As summer draws to a close, the board would like you to know the status of major projects at Pondside.
- Masonry: The masonry project from 24 Beaufort Road through 30 Beaufort and around the corner has been completed. It included re-pointing brickwork and repairs to brownstone as well as re-caulking of window exteriors. This concludes Phase 1 of the four-phase repair project outlined at last October's annual meeting.
- Landscaping: The green/landscaping committee has been working hard throughout the summer with a landscape architect to plan for restoration of the courtyard. The board is about to approve a bid for work, which will begin in September. The first phase will be to replace the pathways and plant trees in the area at the west end where a large tree was removed to accommodate the drainage project. Other plantings will be postponed until spring. Some new bushes and plants were placed at the west end (exterior) of the complex earlier this summer and more will be planted in the near future. Also, areas on Beaufort Road where ground cover was crushed during masonry work will now be tended to. On the Centre St. exterior of the property, the irrigation system that was damaged during the drainage project has been repaired and improved irrigation installed around the rhododendrons that were moved to that end of the property earlier this year. The pin oaks at either corner will be pruned and the two large stumps removed.
- Drainage project: Final work on the drainage project was completed a few weeks ago. All downspouts were checked as well and repaired or replaced where necessary. Owners may have noticed the lack of pooling in the courtyard during recent torrential rains, which is a great improvement.
- Rental units: Almost all leases for the rental units at Pondside are now timed to coincide with Boston's prime rental season, which is the end of July or August. All 16 renters have signed leases for another year, meaning zero apartment turnovers.