HCA Directors at the October monthly Board meeting continued ongoing discussions and agreed on a new uniform landscaping plan to enhance both the Maple Ridge Road and Hickory Cluster entrance Common Areas. The Member advisory team, Perfect Landscapes designer, and project leader Director Blake Travis collaborated after the meeting to revise the plans and reduce proposed costs to fit within an agreed maximum budget. HCA then signed a contract to include regular maintenance for the first year, and work will begin following RA DRB approval of a related HCA tree removal application. Affected Neighbors will be notified in advance and asked to remove any private property from these HCA Common Areas before clearing and planting. Future improvements will include other similar hardscaped and landscaped areas clusterwide. UPDATES ... a three-person RA DRB panel will discuss the HCA tree removal application and related landscaping plan as agenda item No. 5 during its Tuesday, December 6, 2016 public meeting at RA Headquarters, 12001 Sunrise Valley Dr. Agenda items may be called earlier or later than announced, so interested Members should arrive no later than the 7:00 p.m. meeting start time. On December 6, 2016, an RA DRB panel of three approved an HCA application for removal of a single Dogwood tree and replacement with three new Dogwoods at the Maple Ridge Road entrance, and advised that related planned entrance enhancement planting was an internal HCA issue not subject to RA review or approval. However, the panel requested confirmation that planned Lirope was not an RA-designated invasive species before HCA proceeds further. On February 21, 2017, the full RA DRB heard additional Member comments and voted to support the DRB panel December 6 decision that allowed the HCA project to proceed.