiting period before the contractor had to replace the sod (in case it recovered), and that waiting period has ended. The cost to the contractor to replace the sod is not insignificant. The sod died because the contractor did not realize that electrical work by the city (see next paragraph) had disabled Willowbrook's irrigation system. Once the contractor saw the new sod turning brown, they began watering it with a water truck. Unfortunately this appears to have been too late for the sod. We do not yet have a target date for replacing the sod -- this website will be updated once the city informs us.

Replacing the missing sod north of Willowbrook Place:
A strip of common area sod along the sidewalk on Leslie north of Willowbrook Place was removed in late May by a contractor working for the city Electrical department. The city expects the sod to be replaced by end of July. The Homeowners Board will be monitoring progress. The electrical work delayed restoration of irrigation in the common area by two weeks, causing newly-laid sod south of Willowbrook Place to die.

Trenching related to the widening of Leslie damaged the roots of some of the trees in the common area. It is possible that some of these trees may die in the next year or two. If so, they will be replaced. At that time we will explore who pays for the replacements. It appears unlikely that Willowbrook would be able to compel the city to pay, especially if the time lag between the trenching and the death of the trees leaves the cause of death debatable.

I expect that in a few months the appearance of the neighborhood from Leslie will be more attractive than before the widening.

Jay Reinhardt, Willowbrook Grounds