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)

Stephens Road Bridge Construction

The construction of the new Stephens Road Bridge, which raises it 8-10 feet out of the floodplain, is nearing completion.

Stephens Road will be closed during working hours 7 AM - 5 PM the next two days (Wednesday and Thursday, 11/3/21 - 11/4/21) for construction of the new traffic medians. Information is available on a voice recording by calling Howard County at 410-313-3638.

Photos of the construction are also available on Howard County's Web Site:

• Stephens Road Bridge (Project J-4202) Construction Photos (10/7/21)

From Howard County Transportation Department Web Site:

Content

Update (Aug. 2021)

Phase 2 of the capital project (construction of western half of the bridge) is currently underway. The bridge deck concrete pour is complete; remaining work includes: superstructure, roadway fill, paving and sidewalk along the southbound portion which is to be completed by the end of August. 

Vehicular traffic is scheduled to be shifted to the newly built portion of roadway in early September to allow the contractor to build the sidewalk along the northbound portion and finish grading of the shoulder areas.  In early October, the contractor will complete the concrete median areas. This project also includes rehabilitation and grading of the existing storm water management facility behind the Hammonds Promise Overlook community. The entire project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021.

Recent construction photos can be found here:

• Stephens Construction Photos

Replacement of the existing bridge over the Hammond Branch of the Little Patuxent River.  Included in the project is continuous sidewalk construction along both sides of Stephens between Whiskey Bottom Road and Gorman Road.  Bicycle accommodation along roadway is also included.

• Estimated cost of project: $5-10M
• Actual construction start: Summer 2020
• Estimated construction completion: Fall/Winter 2021

Displays presented at 3/7/2018 public meeting can be found here: 

• Display 1: Stephens Road Improvements
• Display 2: Stephens Road Typical Section

Autumn Walk HOA Annual Meeting (11/2/21 @ 6 PM)

For clarification, the time listed on the Annual Meeting Proxy for the Autumn Walk Annual Meeting and Elections is correct, the meeting will start at 6 PM via Zoom. Please see your mailed letters or emails for the link.

Autumn Walk HOA 2021 Annual Meeting
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
6 PM EST

Agenda:

• FY22 Budget
• Discussion of homeowner fees
• Elections (one position)

2021 Maryland Tax-Free Week August 8-14

 Don’t forget: Maryland’s Tax-Free Week this year is August 8-14, 2021 when you can save money by not having to pay the 6% Maryland sales tax on qualifying purchases of clothing and footwear (below $100), and backpacks (up to the first $40).

For the rules and to find out what’s eligible go the Maryland State Comptroller’s web site:

• 2021 Maryland Tax Free Week

Picnic Replaced by Ice Cream Social Friday 8/6/21

Our apologies for the change, but the 2021 Autumn Walk Picnic has been cancelled.

However, because there have been so many new families that have moved into Autumn Walk in the past 2 years, we still wanted to give you an opportunity to meet each other.

So we will have an ice cream social this Friday on the large island at the end of our street. We know it's short notice!

Walk-ups are welcome but please help us with our planning by going to the RSVP link (you don’t need an account to RSVP, but we ask that you give us your name and house number):

• https://bit.ly/3xca3pi

You're also welcome to bring something to the social and we hope you'll be able to attend if only for a little while! Hope to see you there!

Date: Friday, August 6, 2021
Time: 6 pm - 8 pm
Location: Large island in cul-de-sac

Emerson Clubhouse Construction Begins

The rebuild and renovation of the Emerson Clubhouse will begin soon, with the parking lot fenced off beginning Wed., June 30, 2021. The construction trailer is already in place.

A second story will be added to the Clubhouse, creating usable space for the first time for large meetings and events, and also adding a small fitness center.

The pool pumping equipment was also evaluated during the pre-construction phase and it was discovered that the equipment would need to be repaired or replaced. Rather than perform this work in two phases the Emerson Board of Directors decided to close the pool entirely for 2021.

Originally slated to begin in Winter 2021, the project was delayed in getting permits and is now scheduled to be completed in early 2022.

During construction the Emerson Food Trucks (every Friday, and alternate Wednesdays) have located to the Enclave at Emerson parking lot at 8450 Upper Sky Way, Laurel, MD 20723.

Howard County, MD Ranked #8 in US Healthiest Counties

US News and World Report has ranked Howard County, MD (where our Autumn Walk at Emerson community is located) as the #8 healthiest county in the United States, from among almost 3000 communities rated in 2021.

This is the highest ranking in Maryland with Montgomery County coming in second at #65. (Though two counties in Northern Virginia, Falls Church and Loudon are #3 and #4 respectively.)

To read more:

• Howard County, MD at US News & World Report
• Howard County Ranks #8 as 2021 Healthiest Community (Patch.com)

Save the Date! Autumn Walk Picnic Sat. 8/28/21

Save the Date on your calendars! The 2021 Autumn Walk HOA Picnic will be on Saturday, August 28, 2021 (with the next day the Rain Date). More details will be coming in a month.

It's been two years since we've had a Picnic due to the pandemic, making it harder to meet the neighbors including several new families.

Thanks go out to AJ (9838), Swapnil (9846), Jenny (9847), and Fred (9854) for volunteering to organize the event. Let them/us know if you want to help in any way, even if you can't participate in the planning!