Base housing landscaping guidelines outlined for residents Published June 8, 2012 By 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs Staff MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- The following information is provided by Balfour Beatty Communities and is also included in the Malmstrom Air Force Base resident guide. These are the specifics regarding landscaping and lawn care responsibilities. Common areas The Community Management Office will maintain all common areas. The schedule is as follows: Monday: Minuteman Village Tuesday: Peacekeeper Park - Gumwood through Joshua Streets Wednesday: Peacekeeper Park - Dogwood, Elder, and Fushcia streets; and Jupiter Village Thursday: Titan Village and Washington Circle Friday: Atlas; Matador Manor and the ball fields Yard maintenance The CMO will provide complete yard service for all unfenced yard areas, including unfenced front and sides of the home, provided the resident has removed all personal items that would prevent mowing. Residents are responsible for yard maintenance within the fenced area of their backyards. Shrubs in the fenced area must be trimmed to the proper height so they don't block windows for safety reasons and should be neat in appearance. Residents are required to repair any damage to lawns caused by swings, pools, furniture, decorations, pets, etc. Should a resident fail to make repairs by the time indicated on a yard discrepancy notice, or prior to their final move-out inspection, the lawn will be repaired by the CMO and the actual cost of repairs will be billed to the resident. Watering of lawns, trees and shrubs Residents must adhere to the existing installation watering policy. Optimal watering times are between 5 and 10 p.m. for no more than 20 to 30 minutes on any one area. Residents are asked not to water on the day their area is due for maintenance per the above schedule. Residents with even-numbered addresses are to water on the even days of the month; those with odd-numbered addresses should water on the odd days of the month. Flower and vegetable gardens Residents may plant annual and/or perennial flower gardens in beds in front, rear or adjacent to their homes. Authorization is required prior to any significant alterations made to the existing landscaping. Residents must submit the plan in writing to the CMO along with a Request to Make Alterations Form. Planting may not cause damage to, or interfere with; gutters, downspouts, windows, doors, screens, roofs, privacy fences or other structural parts of the building including air conditioners. Special care should be taken to maintain the slope of the ground, particularly around the house foundation, so water does not seep into the basement. Residents in newly constructed areas that remove landscaping plants will be charged for those plants. Residents may plant small vegetable gardens within the back yards only. Gardening areas must be returned to their original condition with grass prior to vacating. This will be done at the resident's expense. Residents are responsible for personal flowerbeds, rose bushes, vegetable gardens and for the removal of trash and debris from their lawns and yards. Tree structures Suspending or attaching platforms or structures in trees, such as bird houses, swings or chains, and driving nails anywhere into a tree is prohibited. The chaining of dogs to trees is also prohibited. Additional landscape services Any additional service request or special needs for landscaping such as tree pruning, erosion control and trimming may be requested by the resident as a routine service request. All requests for landscaping alterations of any kind, including planting trees, must be made as outlined above using the Request to Make Alterations Form and submitting it to the CMO. Questions regarding these policies or others should be directed to the Balfour Beatty Communities staff by calling 315-2262 or 315-2265. More helpful information can also be found at www.malmstromfamilyhousing.com.