Hawkwood Fence Painting Initiative - find out how you can help make Hawkwood more beautiful, and save money too!

October 2008

Vote Yes For LEAF

This November a stamped and self addressed ballot will arrive in your mailbox for all Hawkwood homeowners to vote for the continuation of the LEAF Program in Hawkwood.   Sorry for the confusion regarding the month, but the City of Calgary pushed the vote back one month to November to allow more time for preparation. 

 LEAF is an acronym that stands for “Landscape Enhancement and Appreciation Fund”.   It was part of our campaign slogan in 2004 to “Help Hawkwood Turn Over a New LEAF”.   The City of Calgary refers to this as the “Landscape Enhancement Tax” which is applied to your June property tax bill. 

 In the spring of 2004, over 70 volunteers went door to door asking Hawkwood homeowners to sign a petition supporting an increase in taxes to improve our community's entrances, boulevards and parks.   Over 68% of Hawkwood residents signed this petition agreeing to the monthly $4.58 (or $55.00 annually)  tax increase for enhanced neighborhood landscaping for the 2005- 2009 seasons.  

We were the first older and established community in the City of Calgary to successfully accomplish this kind of tax levy.   It was a great deal of work, but well worth the beauty that we see around our community today. 

Now it is your turn to vote again.  This time we only need 50% of all ballots returned to The City of Calgary to pass the program for another 5 years.  Your ballot will be for the 2010 – 2015 seasons.  

If there is voter apathy, we will lose this program for ever.  There will be no more flowers in the spring.  All the boulevard planters will be removed.  All the entrance features will be dug up and covered with grass.  There will be no more watering of boulevard trees during the drought seasons.   Grass maintenance standards will be lowered.  Instead of being mowed every 7 days we will only receive service every 10 -14 days and once a month in some sites.  The annual spring clean up standards will be reduced.  There will be less sweeping, mowing,    watering, trimming and no fertilizing.  Ultimately there will be a noticeable change in service and care of our community.   Hawkwood will lose all we accomplished these past 4 years and our community will revert back to the lower maintenance levels of 2004.

 When your ballot arrives in the mail,  Please vote immediately and pop it back in the mailbox.  Your support of the program will only count if you cast your ballot.  Voter apathy could cost us a beautiful community.  So support the Landscape Enhancement Tax Levy by voting Yes in November!  This is your chance to support our beautiful community of Hawkwood. 

To highlight the dramatic improvements we have made, please go to our LEAF's BEFORE AND AFTER SHOTS.  These fantastic shots were taken by a very talented neighborhood photographer Luc Savoie.  Thank you Luc, we are grateful for your dedication to our community!