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:

• 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!

Emerson Town Hall with State Delegation

The next Emerson to Action Town Hall on Thursday, July 8, 2021 from 6 pm to 7:30 pm will feature three members of Howard County's delegation to the Maryland legislature:

• Vanessa Atterbeary, Maryland House of Delegates, District 13
• Jen Terrasa, Maryland House of Delegates, District 13
• Guy Guzzone, Maryland Senate, District 13

Emerson is soliciting questions ahead of time via this survey:

• https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MFCDPNN

You can find more information on Emerson's Facebook page:

• https://www.facebook.com/events/981126556052548

Changing the Fencing Standard

 Our townhome community is unique in Emerson in that the "cluster standard" (required architectural design elements) were specified by our builder and Emerson to what the Emerson Architect considers to be a higher grade of material.

This includes the divider fences, which Emerson has always required be made of wood and painted white. However, due to the current shortage of building materials (along with a case being made that vinyl is easier to maintain), Emerson has given us a process whereby we can designate an alternate material:

1. Consult the Autumn Walk HOA membership on the proposed change
2. Submit a formal letter to the Emerson ARB with the proposed change, as well as sample pictures and specifications
3. State whether all fences will be vinyl, or whether this will be optional
4. Obtain approval by the Emerson HOA Board

We are proposing that for the small dividers, that vinyl fencing be permitted as an "option," using vinyl fencing as shown in the attached pictures. These have not been approved yet as our first step is to consult the membership on the change.

• As part of that we are conducting an online survey to determine whether the majority of our owners are in favor of this change.

• We are also asking if members would like to participate in our first Picnic Social since 2019, as it was cancelled in 2020 by the pandemic.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BWHHTD8

PVC Fence Panel Full Privacy 6' Height by 8' Width

Post Caps: "New England" Style

2021 Fee Booklets Are Late

For those who use coupon books to pay your Autumn Walk HOA fees, you may not have received them yet due to COVID-related delays at the printer and mail. The 2021 coupon book should arrive in the mail within a week, so just send your payment when you receive the book.

Because of this no late fees will be charged for the month of January.

If you don't get the coupon book by then please email julia.tredway@casinc.biz in the accounting department for our management team.

As you should have seen in a letter, the dues will remain $75/month this year.

Columbia, MD #5 on Money's Best Places to Live for 2020

Autumn Walk at Emerson is located adjacent to Columbia, MD which has perennially been a top pick in Money Magazines "Best Places to Live in America" lists for more than a decade, including taking the top spot in 2016. Columbia and Howard County define much of the quality of life for our community including the top-rated schools, a safe environment, and a diverse community.

For 2020, Columbia was ranked #5 in the US (and tops in Maryland). Their introduction to Columbia states:

"A mainstay on our Best Places to Live list, Columbia ranked 20th last year and took the top spot in 2016. This suburban town’s enduring appeal is the result of its racially and economically diverse population and its proximity to both Baltimore (15 miles away) and Washington, D.C. (22 miles). It helps that housing in the community is relatively affordable for the region."

These factors are among the reasons many of us chose to live here: proximity to jobs and amenities in a welcoming community with good schools.

Refinancing and Selling

With rates hitting historic lows, some of you may be looking to refinance your mortgages. The place to get forms filled out certifying your HOA fees and obligations is HomeWise Docs (www.homewisedocs.com).

This is also where you can obtain Resale Packages for Autumn Walk HOA when selling your home.

Autumn Walk at Emerson News 8/24/20

1. Stephens Road Bridge Project: Closure next week o/a 8/30/20
2. Night Hours: After 10 PM
3. Welcome new neighbors!
4. Landscaping & Maintenance
5. Clubhouse Plans Revealed 8/27/20
6. Emerson Food Trucks: Wed, Fri, Weekends
7. Emerson Upgrades & Initiatives (driven by Emerson Community volunteers)
8. Hammond High School: $76M Renovation/Expansion Has Begun

News Items August 2020:

1. Stephens Road Bridge Project: Closure on/about Sunday 8/30/20 

• Stephens Road to close for about a week to relocate water/sewer lines during work hours (7 AM - 4 PM)
• Afterwards, construction of new bridge to begin, may take as long as 2 years
• Project lifts the bridge out of the floodplain (raising it 7-8 feet). Will also widen Stephens, add sidewalks, and add a median for traffic calming.
• Will have two spans, so for the most part should always have one span open without major detours
• Full info at bottom

2. Day/Night Hours: After 10 PM

Draft Minutes: 2019 Autumn Walk HOA Annual Meeting 10/28/19

The 2019 Autumn Walk HOA Annual Meeting and Elections were held on Monday, October 28, 2019 at 7 PM in the Emerson Clubhouse. Fred Leong took the minutes as he did for 2018 as well.

·        Attendance:

o   Present (4): (9811) Dharmesh, (9832) Allie, (9854) Fred; (9836) Tammy

o   Proxies (13): 9807; 9810; 9812; 9814; 9830; 9837; 9840; 9844; 9846; 9847; 9848; 9853; 9858

o   Management: April Day, CAS Inc.

·        Agenda

o   Quorum Established (17 accounted for, 12 needed)

o   Call to Order and Introductions

o   Adopt 2018 Minutes

o   Financial Review

§  2020 Budget

o   Presidents Report

§  Yearly Overview

§  Community Gatherings/Events

§  Landscape Beautification

§  Snow Removal

§  Misc

o   Proposals

o   Elections (2 open positions)

o   Residents Forum

Highlights:

1.     Board proposes Picnic for Sunday, May 17

a.     Pizza party with drinks, rest is potluck

b.     Will check that location is available, and that residents can attend

2.     Landscaping

a.     Please remember to keep your yards accessible for the landscaping contract, and avoid having anything breakable in your yards

b.     Will remove dead bushes on traffic islands (both large and small), just replace with mulch

c.     Board will add removing weeds in sidewalk cracks to Landscaping contract; will get a price on full weeding

d.     Authorized up to $5000 for an improvement project (does not have to be in those locations), resident proposals requested

e.     Board votes to ask if the sub-HOAs will jointly formally request that Emerson cover tree trimming and snow removal on major roads throughout Emerson

                                               i.     Affects appearance of entire community and budget has cashflow

3.     Emerson Election

a.     Need 169 houses to reach quorum, will have proxy forms at Halloween Block Party

4.     Home Maintenance: Emerson Violations

a.     Many houses received violations for fences, but confusion as to which fences belong to which house, especially when there are two dividers – is it the property line, or the side facing your house that matters?

                                               i.     Who cleans, paints, replaces fence?

                                             ii.     Will get clarification from Emerson

b.     Board will need to inspect Autumn Walk in late May

                                               i.     Yards should replace landscaping with something if everything has been removed

                                             ii.     Also some yards typically need cleanup, usually weeding

5.     2020 Budget adopted

a.     One-time deficit for landscaping improvement project

b.     Want to avoid raising fees as long as possible

6.     Elections

a.     Dharmesh Patel, Fred Leong reappointed to 2-year terms (no other applications received)

Details:

2019 Halloween Block Party, Pumpkin Carving, and Chili Cook-Off

Be sure to stop by Allie's house (9832 Garden Ranges) on Halloween (Thursday, October 31st) for the annual Autumn Walk Halloween Block Party!

Please let Allie know at amehok01@yahoo.com if you want to enter the Chili Cook-Off. She has three meat entries and two vegetarian at the moment.

The schedule of events:

• Sunday, October 26 at 2:30 PM: Pumpkin carving in Allie's garage (9832 Garden Ranges)
• Thursday, October 31 (6 PM - 8 PM)
• Chili Cook-Off (please bring your entries between 5 PM and 6 PM)
• Halloween Block Party

2019 Autumn Walk HOA Annual Meeting and Elections

The 2019 Autumn Walk HOA Annual Meeting and Elections will be held on Monday, October 28, 2019 at 7 PM in the Emerson Clubhouse.

Expected Topics:

• Elections for 2 Board Positions (2-year terms for Dharmesh Patel and Fred Leong expire this year)
• 2020 Budget
• Landscaping initiatives
• Removal of dead bushes
• Improvements
• Setting a Spring/Summer date for the 2020 Picnic
• Adopt the Draft Minutes from the 2018 Annual Meeting

In particular, the Board will consider whether to combine unspent funds from 2019 with 2020's budget, and potentially solicit proposals from residents for landscaping improvement projects for around $5,000.

We have enough proxies for quorum (12 houses) but we welcome your participation and ideas!

Fall Mulching in Autumn Walk

This year we switched landscaping contractors to Johnson Landscaping, which has kept the street in good shape all year.

Because the new contract was cheaper, we added a Fall mulching that started today and will run through Friday.

This isn’t a major cleanup and trimming like we get in Spring, just more of a refresh to replace the mulch that washed away during the year. But right now the entire neighborhood looks clean and tidy!

Howard County Charter Review Commission

Although the Howard County Charter seems like a dry topic, there are a number of important items being considered for possible inclusion on the ballot in 2020, including:

• Changing the number of Howard County Council Districts (for example, from 5 to 7)
• Giving the Council the ability to delete, or increase or decrease, line items in the Executive's budget
• Requiring that the County either limit future proposed projects to the funding projects for future years (such as schools and swimming pools), or at least state what the expected revenue will be in those years

Input can be provided directly to the Charter Review Commission at any time via email:

• charterreviewcommission@howardcountymd.gov

The meetings are also open to the public and there may be an additional 4th Public Hearing later this year.

Just a sampling of the topics that have been considered this year are listed below: