My home is in the Keys, Huntington Beach CA, a Planned Unit Development with an HOA. Grants Landscaping Services, http://www.grantsls.com/employeespot.html, owners are Harold and Kenny Grant. The Field Manager for our community is Jaime Pompa. In May 2016 our minutes reflect:
"The Board reviewed the Grant's Landscaping proposal dated March 31, 2016 in the amount of $4,400 to remove two palms at the front entrance due to disease. After discussion no motion was made to approve the proposal. The board would like to get a second opinion from an Arborist on whether the palm trees are diseased or not."
Our Property Management is Elite Property Services, http://www.elitehoa.com, owners Mike Kubas. Mike's brother Damon Kubas is our Property Manager.
According to some community members of the Keys, our Property Manager has been trying to remove the Canary Palms for a few years. These Canary Palms are the ICONs of our Community. These Canary Palms are expensive. I can't help to ponder the idea that the Canary Palms may be pulled out and possibly sold. I am also concerned that Grant's Landscaping would make $4,400.00 to remove these Canary Palms.
The HOA Board has requested a second opinion from an Arborist. I called an Arborist who said the Canary Palm beetles have nearly been irraticated in Orange County. They mentioned if they Canary Palms are diseased, they can be treated before attempting to remove them. Canary Palms are expensive, if I could post pictures, I would, the Canary Palms appear healthy and are not leaning over at the top.
Our lawns look terrible and are maintained by Grants Landscaping Services; we have marathon grass which now in areas have crap grass in the lawn. The lawn mower used is used in many other communities and areas bringing with it weeds and other grasses. The drought tolerant grass for this area has always been Bermuda grass which requires maintenance of once a year thatching and seeding with hybrid rye grass during Fall/Winter months. Currently Grants Landscaping Services mows the lawns with a mower that does not pick up any grass. In some areas the soil is two to three inches above the sidewalk as the grass decomposes to the soil.
Grants Landscaping Services brought and planted some kind of plant that looks like rosemary, and the soil from those plants have brought in Knot Weed. The front landscape of our Community looks terrible. It appears Jane Gruber, Dennis Tharpe and others sits on the Landscape Committee for the Keys. I understand when Kathleen Torbik volunteered for the Landscape Committee, she volunteered an immense amount of time while on the Landscape Committee to submitted professional plans to change the front landscape to drought tolerant plants that are known to grow in our area and climate. At that time Jane Gruber resided on the HOA Board and was one to override the professional drought tolerant plans submitted for the front entrance to the Community.
I understand that these plans and plants for the front landscape presented by Kathleen were not used. When the front landscape was being completed, Grants Landscaping Services, Field Supervisor, Jaime Pompa mentioned that the plants being used were not the recommended drought tolerant landscape plants recommended and these plants would use more water.
I understand Kathleen is a market researcher and professional in her field. The fact that someone without Kathleen's background made a decision to causes our Community entrance to look horrible and Grants Landscaping Services knew about it and continued forward with the work which questions the integrity of Grants Landscaping Service and Elite Property Services.
I do not recommend Grants Landscaping Services and Elite Property Service. read more