Sempreverde “Barbell” Landscaping Project

✉ by Bob Vaughan, Chair, Landscape Committee

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For those Homeowners living on Via Sempreverde and who have lobbied for landscape upgrades on south Sempreverde over the last 2.5 years, your requests have been fulfilled. The Board budgeted for 2015 a major upgrade on lower Sempreverde, on the east side between home address 5172 and 5380. The whole area was blue staked for preventative safety prior to beginning the project. Three construction and landscape projects were folded into one to allow negotiating quite favorable cost savings from our SMVE HOA’s contracted construction/landscaper, Cherry Landscape, Inc. for five weeks of planning, bidding, and implementation during May and June, 2015.

So, what would you enjoy at project’s completion? The first view you see driving or walking north on Sempreverde from Territory looking east, is the newly constructed expanse (588 linear feet) of demolition, re-contouring, and new drainage mounds with rock infrastructure. Catalina Foothills small rocks dress both large guest parking areas (North and South) to control storm water drainage. Berms and mounds were created, topography and larger boulders moved to create interest, “specimen” cactus enhance the south and north area of the “barbell” for landscaping. Native plantings with low water use plantings create a well-blended desert view. The whole 7,185 ft² area (including both ends of the barbell plus the linear connection between the ends) was then dressed with crushed brown granite to control dust, protect plants, and enhance the beauty. Various sized plantings include Tacoma Stans (orange and yellow), yellow lantana, totem pole cacti, and some other desert adapted succulents (agave, prickly pear, etc.).

At the north end of the “barbell”, a previously freeze-fractured and subsequently removed backflow valve has been replaced complete with a light tan protective insulation jacket. New water lines and irrigation valves were installed complete with drip irrigation lines to water native planting. Included in the new landscaping are several trees (Desert Museum Palo Verdes and Mesquite). Given a few years of growth of these selected plantings, this completed construction/landscaping project should further beautify our Sonoran desert. All our property values will be enhanced plus we can personally enjoy daily a lovely landscape. Already, I’ve shared with the Landscape Committee accolades from several homeowners who expressed their overwhelming appreciation to the Committee and Board members for their voluntary efforts.

We invite you to see Before and After photos of the project on the Major Projects – Sempreverde “Barbell” page.