Trust Maintenance crews will get a hand from Woodshop crew

By Sam Richards

Staff writer

Tuesday, September 2 (4:30 p.m.): They’re called arbors, miniature decorative tunnels that welcome people into a garden or other space, often covered with plants themselves.

Some of these welcoming structures in the Dollar Clubhouse courtyard are wearing out, but a partnership between Rossmoor’s Trust Maintenance staff and the Woodshop Supervisors Club will work to restore these structures’ low-key elegance, expected to start in mid-September.

“It’s a good opportunity to provide a community service, and we think we’re in a good position to provide this service,” said Tim Andrews, president of the Woodshop Supervisors Club.

In the courtyard on Dollar’s south side, there are five arbors ‒ two facing the picnic area, one at the gate to the swimming pool, one facing the parking lot, and the largest one just outside the big bay window on the south side of the clubhouse.

They’re like 3-D trellises, at least the ones with vines attached. To a casual observer, they look to be in pretty good shape ‒ perhaps a bit dirty, some paint peeling, a slat missing here or there.

But Andrews said, “When you look at it in detail, you can see why it’s time to give it a rework. There’s some dry rot, some missing paint, some broken or missing lattice work.

“Those arbors are due for some pretty heavy maintenance,” Andrews said.

The heavier work will be done by RWC Trust Maintenance staff. One of the smaller arbors, on the east side of the clubhouse adjacent to the picnic area, will be replaced entirely, according to Martijn Lemmens, RWC’s trust maintenance manager.

Other work to be performed by Trust Maintenance staff will include repairing some of the arbors’ concrete bases, power washing the arbors, replacing rotted wood, and sanding and repainting the repaired arbors.

Before the heavy work begins, Trust Maintenance staff will hand a team of four Woodshop artisans ‒ Andrews, Gordon Huffaker, Tom Beckett and Pierre Boyer ‒ the decorative pieces, including scrollwork, to be repaired. The Woodshop crew will likely have to craft a few new pieces, and will re-create the decorative bells that are either damaged or missing completely from the arbors now.

None of the work the Woodshop crew will do, Andrews stressed, “will involve climbing any ladders.” The crew’s work, Andrews said, should take a few days.

The heavier work should take up to three weeks, Lemmens said.

Ann Mottola, Rossmoor’s director of community services, contacted Woodshop members about doing the detailed woodwork for the arbors, Andrews said. A group of Woodshop members scoped out the work needed, and concluded they are up to getting it done.

Zee Deleon, Rossmoor’s recreation manager, said his office told the various clubs about the arbor restoration work, and that as of Aug. 19 only one club was impacted. Deleon said that club was flexible and agreed to relocate one meeting to another room.

Deleon cautioned that the power washing phase of this project will likely get pretty loud, but that most of the rest of it shouldn’t be much of a distraction.

Officers from any other club that anticipates there could be a schedule conflict is urged to call Rossmoor Recreation at 1-925-988-7700 to discuss the situation.