Repeating the Same Mistakes Expecting Different Results

I just had to share some news I got today.  I found out Suntree HOA changed landscaping companies.  It explains why our budget showed $11,000.00 for a sprinkler audit.  Most landscape companies charge a high fee upon the initial contract signing for a sprinkler audit.  This is essentially a guarantee that once you sign the contract you don't cancel it after they disclose everything they found wrong during the initial inspection.   






Irrigation audits are not completed by a single person.  It takes a team of people to review everything and document the condition and findings.  It's not a one person job.  It's more than looking at the height of the sprinkler head.  But, that is what the new landscaping company did sent one person out to do a sprinkler audit.  It took him about two months to look at the level of all the sprinkler heads in the community. 

Our last company had an entire team of people on the property evaluating everything.  During the two years they serviced our community not one sprinkler head blew off that we ever saw.  Yet, on Saturday morning at about 10am, a sprinkler head blew off and a fountain of water was shooting into the air.  Is the landscape company going to pay us for the gallons of water wasted? 

We've had a sprinkler audit done in 2005 when they changed landscapers could not find cost, 2007 costing 13,000.00 with water increasing by 6K, 2008 when we changed landscapers 11/08 the sprinkler audit was free & water was reduced by about 9K, and now in 2011 costing 11K with the effect on water usage is yet unknown.  Why is the board blaming the landscapers for its own negligence?  Are they just trying to get rid of them?

If the issue with changing companies is money then tell me this.  Why is the board not doing anything to protect the shrubs from yet another freeze?  Why are they not concerned about the cost of replacing shrubs?  Just as property is an asset so is the landscaping.   Our landscaping will never look like a golf course.  It's unrealistic to think it can or will.

Golf courses with their highly trained well paid team of landscapers, master gardeners, and experts experience areas of brown spots.  Planting of a different summer grass has fixed the problem for many golf courses as well as reduced watering.  However, if one would look at the numbers they would find that the majority of the cost of maintenance comes from sprinklers.  If a line is disturbed for any reason then line breaks will continue to happen in that area.  The trick is not to mess with the sprinklers if at all possible.  If repairs have to be made, they must be done right. 

There is no way for anyone to do an irrigation evaluation without a machine that allows them to see underground.  Otherwise, a sprinkler audit is fancy words for adjusting the sprinklers with a large price tag!  
How much money has to be wasted on these BS landscaping expenses before someone realizes if we continue to do the same thing we always do.  We will always get the same results no matter who the landscapers are.  WE HAVE TO CHANGE WHAT WE ARE PLANTING!  This is the definition of insane.

I'd like to know if other communities around the valley are repeating the same stupid crap over and over again.