2026 Accomplishments
ISHOA Maintenance
Alongside the projects below, the committee handles the routine maintenance of ISHOA common property — the everyday things that keep the neighborhood running. We manage the HOA’s long-term contracts for landscape maintenance, irrigation, street and sidewalk maintenance, and storm water system maintenance, along with numerous one-off contracts each year.
We monitor and manage electrical and water usage, work with our management company, VIS, on invoicing and payment processing, and walk the common areas regularly so small problems are caught before they turn into expensive ones.
Nature Preserve Swales
YOUR DUES AT WORK!
The ISHOA Maintenance Committee recently completed the refurbishment of its Nature Preserve swales, meeting requirements from Thurston County and the Department of Ecology for four (4) of its swales and two (2) of its retention ponds. These are integral parts of Indian Summer’s storm water system and maintaining compliance is mandated and not inexpensive. Four swale segments along Troon and the Prestwick Nature Trail area (a wetland) were cleaned out.
The job included removing the old sod, regrading each basin then replacing each with clean sod for $7,000. The two retention pond areas were cleaned out and returned to a safe water quality for $2,000.
What is a swale?
Swales are shallow, vegetated depressions along some of our neighborhood’s roads designed to manage stormwater runoff.
What is a retention pond?
A retention pond, also known as a retention basin or wet pond, is an artificial water body designed to permanently hold water and to manage stormwater runoff, improving water quality and preventing flooding.
These pictures show before and after work that was accomplished with oversight by our volunteer Maintenance Committee’s William McClanahan. Thanks!
City of Lacey Neighborhood Grant Program
Both phases were helped by the City of Lacey’s Neighborhood Grant Program. A matching grant part-funded Phase I, and a second grant paid for the new park bench installed in Phase II.
Rainier Exit & Bench
New landscaping at the Rainier entrance and a new park bench — one project, delivered in two phases: the entrance side in 2025, the exit side in 2026.
Phase II — Exit Side, 2026
Project Status: Completed — September 2026
As you may have noticed, many of our HOA plants have reached their fully mature size, resulting in them becoming too large for the area they were originally planted in.
This impacted the appearance of the specific plant and the entire surrounding bed; these plants have in many cases also impacted the irrigation by wrapping around heads and/or blocking coverage, resulting in inadequate irrigation and, in many cases, the plants’ health.
We especially noticed this at the Rainier entrance, and in 2025 we undertook and completed Phase I (the entrance side) of the Indian Summer HOA Rainier Gate Beautification Project.
In 2026 we decided to take on Phase II (the exit side of the Rainier Gate entrance). We decided we would combine the refresh with a new park bench procured and installed via a Lacey Neighborhood Grant we were successfully awarded.
Understanding the work, schedules and dedication required for Phase I, we decided to contract Phase II and not do it via in-house volunteers as we did in Phase I. (Again, a big thanks to Dan Weiss, Rich O’Connell, the 2025 Maintenance Committee and Kyle Schrader for their contribution to Phase I.)
Phase II started early in the year by forming a project team that interviewed and hired a landscape architect to prepare three concepts. These concepts were presented to your HOA Board to choose a final design.
The process continued over the year, with progress reported in the monthly Board meetings.
From the three concepts presented to the Board, one was chosen based on overall design, ease of construction and maintenance, and cost, and was formally approved at a recent Board meeting.
Demolition started in early September and the project was completed later that month. The photos below show the work from start to finish.
To ask questions about the project, please attend the monthly ISHOA meetings.
Sincerely,
Jeff Gochenour
Maintenance Committee Chair
Phase I — Entrance Side, 2025
Phase I Project Status: Completed
Your ISHOA Maintenance Committee recently completed Phase I of the Indian Summer HOA Rainier Gate Beautification Project.
This Project was partially funded by a matching grant from the City of Lacey (Lacey Neighborhood Grant) which we were successful in obtaining.
Thanks go out to Dan Weiss who prepared and solicited the grant, Rich O’Connell for his knowledge and work (both members of the Maintenance Committee) and Kyle Schrader (a resident) for volunteering his tractor to help.
Thank you all for volunteering your time and materials to help keep Indian Summer the special place that it is.
We extend our sincere appreciation to everyone involved. Their efforts made this first project a success and set a strong foundation for future enhancements at our Rainier Gate entrance. Please take a look at the finished project, and visit ISHOA.org for details of Phase I and future phases.
Rainier Gate Beautification Project, Phase I
The goal of this project was to enhance and beautify the Rainier Road entrance to Indian Summer HOA and the adjacent Chambers Historical Park — a highly visible area near a local elementary school and a key gateway into Lacey.
Phase I focused on replacing minimal landscaping with a variety of eco-friendly, native plants and trees designed to offer year-round beauty and seasonal color.
This project marks the first phase of a planned improvement effort to revitalize the Rainier Gate entrance. Future work includes improvements to the South side entrance, as well as a bench for residents and children to use while waiting for their school bus.
Phase I was completed ahead of schedule and under budget, thanks in large part to the generous support of volunteers and donated resources.
Key contributors:
- Dan Weiss (Maintenance Committee) — grant coordinator
- Rich O’Connell (Maintenance Committee) — retired landscape specialist; design, project coordination, and much of the site preparation and planting
- Kyle Schrader (ISHOA resident) — donated the use of his tractor for moving soil and decorative rock
