Happy March to all! Spring is just around the corner and as the winter season enters its final months, the NDHA’s main activity continues to be snow clearing of the community walkways. The clean up of lost brush bristles will ramp up as the snow recedes. We endeavor to make our paths and sidewalks as safe as possible, but Mother Nature gives us all manner of weather and temperatures at this time of the year and ice can form unexpectedly overnight. Please be vigilant when walking outside: consider wearing ice treads over your shoes. Use caution and do not hesitate to contact us if you find an area that needs attention.
Snow Clearing Differences
Homeowners, condo associations, and commercial property managers are responsible for clearing snow and ice from public sidewalks directly adjacent to their property. All other snow clearing responsibility in the community is divided between The City of Calgary and the NDHA under separate contracts with ULS. The NDHA requires ULS to clear more frequently than the City does, and that is why you often see some walkways cleared while others are not. See FAQ #22 on our website for maps and more detailed information on this issue.
2023 Fees
By now, you should have received your annual NDHA invoice. Please contact us if you have not. Your invoice package included information explaining why your membership fee was raised by $18 to $325. For most homeowners, your invoice was sent to the email address registered on your membership account portal. If there is no email address on file, your paper invoice was sent via Canada Post. Payments can be made online at our website, ndha.ca, or by cheque to our mailing address.
If you are unsure of your invoice or payment status, please access your membership portal on our website. If you require help accessing the membership portal, you may contact our membership director at [email protected]. Important: some people own multiple residences in Discovery Ridge; please indicate your full name and the address of the property in question in your email enquiry. Thank you in advance for your timely payment!
New Homeowner?
If you have moved to Discovery Ridge in the past year, welcome! Our news articles and the FAQ section on our website has a plethora of great information for all homeowners and residents. If you have not yet done so, please set up your membership portal for contact information and fee payment access. If you are unfamiliar with how to set up and access your membership portal, or have difficulty doing so, please reach out to us at [email protected]. We would really appreciate you taking a moment to do this; it is important that we record the correct owner information for your property in our files. It will also make a big difference in how much time our volunteers spend tracking down changes of ownership. Lawyers sometimes do not contact us regarding ownership changes or status of fees. This should be sorted upon sale and is the responsibility of the parties involved to correctly pro-rate paid (or outstanding) fees upon the sale of each property. Please note that the annual fee is not optional; it is secured by the NDHA encumbrance registered on your property title. Fee enquiries should be emailed to the NDHA treasurer at [email protected].
Black Knot Tree Fungus – Please Prune It Out!
If you look at your trees right now and you see a dark, lumpy mass clinging to any of the branches, you probably have a tree infested with black knot fungus. Black knot is endemic to Calgary and spreads via spores from within the lumpy mass. This fungus affects Mayday, Chokecherry (including the red Schubert’s prevalent in our community), and other stone fruit trees. For the survival of your infected tree, it is recommended to prune it out while the tree is dormant (no leaves) and the mass is easy to see. Specific procedures must be followed when pruning to reduce further contamination.
The City of Calgary prunes black knot fungus from trees on public property within our community; please help to control this scourge and potentially save your own tree(s) by doing the same. Consider your safety; hiring a professional certified arborist may be the best plan but they book up quickly. You will want to make contact soon to reserve your appointment. More information on black knot can be found on the City or Province’s websites under “Black Knot Fungus.”
We are always happy to hear from our NDHA members; please access our website at www.ndha.ca for NDHA news updates or to send an email. You can also call us at 403-237-9595.
