RANCHO SANTA FE — The Rancho Santa Fe Garden Club is currently undergoing major work to repair 30 years worth of cracking and upheaval. All walkways and patio decks are being replaced with interlocking pavers. The old walkways were cracked from old age and were unlevel, as much as an inch, due to tree roots.

“It became a liability issue,” Hal Sexton, president of the Rancho Santa Fe Garden Club, said. Several people have tripped, including Sexton, so repairs were made before any serious injuries occurred. The Garden Club spent the past two years gathering donations from members to pay for repairs, new walkways and patios. “Members not only sent in their dues, but extra money to help pay for the expense,” Sexton said. “They really stepped up to the plate.”

Interlocking pavers will be an upgrade from the previous concrete that was used. Pavers will be safe, effective and appealing; permission for the new design was given by the local Art Jury. Once the patio floor was removed, however, it was discovered that the footings that support the columns to the porch roof were also in need of repair. Work on the project began the first week of August and is expected to be completed in a month.

The Rancho Santa Fe Garden Club is a nonprofit club open to all members of the Covenant. The club currently has approximately 650 members. All club events had to be rescheduled for the month of August. “It’s a major upheaval, but it had to be done,” Sexton said.