Irrigation & Maintenance

Irrigation

The irrigation system in Roxborough Village is supported by water supplied by the Roxborough Park Metropolitan District that is then stored in the 7-acre pond and used for irrigation purpose throughout the District. Due to the extent and complexity of the irrigation system, the District conducts annual assessments to identify and address maintenance needs.

The District retained the services of Hydrosystems KDI to conduct a full review of all irrigation controllers on site to determine their condition and confirm the number of zones on each controller. The evaluation includes meetings with the District’s maintenance contractor and District’s management representative to review the problem areas, confirm issues and repair needs and determine maintenance cost of repairs to each location.

Hydrosystems KDI provided written report summarizing their evaluation and prioritizing areas for future phased improvement needs based on their evaluation of the condition of the existing irrigation controllers and systems, repair costs and potential cost savings following upgrades.

Refer to the Hydrosystems KDI report included in the appendix of this document for additional information.

Maintenance Strategies

Maintenance of the District occurs on an annual basis in four primary categories: Landscape, Snow Removal, Irrigation, and General Repairs & Replacement. As an important part of the annual activities and budgeting, maintenance activities are managed and undertaken throughout the year during the seasonal windows for each category. To prevent excessive maintenance costs, the District Board regularly evaluates maintenance needs and methods to develop cost-effective approaches that works within the annual budget parameters and sustains a well-maintained open space system.

For the purposes of the Master Plan, the following category summary and recommendations have been developed to inform maintenance discussions and budget decisions. In addition, the material included herein, maintenance budget projections have been included in the Implementation Strategy section of this website.

Landscape

Landscape and tree care have been consistently maintained over the years to retain the high-quality planting throughout the District, and modifications have been made to the original design to reduce the maintenance and irrigation needs. Annual seasonal activities include the following:

• Tree Pruning and touch up around sidewalks and streets, and dead tree removal due to storm damage.
• Deep Root Fertilization except fruit trees and cottonwoods. This typically occurs once in March-April and once in Sept-October.
• Conifer Protection Program to treat spruces and pines for Mountain Pine Beetle, Ips Beetle, Zimmerman Pine Moth, and Spruce Gall, which typically includes three treatments in March-April, June-July, and again in August-September.
• Targeted general Spray Program on selected trees for aphids, mites, caterpillars, and leaf feeding beetles. The trees treated depend on the pest present. The program typically includes three treatments done in April-May, June-July, and August-September.
• Emerald Ash Borer Trunk Injection where all ash trees are trunk injected with Arbormectin (Ammamectin Benzoate) for Emerald Ash Borer, Lilac Ash Borer, Redheaded Ash Borer, and Ash Bark Beetle. This treatment is typically done from April-June after leaf emergence and lasts two years.
• Warranty Tree Planting which replaces trees that did not survive from the previous year. Planting typically takes place in March-April.

Based on budget tracking over a 10-year period, the annual landscape maintenance budget averages approximately $280,000. This includes maintenance for all general landscape areas, weed control, and tree maintenance, spraying and replacement.

As reflected in the Implementation Strategy section, the District should maintain this level of landscape maintenance and plan for an increase in maintenance costs due to annual escalation.

Irrigation

The irrigation system used to water and sustain the plants is one of the most complicated maintenance areas due to the extent of the piping, plumbing, pumps and overall system controls required to keep the system running effectively. Conversely, snow removal needs, which are much less complicated, vary year to year based on snowfall and weather conditions. Lastly, general repairs and replacement of District assets include the neighborhood parks and playgrounds, benches, trash receptacles and any other repairs required to retain high-quality equipment in the open space areas and recreational facilities within the District.

Based on budget tracking over a 10-year period, the annual irrigation maintenance budget averages approximately $150,000. This includes maintenance for general maintenance of the system, upgrades, and replacement.

As reflected in the Implementation Strategy section, the District should maintain this level of irrigation maintenance and plan for an increase in maintenance costs due to annual escalation. In addition, the District should carry a specific reserve fund for any unanticipated capital costs such as an irrigation pump replacement or repairs to the 7-acre storage pond.

Snow Removal

Annual snow removal is an ongoing District responsibility that varies from year-to-year. Based on budget tracking over a 10-year period, the annual maintenance budget averages approximately $23,000. As reflected in the Implementation Strategy section, the District should maintain this level of snow removal maintenance and plan for an increase in maintenance costs due to annual escalation.

General Repairs and Replacement

All other maintenance areas fall within the General Repair and Replacement category, which includes amenities such as the skate park and softball field, as well as functional items like the parking lot at the Community Park. Although the annual maintenance of each specific item may vary from year-to-year, establishing an overall maintenance budget based on historic data helps provide a baseline for ongoing budgeting.

Based on budget tracking over a 10-year period, the annual general maintenance budget averages approximately $80,000. This include all general repairs and maintenance, weed control, skate park maintenance, playgrounds, softball field, trails and bike paths, and the parking lot at the Community Park.

As reflected in the Implementation Strategy section, the District should maintain this level of general maintenance and plan for an increase in maintenance costs due to annual escalation.