Community fees, not debtors trees.

In relation to the community fees and away from the sublect of debtors I read that additional trees are being/have been planted in Naranjos. I know that trees have been planted at the pools across the resort but I haven't read of other additional trees/shrubbery being planted in the Jardines. I know several of the Jardines didn't get the lush planting that we see in other Jardines across the resort and I'm esepcially thinking  from about Jardines 5-9.  As I remember Jardine 8 was the last to be completed and is far more sparse in shrubs and trees than other gardens even the bourganvillia seems less abundant- even the play area is barely a play area as there is so little in terms of play equipment.. I remember this was the subject of some postings in the past and I'm surprised owners from these Jardines like me haven't really made more of a point about it.

I do know there's a rolling process of mainting the jardines across the resort but why did Naranjos get these tree's when there are other Jardines that didnt have enough in the first place? I understand that Naranjos should have been full of orange tree's and wasn't so this is the thought process behind the plantings but they do have other plantings anyway. If anyone can shed some light on this decision I'd be pleased to hear it as I do intend to bring it up with ML but don't want to be wrongfooted and find that more shrubs and tree's are next on the list for the Jardines. If its just a case of who shouts the loudest then maybe Jardines need to consider an application for equal support.

 Its Ok Jardines got trees as well , I hope that more bushes with colour will be planted . I have put 2 outside and gardners happy to keep an eye on it. adds colour all the year around. Others in our garden have done the same and I have seen extra plants put in by owners on other gardenls. Maybe we could get a list of acceptable plants and then we can buy a small plant for a few euros to put on outside area . I am J11 and you can see how well bushes are growing and adding colour.

Polygala myrtifolia  is the plant we have and i see it being planted on a couple of other gardens. It is purple and green all the year round   and cost about 5 euros 

 Addittional trees were purchased to bring all Jardins up to a simular level, so some got more some got less. Also it was to create a little more shade in the pool areas.

Trees were planted across the whole resort so nobody was left out. There is a problem with 1 garden (Nar 4) which will be treated as a special case due to not enough depth of soil so a different tree/plant is required which is being addressed.

Hopefully, we are redressing the balance here. As TQM says there is a wide discrepancy, and I for one have certainly campaigned for the sparsity of J8 to be adressed, backing this up with a power point presentation submitted to administrators & presidents detailing lanscaping levels in all Jardines. One thing I would not expect is for this supplementary planting to be the same in every garden otherwise we are just at 'status quo', effectively still being the poor relation. When we arrive for our first visit of the year in May, I will certainly be scrutinising exactly what has been planted & where.

I am not one for throwing in the towel easily ! I pay exactly the same (if not more) community charge as the more luxuriantly lanscaped gardens. I expect the same surroundings.

Well, it sounds like some improvements have been made but actually some of the Jardines were not planted as fullty as others in the first place. I agree with Bilbo this should be addressed and in fact we should all expect the plantings to be as lush as they are in the show garden J13. i hope this happens.

 Bilbo

I am one of the Presidents and have not seen this? I quote your statement "and I for one have certainly campaigned for the sparsity of J8 to be adressed, backing this up with a power point presentation submitted to administrators & presidents detailing lanscaping levels in all Jardines."

Please can you clarify your statement? and can you confirm to me who and when you presented this information?

As I stated in earlier post the recent planting is to rectify the imbalance between Jardins and to provide shade in the pools..

Hi Mick,

I e-mailed the information to the Mileniun office on site and also the presidents of J8 & J7 and also submitted paper copy of the documents in person at the office when I was over last year in October. The presentation I have is photographs of each & every Jardine from 1 to 13 indicating the variations in levels of landscaping. Text is in English with an accompanying Goggle Spanish conversion. I also brought a whole batch of paper copies with me (although not all that I had printed, as I only had so much room in hand baggage !) with the intention of  doing a 'letter drop' to anyone who was around at the time in what I consider to be the poorest gardens, J8 & J7. Time constraints meant I did not get information to that many people. I would like to think all of this effort was worth something because I know many of my neighbours and indeed others elsewhere even in the nicer gardens feel this is more than justified.

I could certainly e-mail you this document if you remind me your contact details. Plan to bring the balance of the print-outs in May in case the campaign still needs some persuing. Will be happy if, as you say consideration has been given to the areas that were clearly 'not par for the course'.

Thank's.

Will,

If you have problems or complaints about trees the presidents are the people to contact not Mileniun.  As Mick says we didn't sse the info you presented last year at all.  The presidents approved the budget to plant more trees, the presidents, together with the head gardener, allocated the number of trees per garden and the presidents approved the location of the trees.  ML mearly informed the gardeners to carry out our instructions.      

It was recognised ages ago that some gardens were planted to a higher level than others, which is why a budget was allocated to new trees last year to carry out a first phase planting to help address the balance.   Together with the head gardener the average density of planting per garden was calculated, additional trees were then planted in those gardens that were below average to bring them up to the average.  Once this was done any remaining trees were allocated to all gardens, in numbers in proportion to their size, to provide additional shade around the pool areas.    Of course there are still gardens with more trees than others, but given the budget allocated this year we could not balance everything out in one go, apart from digging some up of course.  

So this year those gardens that were below average have been addressed, the diferential has been srunken, it will take a nunber of such exercises to get every garden to the same level but we are working on it.

If you have any questions either drop me a line or come for a chat next time you're out.

Thanks  

Hi Phil & Mick on the P.M.

I fully understand the monetary constraints that the presidents have to work under and appreciate the job you all do. You will probably both be aware through forum poststhat I am very supportive of the efforts you guys put in and the improvements you have all helped to instigate. No qualms there.

I take in good faith what you are both telling me in that equality is somewhere nearer being restored (although I recognise we will have to wait a while for maturity). It's just that last year's exercise to plant extra trees seemed to me like it ended up putting say 5 or 6 trees in every single garden, so poor old jardine 8 was still in the '4th division' so to speak.

Look forward to joining you all again for a beer when out in May.

Cheers.

At CDA at the moment and there are new trees in J8. The hedging around the ground floor apartments has also matured and is higher and more dense so that all looks less sparse. I think because we have tall tree's, well pruned ( I know thats been done correctly) and the lower shrubbery hasnt yet become large and abundant it's always added to the empty feel in J8. As J8 was amongst the last to be completed the plantings aren't as as mature as in other gardens and it has always seemed that we had far less. In many garden the bouganvillia ( I thnk its bourganvillia) around the ground floor apartments has really been far more established and lush than in J8- some owners have achieved this in J8 but the sparsity of these colourful plants has added to the sense of bareness.

I understand that cost is a major factor in making any improvements. The one time I had any response to an email to the President of J8 he said that developing the plantings in J8 was going to be one of things he really wanted to do- but I dont think any specific focus has been made to J8-though its looking nicely neat and cared for at present. I expect that it will all continue to improve slowly , but there was a considerable visual difference last summer when walking through the individual gardens.

I think unfortunately not all gardens got what they should have.  Walking through the jardines you can see varying quality of the trees, apartment hedges, green areas, and playgrounds.

It seems the main issue people have is that the gardens were not properly planted by Polaris when they were selling the apartments.  So I would expect this would take time to remedy.  From my view I don't think quoting the fact that you pay community charges is that relevant.  I would expect the community charges are there to maintain what we have, not necessarily to remedy the various Polaris shortfalls around CdA.

Before the comments start flying I am all for each garden having similar numbers of bushes and trees and of similar quality and think that any differences should be sorted.  I am just wary that some gardens in jardines have been hard done by in the way of the playgrounds compared to others and I don't see why the same arguement could not be put foward in their cases.

 J5 and J7 would both like their other pool putting in 

Before anyone takes this the wrong way - it is not a snarling bite, far from it. Call it an educated enlightenment.

Dave,

Know you comment is 'tongue in cheek' but you are perfectly correct - yes they would. So as well has having a crap garden it is made worse by the expanse of sparse open area because of only having one pool in such a large garden. That is why I would actively campaign for that garden to see the benefit of community funded improvements ahead of a general supplementing of each & every area. For, me this garden could have something done in the way of an improved play area and enhanced planting done to make up for their short -fall.

SMV,

I think we all understand where the blame lay for the wide variances in what we have - that is not in dispute. Where I would ask you to maybe view things differently is your comment based around community charges. Yes, I know exactly what community charges are primarily for and I take up your point re: maintain what we have. So, on that basis then, do you agree I am perfectly justified to 'shout out loud' and campaign for having the 6 out of 7 olive trees in J8 that died off in the first season replaced along with the numerous palm type trees in the front of the appartments ? I tried to do my bit by digging out those near me and replaced at my own cost. Also planted further bouganvillia up my pillars. And yes, you are correct about the playgrounds - have you noticed the one in J8 ? - it is crap !!

Anyone who is interested,

A blind man on a galloping horse can see the the obvious disparities throughout the gardens and thankfully, so do the presidents and, more crucially, now have the power to do something about it if my responses from Mick & Phil are anything to go by. And yes, we all know the 'old cherry' that all of the gardens are available for anyone & everyone who wants to venture further afield. But didn't we all buy with the vision of being able to safely allow our children/grandchildren to play in close proximity/earshot of our appartments with the knowledege that we only seconds away ?

I am very much for providing help to those in greatest need and on that basis I am pleased to see that there have been some improvements to the Jana's villas area. I thought this was the biggest injustice of all considering what they paid for their properties. There is too much of this 'I'm alright jack' mentality in our lives back in the UK. I would hope that we have a majority of like-minded people out at Condado who have a fair & balanced outlook on things.

I think anyone visiting at the moment would see that there's been a lot of maintenance done, tidying up of the rough ground up by Al Kasar for one thing. I'm thinking things are looking good. I hadn't previously considered the disparity of the plantings in relation to the lack of facilities - I just thought we'd been unlucky. Until we arrived we didnt know there was a difference in how the plantings had been managed.

In relation to the play area's they were all going to be different and some gardens didn't originally have one on the plans - J8 for example, we should have had a covered pergola and seating area where the play area now stands. Somewhere back in time I remember being told that it would be up to individual Jardins to club together to fund their own additional play equipment- it wouldnt be part of funding from the community charge.

Will,

I agree with you that there needs to be work done within the gardens.  I would like every garden to be well planted and have good facilities...pool, playground, seating etc.

I have been through the gardens and some of the playgrounds are very average in comparison with others.  While u can go and use other playgrounds I totally agree that it is better and safer for all if kids played close to home. We have a nice playground in J13 (was supposed to be a 2nd pool) and our kids love it, although they do try out other playgrounds when we wander around the jardines.

I suppose my point was that many gardens might feel they were short changed so I wouldn't want everyone to think that the community is obliged to bring their garden upto the standard they had been promised.  In saying that I have no problem if the community does try to even things up between the jardines if it can afford to.

Is J8 the playground with just one or two of those bouncy/rocking things (horses/motorbikes).

Shane

Yes, we have a sandy based play area with a seat and a rocker.

 Ozzie Osborne or Suzie Quattro lookalike Jann ?

Think we should set up a JustGiving site for Jardin 8. I have wandered round the gardens and the show garden even has better quality grass than any others ............ in kidspeak it looks 'lush'  compared to all the others, but again I'm happy with what i've got when i compare it to some other places ............. pity i couldn't have got it for half the price tho 

Shane,

As if by magic.....................................a picture of your lovely play area in jardine 13 and a contrasting lonely 'ping-spring' that adorns our own little J8 paradise can be viewed in the photo's section. My poor little grandson will arrive for his first ever visit this May and will surely be disappointed when this play area makes his own local park in Hartlepool look positively premier league (yes, before you say it....................the only premier league we will ever see !!) - looks like he will have to wait for Paramount for any thrill rides here then ?

Dave,

Thank's for getting the ball rolling - how about making the first donation .

Cheers,

 at least the grass looks good there looked at naranhos 8 its all brown!!!!!!!!

n

Nick,

Same everywhere through the winter months (even 'Wembley' J12 to a lesser degree). It is characteristic of this type of grass. Pic's were  taken during summer last year.