Flamingo Friday 5/19/23

Fred will be hosting a Flamingo Friday this week on Friday, May 19th from 6 pm - 8 pm at 9854. Everyone is welcome to stop by for beverages, some light desserts, and maybe some appetizers.

• Since it's been a few years since we've had one of these events, the key thing to know is that anyone can host a Flamingo Friday, and the intent is simply to give neighbors a chance to gather and socialize in a casual setting.
• Also, we can help you publicize a different date if Friday doesn't work for your schedule, but this is a resident-driven event and not an official HOA activity.
• You can add something to drink or light snacks if you wish, but we hope you attend even if you don't have something to bring!

All of our residents, as well as our "alumni" and close friends, are welcomed!

For some of the history of Flamingo Fridays and the original idea you can visit the page:

http://www.autumnwalk.com/p/flamingo-fridays.html

We hope to see many of you on Friday, if just for a little while!

Ground Nesting Bees

The Ground Nesting Bees are back, and we have been coordinating with Emerson HOA and Skylark Ridge HOA to let them stay because they are beneficial pollinators, not dangerous, and temporary.

As the sign below from the University of Maryland Extension Service states:

The soil mounds you see on the ground belong to ground nesting bees, also known as mining bees.

These bees are...

• Not aggressive: rarely sting and do not aggressively defend their nests
• Temporary: their flying activity only lasts 2-4 weeks
• Caring for their young: their burrows are underground
  to protect young ("baby") bees. The female bee brings nectar and pollen to the burrow to feed her young
• Important pollinators: help pollinate wildflowers, fruits and vegetables, and a variety of other crops
• Losing their habitat: due to urbanization and pesticide use

To learn more, visit:

https://extension.umd.edu/resource/mining-bees-lawns

You can also visit: https://www.facebook.com/HCbeecityUSA/

Emerson Clubhouse Update (April 2023)

The new Emerson Clubhouse is expected to be completed in August 2023 and on April 13th, residents were given the opportunity to tour the construction site with our Owner's Representative as well as the Project Managers from the General Contractor acting as guides and answering questions.

This unofficial report is a brief summary of that visit by one of our residents and as with all large construction projects schedules could be affected by events:

1. Tour was given by the Project/Construction Managers for the General Contractor as well as our Owner's Rep who manages the entire project.

They hope to give future tours as construction progresses if there is demand. Only about half of the 25 people who signed up attended.

2. General Schedule:

Spring Cleanup (plus Tree Trimming!)

Our landscaper has been busy with the annual Spring Cleanup and the entire neighborhood looks clean and tidy again.

All common areas and private flowerbeds were remulched

1. This year, we decided to add trimming of the street trees in front of our houses because most of the trees are 11-12 years old now and greatly in need of it, and the cost was only $15/house. The sidewalks and driveways are now much more clear!

The street trees were trimmed significantly for the first time in 12 years

Emerson Clubhouse and Pool

Construction of the new Emerson Clubhouse began in January and is proceeding on schedule. 

1. The new Clubhouse will address many issues with the old building, including needed repairs, maintenance issues, and upgraded showers and changing facilities for the Pool.

2. In addition, by adding a second floor to the Clubhouse the new building will be able to support large meetings and events for the first time for community meetings and clubs, while also adding a fitness facility.

3. The project managers will provide a tour on Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 4 pm for the Emerson Community. An RSVP is required so they can get a headcount and a waiver form must be signed to enter an active construction site (closed-toe shoes and long pants are also required).

Emerson HOA Meeting Rescheduled to Thu. April 13, 2023

The April meeting of the Board of Directors for Emerson Master HOA has been rescheduled to Thursday, April 13, 2023 via Zoom at 7:30 pm.

The meeting will begin 30 minutes later than usual so the Board can have a closed Executive Session prior to the public meeting.

There will be Residents Forum at the start of the meeting for you to ask questions.

Tell HoCo: Reporting Issues to Howard County

For those who may not be aware, Howard County allows residents to report maintenance issues to County Government via the Tell HoCo service on the SeeClickFix platform (available as both a web form and a mobile app).

• Tell HoCo

This service lets you report anything from trash along the road to broken traffic signs, and you get automated acknowledgments and updates.

Tell HoCo should be used for any County-maintained roads or facilities. (As an FYI however, all numbered roads are maintained by the State of Maryland.)

For example, here's a broken stop sign that I reported in the past few weeks that was fixed after about a week:

Tire tracks make it obvious what happened to this sign

Some of the Categories of items that can be reported to Howard County

Emerson Master HOA News

You may have seen the weekly newsletters from the Emerson Master HOA, but there are a number of significant items that I felt would be good to collect in one place:

1. Emerson has a new on-site General Manager, Jose Palacios, who has prior experience with managing a large HOA. Contact information has been updated on our web site.
• Steffanie Nollie will remain involved with Emerson as the Portfolio Manager, but now will guide multiple properties. 
• Lisa Fields is the assistant manager for Emerson HOA.
2. Demolition of the old Clubhouse was supposed to start last week and is expected to take 3-4 weeks.
1. The crews were to start at 7 AM which is the earliest permitted under Howard County noise regulations (quiet hours are 10 PM to 7 AM).
2. The Emerson Front Office will temporarily relocate to the Maryland main office down the road at 8920 Stephens Road, Suite 101. They will still be reachable at the same office number (301-317-4044).
1. Many issues that are the jurisdiction of Howard County can be reported via Tell HoCo or on the non-emergency line for police, fire, and EMS (410-313-2200).
2. Power, gas , and street lighting outages should be reported to BGE.
3. The Clubhouse rebuild will be led by Project Manager Antonio Cruz, who is also Vice President of Construction for Knott Realty. The General Contractor will be Whiting Turner. The Architect is DCS Design (Davis Carter Scott) and they have posted a web page with the design.
4. Emerson Master HOA Board:

Autumn Walk Forum

The name of the Facebook Group for Autumn Walk HOA has now been changed to reflect its broader use as a means for residents to connect. Formerly it was primarily focused on repair and warranty issues.

The Autumn Walk Forum will remain a private group (so only members can see posts and who's in the group), but has been unhidden to make it easier for new residents and owners to find it and send a join request (please include your name and house number).

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/autumnwalkforum

Although the larger Emerson Facebook Forum likely addresses many of the needs of our residents, there are still some issues that are much more specific to our street and the unique design of our houses.

We encourage all owners and residents to join!

Minutes: 2022 AWHOA Annual Meeting and Elections

 The Minutes from the 2022 Autumn Walk HOA (AWHOA) Annual Meeting and Elections are below.

The key results are that the Board decided to defer raising monthly fees by at least another year, and Fred Leong was re-elected to the Board.

2022 Autumn Walk HOA Annual Meeting 

Date: November 14, 2022

Location: Via Zoom

Attendees:

1.     Board & Management Team:

a.     Dharmesh Patel (President), 9811

b.     Fred Leong (Vice President, Communications), 9854

c.      Allie Stegner (Member-at-Large), 9832

d.     April Day, Community Manager, Community Association Services, Inc. (CAS)

2.     Residents

a.     Attending (3): AJ (9838), Mike (9853), Jubril (9858)

b.     Proxies (13): 9804, 9808, 9809, 9810, 9814, 9819, 9823, 9825, 9846, 9848, 9852, 9860, 9866

 

Agenda:

·       2021 Minutes

·       Report on Past Year

·       Landscaping, Reserve Study

·       Discussion

·       Resident’s Forum

·       Elections

·       Budget, Fees

 

2022 Meeting Notes:

1.     Meeting Called to Order by Dharmesh at 7:05 PM

a.     Fred will take minutes

2.     Establishing Quorum

a.     12 of 45 houses (25%) required by Bylaws

b.     6 in attendance + 13 proxies = 19 homes 

c.      Quorum is established

3.     2021 Minutes were distributed and read

a.     Minutes approved (Motion: Dharmesh, Second: Allie, Vote 3-0)

4.     Report on past year:

Landscaping: Leaves, Mulching

Johnson Landscaping completed the Fall remulching in October and a couple of leaf removals, the last occurring on Monday, December 12th this week.

The community looks pretty good at this time and a discussion of other maintenance items will be published with the minutes from the November 14th Annual Meeting at the end of this week.

Please remember that the care of your private yards other than the annual Spring Clean Up, the Fall remulching, and basic maintenance (cutting grass, edging, and leaf removal) is homeowner responsibility, as is snow removal from your sidewalks and driveways.

But we highly value this service, and have heard from many of our residents that you do too!

2022 Autumn Walk HOA Annual Meeting and Elections

All owners should have received a package in the mail containing a notice of the 2022 Autumn Walk HOA Annual Meeting and Elections.

Date: Monday, November 14, 2022
Time: 7 PM EST
Location: By Zoom (link has been sent via mail and email)

1. Please note that a quorum of 12 houses (in attendance or by proxy) is needed to satisfy the requirements for the Annual Meeting and Elections.

2. The package contains the meeting notice, proposed FY2023 budget, candidacy form, and proxy form.

3. One Board position on the three-member Board of Directors (currently held by Fred Leong) is up for election. After the election, the Board will vote on the proposed budget.

4. In the proposed budget (effective Jan. 1, 2023) the Board has opted to raise assessment fees by $10 per month to cover most of the deficit. The remainder is expected to be covered by retained earnings from this year.

• Our assessment fees have not been raised in 10 years (since 2013) despite inflation every year.

We encourage all residents and owners to attend, and hope to see you there!

Autumn Walk Pizza Party 2022

*** Update: The forecast for Friday is mixed so we will plan on that date, but may need to change if it looks like we will get thunderstorms *** 

AJ has volunteered to organize the Autumn Walk HOA Pizza Party on Friday, June 17th from 6-8 pm to celebrate the end of the school year and the beginning of summer!

Please RSVP so she knows how many pizzas to order (and please spread the word):

https://forms.gle/ALWYGuvsUBYUzG1UA

The event will be held outdoors at the large island in the cul-de-sac at the end of Garden Ranges. Rain date will be Sun. June 19 at noon.

Thanks!

2021 Autumn Walk HOA Annual Meeting

The 2021 Autumn Walk HOA Annual Meeting was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2021 as a virtual (videoconferencing) meeting.

Attendance:

• Board of Directors: Dharmesh Patel (9811), Allie Stegner (9832), Fred Leong (9854)
• AJ (9838), Mike (9853)
• Proxies (11): 9808, 9810, 8914, 9815, 9823, 9825, 9838, 9840, 9843, 9852, 9860 [Dharmesh will send to CAS]
• Management: April Day, Community Association Services (CAS)

Agenda:

• Approval of 2020 Minutes
• Report on past year
• Landscaping
• FY22 Budget
• Elections

Meeting Notes:

1. Meeting was called to order by Dharmesh at 6:05 PM
1. Quorum was achieved (12 houses needed, Dharmesh will send proxies to CAS)
2. 2021 Annual Meeting minutes (written by Allie)
1. Approved 2020 Minutes 3-0 [Dharmesh motion, Allie second]
3. Report on past year
1. No events in 2020 due to pandemic
2. Ice Cream Social in August 2021
3. Halloween Parade on Oct. 31 (Allie reported most residents and children in attendance of any previous event)
4. Landscaping
1. Discussion of what has been done, what the contract calls for, and what needs to be corrected
2. Fall mulching and aerating with overseeding completed
3. However, Fred asked:

Winterizing Your Home Reminder

With Western Howard County experiencing freeze warnings this week, it's a good reminder to start winterizing your home.

In particular you may want to turn off your outside faucets this month to avoid frozen pipes later this winter, and consider changing the airflow in your ducts if your basements get cold in the winter.

Related Posts:

• Winterizing Your Home (11/15/12)
• Adjusting Your HVAC Vents (7/3/14)
• Whole House Humidifiers (9/9/14)