The Scenic Acres Landscape Enhancement Appreciation Fund (LEAF) program began in June 2013 after 69.7% of homeowners in Scenic Acres supported a petition in 2012 to adopt the program. Our program was reaffirmed in 2018 after an in-person vote (135 in favour and 12 against) by community homeowners. A full history of our LEAF program can be found HERE.
The annual special tax of $60 per Scenic Acres residence is collected and held by the City of Calgary. The $60 fee has not changed since program implementation in 2013. The total collected is $174,300 and this is supplemented by the variable funding allocated annually to our community under the City’s annual Parks budget. Our LEAF funds are spent entirely in Scenic Acres to take care of our community’s public green spaces. The Scenic Acres LEAF work program is overseen by the LEAF Committee comprised of resident volunteers. This committee reports to the SACA Board. City Council decided in 2018 that LEAF communities must engage third party service providers and manage public green space services themselves. Therefore, all landscaping work within public areas in Scenic Acres (including spring and fall cleanup; turf mowing, trims and repairs; the planting and care of flower displays and winter displays; the refreshment of neighbourhood shrub beds and the clearing of public tree wells) is managed through our LEAF program.
In addition to the maintenance work, in 2018 the program funded the introduction of displays along the Scenic Acres Link median, improvements to the area we call “The Fort” (the park area just west of the tennis courts) and the renewal of shrub beds at Schubert Gate, Schubert Hill, Scenic View Close, Scotia Bay, Scenic Glen Mews, Scenic Glen Close, Scandia Rise and Scenic Acres Blvd.
Through year end 2019 the Scenic Acres LEAF program has impacted the community as follows:
1. Our community public green spaces annually receive the following services:
- spring cleanup of road material from boulevards;
- fall cleanup at the end of the growing season;
- bi-weekly public turf cuts and trims;
- turf repairs as needed
- weed control as per City review;
- rotating shrub bed maintenance;
- garbage clean-up from public green spaces.
2. To date, community beautification has been achieved as follows:
- 36 planters purchased and located throughout the community;
- 21 in-ground gardens developed throughout the community;
- design, planting and maintenance of flowers in the planters and gardens during growing season;
- winter displays in the planters during winter months;
- public tree well maintenance.
Photographs of our community before and after LEAF implementation can be found below:
Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3
Photo 4
The 2018 year-end Scenic Acres LEAF financials are available HERE.
The City of Calgary has developed an information website including program guidelines that can be found HERE.
Questions regarding the Scenic Acres LEAF program are welcome; comments and ideas from the community at large are valued and appreciated. These can be directed to the LEAF Committee Chair Lee Syhlonyk at saca.leaf@gmail.com.
Last updated March 29, 2021
