Managing and maintaining the common property of the Owners Corporation No1 (OC1)

1. Managing and maintaining the common property of the Owners Corporation No1 (OC1) in accordance with the Sands Estate 173 Agreement and its Environmental Management Plan (EMP). The common property comprises:

• The lakes and waterways which flow through the Sands Estate and capture the stormwater from the Sands Estate and from the North Torquay developments and deliver it into the Karaaf saltmarsh;
• These lakes and waterways are designed as a water storage system and are separated by 5 weirs (OC1 responsibility) which gradually allows the stormwater to drop to the level of the Karaaf saltmarsh. Four of these weirs have recently been reconstructed and had rapids attached to increase the oxygenation of the storm water flowing across the weirs;
• The 8.14 hectares of land between these lakes and waterways and the rear fences of the Sands lot owners who back onto the common property.

Awarding and managing contracts

2. Awarding and managing contracts for the following:

• Pest control as required by the EMP, particularly foxes and rabbits;
• Water quality testing to ensure that water entering the Karaaf Saltmarsh is not polluted;
• Maintenance and enhancement of native and indigenous plants on the common property;
• Removal of all designated Surf Coast Shire Council weeds in and on the common property

Sands Estate Maintenance Contract

3. Awarding and managing a Sands Estate Maintenance contract for its nature strips and the Sheoaks planted in them

Weirs

During 2020 repairs were completed for Weirs 1 (near the 2nd Tee), Weir 3 (half way down the 8th fairway), Weir 4 (opposite the 9th  Tee) and Weir 5 (near new 16th Tee).

All these weirs were leaking and the rubber strips which were fixed to their tops were damaged. The contract was awarded to FD Civil and the weirs were repaired and their level raised to enable more water to be stored. The stone work (before and behind each weir) was enhanced to protect the weir structure and to spread the water flow.
The weirs will only require minimal maintenance for the next 20 years.

Weir 5 is the largest, had deteriorated badly and needed to be replaced. Weir 5 is the last weir in The Sands before the water is released into the Kraaf Wetlands. Stage 1 involved moving the golf course irrigation pipe from under where the new weir wall was constructed to beside it. Once this was completed, a new concrete weir wall was constructed on top of a concrete road way.

Reeds

Unwanted reeds are now reaching problematic levels in some areas of the lakes. As such the estate amenity sub-committee have reached out to GHD Consulting in the first instance to provide advice in relation to measures that can be taken to control these infestations of reeds, and other weeds that populate our lake boundaries. As with any major works a second vendor will be identified to quote on the required work.

Estate Signage

Concerns have been raised in relation to the lack of clear identification of the entry points into the Sands estate, this being particularly evident following the connection of St Georges Way and Lowtide Drive. The estate amenity sub-committee is investigating options to place  signage at the entry points into the Sands Estate having regard for the other stakeholders which include the golf club, WCG and the Council.

Estate Infrastructure

Finally there is a private sewer located adjacent to the Esplanade that services the houses along the Esplanade with the Sands. the sewer may not currently meet the requirements of Barwon Water who are the natural owners of the sewer, as they are of all the other sewers that service the Sands Estate. A project has been activated to understand the options available OC to move, upgrade if necessary, the private sewer to an entity better placed to maintain such a facility on-going, namely Barwon Water.

Drysdale based arborist “Let’s Talk About Trees” conducted a visual inspection of all street trees on the estate. You can view the report by clicking on the button below.