When Barclay Park condos were first built, the beauty of flowing water, exposed rocks and attractive front ponds by the Clubhouse were visible to passers-by and greeted new residents when they arrived home each day. When a rebuild of the Clubhouse porch was completed in 2011, attention turned to the retention pond – and a restoration of the original features was completed in 2012. A 2.6 kilowatt solar array was added in 2013 to offset rising electrical costs.
A 200′ deep well was repaired by Barclay’s maintenance company, ATD Builders. This well draws well water for the ponds (supplementing natural runoff from parking areas). Two water lines from the well provide water to the basins that surround the northwest end of the tennis court wall. As these basins fill, water cascades over rocks into the main ponds – and recirculates. The ponds continue to serve many birds and small fish, as well as plants, frogs and a few turtles and other aquatic life.
In the future, other ways may be found to enhance sustainability of the community’s use of energy and to take greater advantage of the SOLAR potential of the south-facing roofs for local (distributed) generation of the energy we depend on. Co-owners are invited to suggest specific projects and to inquire of management about improvements they are interested in and believe may be both technically and financially worthwhile.