It has been so extremely hot and dry in Arizona this year that native saguaro cacti are beginning to seriously struggle to survive. Due to the high consistent temperatures and drought, the cacti and plants are not finding any relief from this stress. It has been reported that due to the consistent high temperatures and long drought, this type of cactus is just simply collapsing, arms falling off, and the entire cactus falling over. The average lifespan of a saguaro cactus averages between 150 and 175 years in age, can grow to be 40 to 60 feet in height, and can weigh 3,200 to 4,800 pounds. In the SunBird common landscape areas and in the yards of several homes, we have seen many of these cacti experience this struggle to survive. As these desert native cacti struggle in this heat wave, so are many of the plants and trees that are not necessarily native to the area.
Cox Communications is currently still in the process of installing brand-new fiber optic lines throughout SunBird. They have been very active this summer with several crews and large equipment. This work includes boring under and digging into some of the roads and property utility easements. If the asphalt road or concrete curbs or driveways were affected with this work, initially, a temporary patch of asphalt will be used to repair the trench or hole. As areas are completed with work, other contractors hired by Cox will repair concrete or asphalt areas correctly with a permanent like material. It is anticipated that this work will all be completed by the end of this year. These newly installed fiber optic lines will allow homes an additional option of Internet, TV, and telephone services. If anyone has questions or concerns of property damaged and not repaired or properly restored, the quickest results will be by contacting Cox by email at [email protected].
Salt River Project (SRP), the electric provider for our community, has also been updating electrical feeds and lines within SunBird to meet demands. In the recent past, areas of SunBird were experiencing “blips,” or very short, one-second flickers of power outages. These would cause disruptions to Internet services and appliances and became a general nuisance being knocked offline and having to reset and restore household items. During this past month, SRP also had several crews and large equipment along Waterview and Championship Drives boring and trenching through the area to install the new lines. SRP is anticipating completing this project by the end of September. Over the past few months within SunBird, both Cox and SRP have been working on their respective projects, and it seems like everywhere you drive some road is under construction.
A new multi-family housing development named Earnhardt Ranch is currently under construction at the corner of McQueen Road and Hunt Highway. Massive earth-moving equipment and large grader trucks have been preparing the land for construction. Blandford Homes is the developer of this property, with plans to build 100 large, high-end luxury homes. The City of Chandler reports that this is the last 40-acre parcel of land within the city limits approved for homes. Many of the main arterial roads in Southeast Chandler around this area have been under construction. This is to expand and improve the roads to better accommodate the increased volume of traffic in the area.
It has been a productive summer, with several maintenance and improvement projects completed in and around the clubhouse. We appreciate all those who have endured the extreme temperatures of the summer months here in SunBird and their patience with all of the construction work taking place. As the temperature hopefully begins to cool down and some of our neighbors begin returning back to SunBird, please stop by the office for a welcome-back greeting. We look forward to another fun-packed season.