Turf Thoughts

The grass continues to appear in Highland Groves, transforming the view pretty much instantly. There is one section along Park that doesn't yet have the electric controllers powered up and so it can't yet be planted; but most of Park is green, and it seems like a new retention basin gets planted every day. It's looking fabulous.

Our back yard is also a lush green right now, as the rye takes hold; it's a lovely view, since the trees still have their leaves, and the temperatures are cooling.

I would have to say that I am almost as committed to turf as I am to trees. That's my personal opinion; The Mister puts open space near the top of his list. Anyway, I'll be interested to see how some discussions about turf end up in Higley Groves, on the east side of Higley. A resident sent me an email telling me about the HOA Board's discussions on using artificial turf; I presume this would be in the common areas. The Mister and I went to look at the test patch on the far east cul-de-sac on Linda Ct. and I snapped a picture:






It looks pretty darn good, I have to say. Gone are the days of the shiny Easter basket grass or the green "carpet." We actually looked at using some of this on our newest project, Desert Place at Morrison Ranch, due to the water limitations in Mesa. Based on a combination of factors, we decided against it, but none of those factors disparaged the quality of the product. Partly, we wanted to come up with a low-water plant palette that would retain the look of Morrison Ranch even if we couldn't exactly duplicate the streetscape. Partly, we looked at the relative expense. Our rough calculations showed that it would take a long time to recoup the installation costs by reduced maintenance and water usage; The Mister estimates that overseeding, watering and maintaining our open space costs about two cents a square foot ($100 an acre). Compare that to the $8 a square foot of installation, and the disparity in cost becomes obvious. Even if we could get a discount for a large order, say down to $6 a square foot, the numbers still don't work very well.

But back to Higley Groves. Because it was the first neighborhood to be built, and we didn't have the community infrastructure in place yet, this technically is its own subdivision, with its own HOA board. The same is true of Higley Groves West, where The Mister and I reside (and where he serves on the HOA board). He feels that his responsibility as a board member and as a resident is not to minimize cost, but to maximize value. Our neighborhood's value, both economically and aesthetically, rests in its association with Morrison Ranch, a master-planned community.

I'm not sure why artificial turf is being discussed in Higley Groves, but if I had a vote - and I don't - I would vote to maintain the turf and trees just as they are; it enhances the value of the community, both economically and aesthetically; and that's true for the short-term, but especially for the long-term picture.