The City of Riverbank began a Turf Replacement Program, officially opening it on July 1.
Participating residents will be able to receive a rebate on their water bills, if they convert their landscaping to drought tolerant materials.
Information on how to qualify for the program is available online, at: https://www.riverbank.org/623/Turf-Replacement-Program.
There, the application can be downloaded, or, as an alternative, a phone number is listed (209-863-7022) to have the application mailed or e-mailed.
Officials said that applications will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis, and funding is extremely limited at this time. They estimate that they will be able to assist approximately 12 homeowners at this time.
Outdoor landscaping is the single largest use of water in a typical California home or business. In most yards, grass consumes the most water, therefore reducing or eliminating how much grass you have can significantly reduce your water use, according to the website.
Applicants are asked to mail or drop off in person the completed application, along with photos of the current landscape, a list of proposed plants, and a sketch of the proposed conversion to: City of Riverbank, Attn: Turf Replacement Program, 6707 Third Street, Suite A, Riverbank CA, 95367.
Meeting Adjustments
Meanwhile, in other city business, members of the Riverbank City Council decided at their recent meeting to vary its regular schedule for a few upcoming months, and voted to cancel four of them between now and Dec. 31.
The first canceled session will be next week, Tuesday, July 12, and next month, Aug. 9, allowing for vacation time.
The others include holiday cancellations, on Tuesday, Nov. 22, for Thanksgiving week and Dec. 27, for Christmas/New Year’s week.
Meetings that will be held in those months include: July 26, Aug. 23, Nov. 8 and Dec. 13.
Regularly scheduled city council meetings are normally held at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month.
Agendas for the council meetings can usually be found on the city’s website, www.riverbank.org, three or four working days ahead of the meeting date.
