UP Council Highlights: Fencing Approved
We were plugging away on deadline for our July issue here at PC Headquarters on Tuesday night, but a few things happened at the University Park City Council meeting that you may want to know about:
- A “no-parking” zone was established along the south curb of University Boulevard, from Boedeker Street to North Central Expressway.
- Improvements to Burleson Park were approved, including site grading, introduction of a loop trail system, and picnic-area upgrades.
- Residents with even-numbered houses can water on Sundays and Thursdays; residents with odd-numbered houses can water on Saturdays and Wednesdays, year-round starting July 1. The ban on using automatic sprinkler systems from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. will remain in place through Oct. 31.
- After roughly a year of deliberation, zoning amendments were approved to accommodate playground renovations and fencing at St. Christopher’s Montessori School.
With all due respect to our volunteer city council, that watering plan just might be the dumbest thing that I’ve seen. It requires everyone in UP to go re-program their automated sprinkler systems. #1 – many don’t know how to re-program their system. #2 – 20% of the city is out-of-town, and I don’t think that they have Internet controllable sprinkler systems. #3 – what are the police going to do? give you a ticket if you have the wrong address and are watering on the wrong day? #4 – so if I’m watering on the “right” day, in the middle of a thunderstorm, that’s ok?
Me? I turn my sprinkler system on/off depending on whether it just rained the last 2-3 days, or if it looks like rain. I’m not about to go re-program my system to meet some arbitrary government rule.
Come on city council, you are smarter than this.
1. They can have their lawn guy reprogram their system.
2. See above.
3. Yes, why not?
4. You should have rain sensors to keep you from watering when it is pouring outside.
I’m with you–I turn my sprinkler on an off depending on whether it has recently rained and have it off completely from October – April. But flipping the switch from ‘on’ to ‘off’ is just too taxing for most UP residents and a lot of water is wasted, especially in the winter.
@A.B. … “lawn guy”. Here’s how that story goes: You call the guy out to fix a spinklerhead (or re-program the system). When he’s done, he offers to “let me just check the system”. And when this movie finishes, calling the “lawn guy” cost you $400.
Few people have a “lawn guy” on their speed-dial. Accordingly,
#1: your solution to call the lawn guy fails.
#2: they are likely already out of town. WHO is going to bother to find a lawn guy from Seaside, Aspen, Cozumel, or Bora Bora to re-program the system?
#3: You, as a citizen, would rather have your police writing sprinkler tickets than looking for the real bad guys? Really?!?
#4: If the city council wants to fund rain sensors and the installation thereof, they can do that. they can start with their own parks, the schools, and the local university.
By the way, the city of UP has plenty of water. It’s not an issue for UP.
I’m all for saving water. But this is not the way to do it.
The new water restrictions are too generic. Where are the specifics? I can’t find anything on the UP website other than than this:
http://www.uptexas.org/Government/Utility-Services/Watering-Restrictions
We need specifics like:
1. Does automatic sprinklers include drip irrigation?
2. What about watering by hand?
3. What about swimming pools?
4. Why are pool owners getting preferential treatment?
5. Why is UP still allowing pools to be installed?
6. Wasn’t there an agreement to charge customers a lot more for excessive water use? Please don’t tell me that this didn’t deter the water hogs.
7. Why did UP install a fancy mile long perennial border along the tollway that required a sprinkler installation? A plant border that was installed in mid August last year when most plants were gasping for life. A plant border that was not allowed enough time to establish before the extensive freezing spells we had last winter. A plant border, that come spring, had lost a third of its new plants.
In other words, UP sees fit to plant and water whatever it wants and allow home owners to build swimming pools, and then make the honest to goodness green thumbs pay the price for their extravagance. Sheeeezzzz…
Like the above commenters, I too, turn my system on only when my xeriscape perennial gardens need it. Most of the watering is done with drip irrigation. Please go after the water hogs FIRST!
Oh… and a side note: If you find and stop the water hogs, you will also solve a lot of your mosquito problems. And then the city wouldn’t have to pay for that dang poison truck to run up and down our alleys every week.
No watering on Monday, Tuesday, or Friday? Easy to spot offenders.
Oh, you precious flowers. Welcome to the sort of watering plan the rest of the world has been living with for years. I know reprogramming your automatic sprinkler sounds like an insurmountable hurdle, but don’t you fret, you delicate thing. Parkies can afford the code violation tickets they receive for improper watering! You water when you want, the city coffers get a boost, and no one has to reprogram anything. Everybody wins!
1st anon–if your lawn guy really can’t reprogram your system for under $400 you have the wrong lawn guy. My lawn guy (who is also licensed to install sprinklers) would absolutely do that for me at no additional cost and all I’d have to do is send him a text from Cabo, Aspen, Australia or wherever. You, on the other hand, are being taken to the cleaners.
If the cops are out on patrol why not stop and issue warnings and tickets for lawn sprinkler violations? They are out cruising the neighborhood anyway and it seems pretty obvious to spot the offenders as Parkie points out. And yes, of course UP should install sensors on their own sprinklers and follow the plan as well.
Patsy Ann has it right, too.
First off, Matt, that’s just funny. Well played.
But the comments on UP’s practices are spot on Stop the elaborate planting. Start charging more for excessive use (and put the money towards water saving measures). Allow people to have artificial lawns in the front yard. Etc, etc, etc. This problem isn’t going away, time to start addressing it through things other than watering restrictions. Fix the cause, not the sympton.
100% with Patsy Ann. I agree with water conservation, but many of us are already doing it, and you are penalizing many for the wastefulness of a few. BTW, the city has your usage on file. Use the data.
Here, city council, let’s give you some better ideas on how to incentivize conservation.
(a) if water usage is greater than X for Y sq. ft. of aerable land, then $ penalty.
(b) use that communications guy that you have to educate people that they don’t need to water as much
(c) use your code violation guys to stuff a “you are over-watering” brochure in a mailbox as needed
(d) hire 4 high schoolers to be interns on a re-program team. Each kid makes $10K for the summer. If citizen calls in, teenager is deployed to re-program and test system for waste (no repair though)
(e) all of the above
A.B., most people don’t have a “lawn guy”. If something goes wrong, they either let it go, fix it themselves, or ask a neighbor (typically via online groups) for a suggestion. Maybe you can text your guy from abroad, and you’ve given him a key to your house/garage, but you’d be in the 1%.
Second, do we really, really want our police to stop and give tickets for watering violations? Do we want them to be filing the paperwork and the followup? I want the cops to be patrolling for drunk drivers, guys lurking in driveways with guns, and other real crime issues.
1st anon, at least on my block, the noise from leaf blowers is constant, and most people hire crews. I do like your suggestions except for paying high schoolers. Instead, hire a professional sprinkler company to assist homeowners with programming. It would be more efficient since they already have insurance and a wide knowledge of different systems. Fines collected could pay for the service.
Most people don’t have a lawn guy? That’s a laugh. I see 3 crews on my street right now. When is the last time your neighbor asked to borrow your mower? Your other suggestions are good.
Oh for heavens sake. We live in the Park Cities. Just text the house manager and have him or her reprogram the sprinkler controller.
1st anon said, “#3: You, as a citizen, would rather have your police writing sprinkler tickets than looking for the real bad guys? Really?!?”
Not sure if they are really catching all of the bad guys. Mostly it’s doing paperwork after the incident has been committed. Just being candid.
Y’all are right. Many/most have a “lawn guy”. Most people do not have a “sprinkler system guy”.
@Parkie, my idea for high school kids is akin to hiring lifeguards. I’m supposing that most systems are pretty basic Rainbird models that a sharp high schooler would get. The city already has employees who could train/teach/monitor/oversight the kids.
This headline was a total disappointment. I thought we were starting a high school fencing team. Sometimes dreams don’t come true.
I don’t know about everyone else, but I have an instruction manual that came with my system which I use on a regular basis. Because the programming is complicated especially with 7 stations, 3 set up possibilities, and each program possibility has other possibilities. But dang it, I can read! And I do keep a grid chart of my current watering schedules and programs. Cause I’m OCD that way. One should have intimate knowledge of their box.
@Everybodygetsatrophy – Sorry about that. I’ll be sure to pitch the idea the next time I’m doing an education story 🙂
FYI, I have a “lawn guy.” Mostly he handles mowing and edging and trimming, and he’s relatively cheap. But he also knows how to work my sprinkler system, for cryin’ out loud. Just as I expect him to lay down fertilizer and such, I expect him to replace any busted sprinkler heads he notices (at my expense, of course), to keep the system appropriately adjusted, seasonally speaking, and so forth. How else can he maintain my lawn? If your lawn guy can’t operate the system that waters your lawn, you might consider finding another guy. Otherwise you just have a “mower guy.”
If you don’t have a sprinkler guy then you should get one, and have him teach you how to use your system.
I am totally fine with the police writing tickets or whatever for those who break the rules and water when they shouldn’t. Obviously if there is a burglary in process at the same time then that takes precedence. Obviously. But otherwise, yes, people should be held accountable.
Drove by UP City Hall 1/2 hour ago and sprinklers were going full force. And it just started raining so not only was the system running when it shouldn’t have been, but it is a total waste given the amount of rain we’ve had this week. Way to set the pace, town leaders! I guess the ‘lawn guys’ we pay for with our taxes can’t figure out how to set the sprinkler system?
@ Another Mather, sprinklers will probably be policed by neighbors who report each other. The police are very busy writing tickets but rarely catch the burglars. They usually arrive after the crime has been committed and politely record the paperwork.