WINTER PREPAREDNESS 2024-25

Dear Residents,

Each year in preparing for winter weather, additional Four D vehicles must be positioned in the community to make snow removal efficient.  Unfortunately, there is very limited space to store this equipment, so "when possible," Four D will move the equipment off site if there are no snow forecasts in the near future.  However, when the equipment returns for an impending storm, please understand that it must be stored on site for as long as is needed.  With limited areas within the community to store the equipment, each year, we must rotate the storage space.  There are three main areas within the community to store the snow removal equipment, and we rotate the location on a seasonal basis over a three-year period.  We apologize to those living closest to these storage areas, but ask you to remember that it's only "temporary," for the winter months.

What is a "Nuisance Snow"?

When it snows less than two inches, we call it a "nuisance snow," because clean up for these events is not included in our annual Four D contract.  It is always a very difficult decision when we have a less-than-two-inch snow fall as to how much in services we ask Four D to complete in our community.

In our 55+ senior community, we always prefer to err on the side of caution so our residents feel safe.  However, how much Four D does in any given storm depends mainly on the extended forecast for temperatures over the next several days after a light snowfall.  If a warming trend is to occur following a "nuisance snow," the board may ask Four D to limit their service than when the forecast calls for a deep freeze over several days following a nuisance snowfall and we need a "full service" cleanup.  Fortunately, prudent fiscal management of our community includes limited additional funding in our annual budget for several "nuisance snowfall" cleanups.  

Invest in a small container of Ice Melt at your Home

When we ask Four D to apply ice melt to the driveways and walkways, we expect that they will cover the pavement at every unit.  But on occasion spots are unintentionally missed, so we advise you to have your own small supply of ice melt on hand in the event something around your unit is missed.  

"Normal Wear and Tear" to Driveways by Four D

The use of bobcats to clear snow in the community is by far the most time-efficient and cost-effective method of removing snow and ice after a winter storm.  The blade on the bobcat must be very sharp in order to adequately reach the pavement and remove ice from the driveways, walkways, and sidewalks. Four D has used rubber blades on their bobcats in other communities and has found that it creates an additional layer of work since the rubber blade does not effectively clear snow and ice down to the surface pavement.  Unfortunately, the sharp metal blade on the bobcat will cause scraping to the surfaces of our driveways.  Four D, as well as other landscape/snow removal companies, considers this "normal wear and tear" and will not be held responsible for surface scratches and scrapes on our driveways.  

The cost of resurfacing the driveways in our community is approximately $100-120 per home.  If you are interested in joining a majority of homeowners who pay to refresh the look of their driveways each spring, please notify our property manager, Gigi, who will help arrange this for you.

Your HOA board of directors appreciates your understanding of our snow removal procedures and thanks you for understanding our efforts to keep HOA costs lower.