Howard County "Merry Mulch" Recycles Holiday Trees

Howard County will accept holiday trees in its "Merry Mulch" recycling program from December 26 through January 16, so trees don't have to go into a landfill.

Trees can be accepted at a half-dozen designated garden centers, parks, and the Alpha Ridge landfill, from where they are transferred to a recycling facility to be turned into compost and mulch.

The closest recycling location to us is at Savage Park near Savage Mill.

The tree in Union Station is probably a wee bit larger than the one in your house

Curbside recycling will also be accepted (with trees cut up and tied) on your recycling day for communities with curbside recycling pick-up until January 16, 2015. After that point they should be put out with the trash, or brought to Alpha Ridge if you want to recycle.

Dates: Fri., December 26 - Fri., January 16
Times: 7:30 AM - 5 PM (Mon-Fri)
Guidelines:

• Strip trees of all ornaments, stands, and tinsel
• (For curbside collection) Cut trees into 4-foot lengths and tie them together (do not need to be bagged). Bundles must be under 40 lbs.
• After January 16, bring trees to Alpha Ridge Landfill for recycling (see hours below), or set out with the trash
• Artificial trees and wreaths with metal components can be recycled in the scrap metal area at Alpha Ridge

Locations:

Notes: Emerson HOA Meeting & Elections 11/24/14

Highlights of the Emerson Board Meeting on 11/24/14:

• Elections
• Three new Board Members elected, very heavy participation in the election
• Howard County Officials in attendance
• Councilwoman Jen Terrasa (District 3)
• Howard County Chief of Traffic Kris Jagarapu 
• Extended Q&A Session
• Local road projects
• Wincopia Farms/Walden Woods
• Process for upgrading roads, adding traffic calming
• Open Resident Forum

Details:

1. Elected to the Emerson Board of Directors for 2-year terms:

Merry Recycle Slide Weeks!

Don't forget -- due to the holidays, Recycle Pick-up will slide for both of the next two weeks:

Christmas Week:

• Tuesday, 12/23/14: Trash Pick-up (regularly scheduled day)
• Saturday, 12/27/14: Recycle Pick-up (slides one day)

New Year's Week:

• Tuesday, 12/30/14: Trash Pick-up (regularly scheduled day)
• Saturday, 1/3/15: Recycle Pick-up (slides one day)

Happy New Year! See you in 2015!

Metro Green Line at Konterra?

With the opening of new roads around the Konterra site, as well as vague references to the first phase of the $3 billion Konterra Town Center East project coming in 2015, is it possible Washington Metro's Green Line could be extended to Konterra?

Konterra Map

Although no proposals are under active consideration, it would bring DC Metro within 10-15 minutes of Emerson.

Several old news articles about Konterra have alluded to requests from the developers of Konterra to the state and county for not only the new highway exits from I-95 and MD-200 which were just opened, but also a DC Metro stop at Konterra.

There is a MARC station at Muirkirk Road on Route 1 near the new intersection with MD-200, about 1.5 miles from the Konterra exit on I-95.

A study for the Maryland Legislature in 2007 looked at several options for extending the Green Line from Greenbelt to BWI:

Schools for Autumn Walk Rank High in Maryland

The web site Niche, which rates schools and colleges in the US, has ranked the schools for Autumn Walk in Maryland's top tier, with Gorman Crossing Elementary School leading the way at #10!

And it's also notable that Maryland's schools are consistently rated among the best in the country.

For 2015 the ranks of our local schools are:

• Gorman Crossing Elementary School: #10
• Murray Hill Middle School: #11
• Atholton High School: #16

Only the top 100 schools were listed in each category.

The web site bases its rankings on a compilation of statistical data and test scores as well as reviews.

A competing web site, GreatSchools, also gives our schools high marks:

• Gorman Crossing Elementary School: 8 out of 10
• Murray Hill Middle School: 8 out of 10
• Atholton High School: 10 out of 10

Congratulations to the students, parents, and teachers who made these schools successful!

Related External Links:

• Maryland Schools Slip to No. 3 in Education Week Report Card (Maryland Reporter, 1/8/15)
• Md. may no longer technically be No. 1 in education (Baltimore Sun, 1/9/14)
• Maryland ranks No. 1 in education for fifth year in a row (Washington Post, 1/10/13)

Related Posts:

• History: Howard County Schools (9/14/12) - how and why Howard County became Maryland's top school system
• Grand Re-Opening of Savage Branch Library & STEM Center (7/1/14)
• Toby's Dinner Theatre (Columbia. MD) (1/13/15) - includes information about Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts (CCTA)

Holiday Week: Recycle Slide Schedule

Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday next week (Thursday, November 27, 2014), the collection of recyclables will follow the slide schedule:

•  Trash Pick-up: Tuesday, 11/25/14 (NO CHANGE)
• Recyclables Pick-up: Saturday, 11/29/14 (slides down one day)

We hope you have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! 

Minutes: Autumn Walk FY15 Annual Meeting and Budget (11/17/14)

Minutes from the Autumn Walk HOA Meeting on November 17, 2014:

Board Members: Damon, Dharmesh

1. 2015 Budget (HOA fees remain the same)
1. Reserves
1. Financially healthy. Board voted to move larger amount from operating fund to reserves
2. CAS Community Manager will send Board rates from several banks so Board can decide how to allocate among CDs (may be laddered at 12/24/36 months if significantly advantageous)
3. Board allocated a Reserve Expense for a monument sign pending selection of a design and vendor 
1. Will conduct research and present candidate designs to community early next Spring
2. Unclear whether lighting is necessary 
3. Will check whether neighboring communities are also interested - guess is 15% discount for multiple orders
4. Can use Reserves because it is considered a start-up item and it comes from the capital improvement fees paid when we moved in
4. Will contract for a professional Reserve Study in 2015
2. Repairs

Preparing Your Home for Winter

Update: The full list is now posted below.

Many forecasts this year call for a snowy winter and this weekend we might see an early cold snap.

So this might be a good time to review the steps to winterize your home!

In this example, there are two hose bibs that need to be turned
off (front and rear of house) from the utility room

In particular, you will want to turn off the outside hose bibs (faucets), draining them of any standing water so the water pipes won't be damaged by the expansion of frozen water.

A more extensive listing of winterizing tips from our builder was posted a couple of years ago:

• Winterizing Your Home

Emerson Holiday Open House 12/6/14 (RSVP due before Thanksgiving)

Emerson will hold its annual Holiday Open House with Santa and his Elves on Saturday, December 6 from 12 noon - 2 PM in the Clubhouse. Come any time during that period!

RSVPs are due at noon on November 26th.

As in the past couple of years, the Murray Hill Middle School Jazz Band will perform, and hot chocolate and cookies will be served!

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The announcement from Emerson:

Final Stretch of Intercounty Connector Opens Monday 11/10/14

The final 1.5 mile stretch of MD-200 (the Intercounty Connector, or ICC) opens Monday morning between I-95 and Route 1 in Laurel.

Click the map to go to the full size PDF map on maryland.gov

Pricing on the new section of the all-electronic toll road will match the rest of the ICC, with the peak price occurring during rush hour of the work week (6 AM - 9 AM, and 4 PM - 7 PM Monday through Friday).

The roadwork provides a new intersection on I-95 (Exit 32) to the new Konterra Drive, while MD-200 will now extend from the existing Exit 31 eastward to a new interchange with Route 1 between Contee Road and the Muirkirk MARC station.

There will also be a limited interchange between MD-200 and the south end of Konterra Drive.

(Note that the Konterra web site says rather vaguely that the "first phase of Konterra Town Center East is due to deliver in 2015.")

Click the map to go to the full size "Continuous Flow" PDF fact sheet
on maryland.gov

The Route 1 intersection uses a "Continuous Flow" design, where eastbound left-turning traffic from the ICC is routed over the westbound traffic prior to Route 1, to minimize the impact from left-turning vehicles at the stop lights on Route 1.

Related Articles:

• Final Section of ICC, New I-95 Interchange to Open By Monday (Patch.com, 11/5/14)
• Final Part of Intercounty Connector Set to Open (Washington Post, 11/5/14)

Maintenance Tips

This is a reference post to collect in one place links to all of the previous posts containing tips for maintenance of your home.

Note also that we have an unofficial Residents-Only Warranties & Repairs Forum on Facebook where residents help each other.

• Builder Materials - original paints, flooring, and other materials used by the builder (this is a work in progress, please help if you can)
• Homeowner Responsibilities - breakdown of homeowner vs. HOA responsibilities
• Architectural Review and Landscaping Changes - where to go to request permission to make changes to the exterior of your home
• Winterizing Your Home - preparing your home for winter

Heating and Cooling Systems:

Town Centre at Laurel Grand Opening

The Grand Opening for Towne Centre at Laurel will be on Saturday, November 15 from 3 PM - 6 PM.

About half of the businesses are already open and here is the schedule of events over the next couple of weeks:

A Great Halloween - Part 1

Thanks to everyone who made Halloween a success!

Special thanks go out to Allie and Daphna as the hosts, and to everyone who made an entry in the chili contest: Amy, Andrea, Bindu, Cindy, Daphna, Jamie, Kelli S., Kelly H., Kelly R., Maria, and Stephanie.

All of the chili dishes were terrific and it was hard choosing which ones to vote for. The balloting was very close but Bindu's won in the vegetarian category and Maria's won in the meat category.

So many neighbors and visitors came that I lost track of them. Early on I thought the kids from our street were just going to keep circling the candy bowls but eventually they headed out for other neighborhoods.

We also were extremely fortunate on the weather, as Halloween was a cool and dry Fall day but the next day would drop 20 degrees and turn blustery. (And all the tombstones blew away!)

A few more pictures are posted below (more will be in another post and on Facebook):

A Great Halloween - Part 2

More Halloween pictures from Autumn Walk (see Facebook in a day or two for the full set including pictures of the trick-or-treaters):

Halloween Light Show in Odenton, MD

(Update 11/2/14: Looks like they were forced to change the music so a new video is linked. If you're not able to watch the embedded version go to YouTube.)

Just to get you in the Halloween mood, here's a video from the Halloween House in Odenton, MD:

As the article below explains, the light show runs from 7 PM to 9 PM nightly till Halloween. Tune your radio to 98.5 FM at the site to hear the music in conjunction with the lights.

• It's "All About That Bass" at Odenton Halloween House [Capital-Gazette]

Related:

• VIDEO: "Watch Me Whip" Says House Decked Out for Halloween (NPR, 10/22/15)

Smithsonian Innovation Festival: November 1st & 2nd

This weekend the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, DC will host a family-oriented Innovation Festival jointly sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Exhibits will include a 3-D printer (3D Systems), inflatable seatbelt (Ford), remotely-operated construction equipment (Caterpillar), and other recent inventions, and will provide an opportunity to talk to inventors and patent examiners.

The event is free and runs both Saturday and Sunday:

Dates: November 1-2, 2014
Time: 10 AM to 5 PM
Location: National Air and Space Museum, Independence Avenue at 6th Street, Washington, DC
http://www.si.edu/Museums/air-and-space-museum

Innovation Festival: http://airandspace.si.edu/events/detail.cfm?id=11860

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http://newsdesk.si.edu/releases/smithsonian-will-host-innovation-festival-national-air-and-space-museum

Smithsonian Will Host Innovation Festival at National Air and Space Museum

Festival Is Part of Five-year Collaboration Spotlighting American Ingenuity and Inventors

October 27, 2014

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum will host an Innovation Festival Nov. 1 and 2, a collaboration between the Smithsonian and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The festival will highlight accomplishments of American inventors and the spirit of innovation. It will feature displays, talks, performances and craft projects for children and adults.

It's Coming...A Halloween Skelemingo Friday!

The ghost birds mark the spot of the Halloween festivities to come...

A Skelemingo lurks in the bushes

• The hosts will provide water, plus a few sodas left over from the picnic, and outlets for the chili crockpots. Anything else is up to you!
• We also have frozen hamburgers left over from the picnic if anyone is willing to grill them. Please let us know!

• Amazingly, as of this date, we have ten chili entries -- seven meat chilis and three vegetarian chilis, so it looks like a real battle is brewing. :) 
• The chili entries have been closed but if you still want to enter, let us know on the RSVP form and we'll find room. What a terrific turnout!

For your convenience, here's the schedule once again:

5 PM - 6 PM: Set-up Bring your treats, potluck, chairs, etc. to 9832/9834 (Allie & Daphna) by 5:30 PM Bring your chili also by 5:30 PM in a crockpot

6 PM - 8:30 PM: Halloween Block Party & Chili Cook-Off Chili tasting and voting between 6 PM and 7:30 PM Food, drinks, treats, and a friendly "howdy" for everyone who comes by!

In the meantime, I'm working on my secret competition chili recipe:

Autumn Walk HOA Meeting and Elections (11/17/14)

The 2014 Autumn Walk HOA Meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 17th at 7 PM in the Emerson Clubhouse.

• The proposed 2015 Budget for Autumn Walk (effective January 1, 2015) will be discussed and voted upon by the Board.
• Assessments will remain the same in 2015.
• An immediate Board vacancy needs to be filled to serve till the next formal election. 
• No experience is necessary to be on the Board -- just an interest in your community and attendance at 2-3 meetings per year.
• A formal Board member election will be held at the Annual meeting in June 2015.
• Please contact the CAS Community Manager if you have any questions.

We hope to see all of you there!

Time to...Fall Back!

Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour this weekend! Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends at 2 AM on Sunday, November 2nd.

Since 2007, most of the US and Canada have observed Daylight Saving Time from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. Next year, DST will resume at 2 AM on Sunday, March 8, 2015.

It's not clear how to set this one back an hour

Maryland Early Voting Has Started!

Early Voting started today in the state of Maryland and will continue for the next week, and will continue until next Thursday, October 30, 2014.

The closest Early Voting center is at Ridgley's Run

I fought my way through the long lines to vote

Early Voting Begins Oct. 23rd

Early voting in this year's elections, including the Maryland Gubernatorial race, will run from October 23-30, 2014, including Sunday 10/26. 

You can vote at any of the three Early Voting locations (below) in Howard County, but on Election Day you must go to your assigned polling place.

• Sample Ballot (Howard County) - PDF

Quick Facts:

• Early voting: Thursday, 10/23/14 - Thursday 10/30/14, 10 AM - 8 PM

Howard County Police "STEP" Up Traffic Enforcement

The Howard County Police Department (HCPD) has announced that it will increase traffic enforcement in targeted areas with higher than ordinary levels of accidents, DUIs, and speeding violations.

The Specialized Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) analyzed data for traffic incidents and aggressive driving and found that they were clustered in specific areas of the County during certain hours on recurring days.

Traffic Enforcement Zones (TEZ) with increased Howard County Police
presence (click map for larger size)

HCPD officers will conduct high-visibility enforcement efforts on Baltimore National Pike (US 40), Route 29, MD-175, Route 1, MD-100, MD-108 (Waterloo Road), Snowden River Parkway, Little Patuxent Parkway, and Main Street (Ellicott City).

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Howard County Police Department News Release (from their Facebook page on 10/14/14):

Emerson Elections at Annual Meeting Nov. 24th

Update 11/3/14: Ballots/proxies have been mailed to all households. There are six candidates for the three open Board positions. Two of the candidates are incumbents, the third did not file. Proxies for those who cannot attend in person are due by 12 noon on the day of the election (11/24/14).

Candidates for the Emerson Board are:

• Erica Root Cikanek (current member)
• Narsimha Doma
• John Jurgensen (current member)
• Laurel Lloyd
• Sae Ro
• Katie Schneider

Emerson's Annual Meeting will be held in the Clubhouse on November 24th and three Board positions will be open for election:

Date: Monday, November 24, 2014 (this is the Monday of Thanksgiving Week!)
Time: 7 PM (registration begins at 6:30 PM)
Location: Emerson Clubhouse

Some notes about the election:

• You should have received a mailing with the Call for Candidates and Nominating Form.
• 3 out of 5 Board positions will be open for 2-year terms. (The other two positions are appointed by the Developer, Howard Hughes Corp., and represent Hughes and Knott Realty respectively.)
• Candidates must get 20 Emerson Residential Lot Owners in good standing to sign the Nominating Form, which is due no later than Monday, October 27th, 2014.
• For the election, you can submit a proxy (absentee ballot) for the voting to CMC prior to the meeting. The list of candidates and proxy forms will be mailed by Monday, November 10th.
• Emerson has a fairly high quorum requirement (1/6th of Class A Residential units or 168 units, and 1/6th of Class C Commercial properties or 2 representatives). If quorum is not met, the election will be held at the next meeting and quorum will be established by whomever is in attendance. Proxies can carry over.
• Immediately after the election is finalized, the new Board will select its new officers.

Water Heater Pilot Light

(Update 10/21/14: This post has been corrected as some steps were inadvertently left out in the procedures for relighting the pilot light.)

I recently lost hot water in my home and found that the pilot light had gone out. In case you aren't sure how to check this, these are the instructions for a Bradford Model M-2-XR65T6FBN 65-gallon gas water heater as was typically installed in Autumn Walk.

• Bradford Model M-2-XR65T6FBN [PDF Service Manual | PDF Parts List]

If you're unable to light the pilot light after trying these procedures more than once, then something has likely failed and you'll need to call a plumber.

Your water heater may be still covered by the Bradford White Manufacturer's Limited Warranty. In the model listed above, the part number means:

• Model M2
• 65 gallons
• 6 year tank warranty (and hence also a 6-year parts warranty)

Instructions as posted on the water heater itself:

1. First check that the red temperature knob is turned on and that it is at the temperature setting you want.

Base of the water heater

2014 Autumn Walk Halloween Block Party and Chili Cook-Off

Update: We've had such a great response we're going to have to cut off the chili entries! (But if you still want to enter let us know and we'll find room.)

Either way you're still welcome to bring something else, or just to stop by. Thanks everyone!

Last Halloween we had a semi-impromptu Block Party, with hot dogs left over from the Autumn Walk Picnic roasting on a brazier to complement the Halloween treats being passed out to everyone visiting our neighborhood.

Many people also brought Potluck contributions of food and drink.

It was so much better than waiting huddled in our homes for the doorbell to ring! :)

So as an encore this year...

Maria and Hung were the hosts last year

Halloween in 2014
This year, a group of your neighbors are expanding the concept to add a Chili Cook-Off in front of Allie and Daphna's houses (9832 and 9834), so start getting your recipes together...

Please let us know if you plan to set up additional activities on Halloween or will be making an entry in the chili cook-off!

• Halloween RSVP Form (especially if you want to enter the chili cook-off)

The plan so far:

Emerson Fall Children's Costume Event

Update: Emerson HOA moved the RSVP deadline up to Wednesday so they can order the pumpkins.

In case you missed the notice, Emerson's Master HOA has announced that the Fall Children's Costume Event will be the weekend before Halloween in Sterling Park.

Date: Saturday, October 25th
Time: 12 PM to 1 PM

The children participate in a small parade in their costumes, and receive a trick-or-treat bag.

RSVPs are requested by 3 PM Wednesday, October 15th to the CMC Community Manager for Emerson in the Clubhouse.

As noted below, this event is for Emerson Residents only.

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Here's a reposting of the notice from Emerson:

Columbia, MD: Money Magazine Top 10 Places to Live for 2014

(Updated: Columbia named #1 in 2016)

For the fifth consecutive time since 2006, Columbia/Ellicott City, MD has been named to the Top 10 in Money Magazine's list of "Best Places to Live in America."

This record of consistency is only more remarkable when you realize that it is the only community in that timespan to remain in the Top Ten each year, with some other highly-ranked communities falling completely out of the Top 50.

As you know, Emerson is on the southern boundary of Columbia and shares the same top-rated Howard County school district and library system.

Orioles, Nationals Exit Baseball Playoffs

The Orioles lost to the Kansas City Royals in 4 games in the American League Championship Series, putting an end to hopes for a local team in the World Series.

The O's had swept the AL Division series with the Tigers 3-0, but the possible dream World Series for Maryland and DC Metro baseball fans fell through early in the NL Division Series as the Nationals first lost the two games of their opening homestand, and then eventually fell in San Francisco in four games, three games to one.

The Orioles were trying to make their 7th World Series. Baltimore has three world championships (1966, 1970, and 1983).

So all too soon local sports fans have to say..."wait till next year!"

Maryland Renaissance Festival

The Maryland Renaissance Festival (also on Facebook) has three more weekends left, and the forecast for this weekend calls for gorgeous weather -- sunny and in the high 60's.

First held in Columbia, MD in 1977, Maryland RenFest is now located on a wooded 130-acre site in Crownsville, MD just off of I-97 near Annapolis.

The festival has costumed performers and patrons from the era of King Henry VIII's England, and includes jousting, archery, a food fair, and artisans and crafts.

2014 Autumn Walk Picnic (with Photos)

(See the full album on Facebook)

Thanks to everyone for making the 2014 Autumn Walk Picnic a success!

Hosts Adrienne and Jamie decorated their houses and organized the set-up of tables, chairs, coolers, and even a pop-up tent, as well as coordinating replies from the neighborhood.

Bindu, Daphna, and Pam also helped with the planning, fliers, shopping and grilling, and around 40 adults and 40 children came bringing potluck contributions!

With the addition of hamburgers, veggie burgers, and hot dogs purchased by Autumn Walk HOA, we had more food and drink than we could possibly consume.

It's Picnic Time!

(Update: Since no one can see the sign up list any more, we've sent individual reminders to everyone with the list of items you volunteered to bring. Please let us know if you didn't receive it and need help remembering. :) Thanks again!)

It's almost time for the picnic on Saturday!

For those who volunteered to supply them, the organizers ask that you bring some items early (between 10 am and 12 noon to 9846/9848, Adrienne or Jamie's houses):

• Folding tables
• Coolers & Ice
• Drinks
• Condiments (we may still need mustard and mayo)
• Napkins, plates, cutlery 

We've had a pretty good response, but it's not too late to sign up! We hope to see everyone there!

Picnic Reminder!

The weather forecast looks good so far for next Saturday -- keep your fingers crossed!

The picnic organizers need a headcount to know how much food and supplies are needed. Can you please RSVP to the following link?

• Google Forms RSVP

Negative responses are also requested -- that is, if you cannot attend, please let us know by putting your house number in the form but put "0" or "cannot attend" in the "Other" box under attendance.

Thanks!

Whole-House Humidifier Tips

If you have excessively dry air during the winter heating season, you may have found that it leads to a less comfortable environment in your home, with everything from dry skin and nosebleeds to shrinking floorboards.

Portable humidifiers work reasonably well but it can be a tedious chore to continually refill and clean them. If your HVAC system has enough room, you can install a whole-house humidifier.

Whole-House Humidifiers
A typical whole-house humidifier will be installed on the return air duct. An air intake line is installed from the filtered, heated air exiting the furnace, and goes through a damp pad into the return duct.

A whole-house humidifier installation

I've Been Riding on the Railroad (Baltimore to Ellicott City)

Did you know that Baltimore and Howard County had an important role in the birth of American railroads?

The last surviving Bollman Truss Bridge is near us at Savage Mill

The first regularly scheduled passenger rail service in the US began on May 22, 1830 when a horse-drawn Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) train was pulled 13 miles from Baltimore's Mount Clare Station to Ellicott Mills (Ellicott City today) in northeastern Howard County.

Today, both sites are the locations of railroad museums commemorating their roles in establishing the American railroad industry.

2014 Autumn Walk Picnic!

A group of your neighbors (Adrienne, Jamie, Bindu, Daphna, and Pam) have volunteered to organize and host the 2014 Autumn Walk Picnic! Come out and meet your neighbors and enjoy food and fun and games!

Date: Saturday, September 20, 2014 from 3pm - 6pm between Jamie and Adrienne's House (9848 and 9846)

Raindate: Sunday, September 21, 2014 from 2pm - 5pm between Jamie and Adrienne's House

Volunteers to grill are needed!

They plan to have a water balloon game, bike decorations, face painting, fake tattoos, and a cake walk (and maybe more)!

Autumn Walk HOA will provide hamburgers, hot dogs, and buns, and otherwise the Picnic will be Potluck.

What you can do: 

• Please RSVP using the web link below, letting them know how many adults and children you expect to attend. 
• Google Forms RSVP
• Please indicate on the form what dish(es), supplies, or activities you can provide. 
• Help is also needed with set-up, clean-up, and the grilling, so please let us know if you can volunteer for those jobs too. 

The first two Picnics were a lot of fun and we hope as many of you as possible will be able to join us!

Labor Day: Trash Sl-i-i-i-de Week

In this post:

1. Holiday slide schedule
2. Disposal of unusual items (bulk items; electronics; household hazardous waste)

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Don't forget -- due to the Labor Day Holiday on Monday, September 1st, both trash and recycling collection will slide down one day next week:

• Trash collection: Wednesday, September 3, 2014
• Recycling collection: Saturday, September 6, 2014

Other trash and recycling information from Howard County:

HOA Resale Documents

When selling your home (or getting a new loan) in Autumn Walk @ Emerson, you will need to obtain two separate HOA resale packages for the new buyers, one from Autumn Walk and one from Emerson.

Per Maryland State Statute these are the documents required to comply with the state law, if they pertain to the Association:

• Resale Disclosure 
• Compliance Inspection Form 
• Budget 
• Covenants, Conditions, & Restrictions (CCRs)
• Resolutions and Policies 
• Articles of Incorporation 
• Bylaws 
• Architectural Guidelines 
• Rules and Regulations 

To obtain resale packages:

1. Autumn Walk HOA (Last Update: 11/28/17)

• Contact Community Association Services (CAS) if you have other questions - see the page Contact Autumn Walk HOA

As of November 2017, the HOA Resale Package for Autumn Walk is $225, available from homewisedocs.com. Homeowners or their agent should go directly to the web site to order packages. 

Instructions:

1. Create an account on HomeWise, and log in

2. Once logged in, go to “Place New Order”

3. In the Search box that appears (“Start your order here”) enter in your property address or “Autumn Walk at Emerson”

4. Choose the result “Autumn Walk at Emerson HOA Inc. Laurel, MD 20723”

5. Choose the Transaction Type (“Purchase/Sale” in this case) and select “Continue"

6. The document you want is “Maryland Required Resale Disclosure Package"

Community Association Services, Inc., the managing agent for Autumn Walk HOA, has partnered with HomeWiseDocs.com, the industry’s leading community association escrow, closing and document service company, to offer a streamlined process for the order and delivery of community association resale documents. 

Simply click this link to get started: https://www.homewisedocs.com/  

Sign up is quick and easy and you can begin using the system immediately. Their professional staff is available for any questions you may have toll-free at 866-925-5004.

The document package for your association is available for purchase online at www.homewisedocs.com. 

• Each package contains the association’s CC&Rs, Bylaws, Articles, Budget, and other useful documents.  

• For more information on ordering the package please visit www.homewisedocs.com.   

• Once on the site, should you need additional help, please use the technical support chat feature on the upper right portion of the screen. 

*It is important that all legal docs be ordered through www.homewisedocs.com by requesting a “Resale Disclosure Package”.  To be “Maryland Resale Law compliant ALL legal docs; resale certificate & violations compliance form must be included to present to the potential buyer.   The only way is through our information partners, HOMEWISEDOCS.com*

2. Emerson HOA (Last Update: 11/28/17)

a. To place an order for any of the products for sale or refinance please access –

www.cmc-management.com  

b. Select “ORDER RESALE DOCUMENTS” then select “COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT CORPORATION”  this will direct you to Community Archives.

• You will need to register with Community Archives if you are a first time user and if you have any difficulties placing the order and/or navigating through the website please contact Community Archives Customer Service at 1-800-995-0682.

c. Resale Packages: 

If your address belongs to a Master and Sub-Association that CMC/SCS manages, an order needs to be placed for both Associations.  

d. Lender Questionnaire:

If you require a custom form be sure to select the custom form option when placing the order and once you have received your email confirmation with an order # then submit your custom form by fax 520-219-3055 or email cacs@communityarchives.com or customforms@communityarchives.com  

Please be sure to reference your order # when submitting your custom form.

Antietam Battlefield (Sharpsburg, MD)

One of the advantages of living halfway between Baltimore and Washington, DC is the wealth of things to do, some of them fairly unique to the area. 

The focus for this post is the 152nd Anniversary of one of the many important Civil War sites within a day trip of our community, to be commemorated with demonstrations starting on the weekend of September 13-14, 2014 and continuing for the next week with historical talks and hikes.

The Battle of Antietam was fought on September 17, 1862 near Sharpsburg, MD (about 90 minutes away from us) and marked one of the first turning points of the war.

Confederate artillery with the mountains in the background

After the Union defeat at Second Manassas just two weeks earlier, the first Confederate invasion of the North was turned back in the bloodiest single day of the war with 23,000 casualties on both sides.

Though the battle itself was inconclusive, the result gave President Lincoln the confidence to issue the Emancipation Proclamation three months later on January 1, 1863.

Savage MARC Station Construction

The Savage (Dorsey Run Road) MARC Station, the nearest station to Emerson on the Camden Line, has been a construction zone since April with the work scheduled to be completed in late 2014 or early 2015 to support a larger redevelopment effort called Annapolis Junction Town Center.

A new 4-story parking garage will have 704 free parking spaces for MARC commuters. A new traffic light will also be installed at the exit to Dorsey Run Road.

This work is part of a $180M project which broke ground on June 9, 2014 called Annapolis Junction Town Center to convert the Savage MARC Station into a new Transportation Oriented Development (TOD) site, with a mix of residential, office, and retail development centered around public transit:

HoCo Restaurant Week: The Aftermath

Did anyone else take advantage of Howard County's Restaurant Week for Summer 2014?

Here are some pictures from Bistro Blanc (Glenelg), Victoria Gastro Pub (Columbia), and Highland Inn (Highland).

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Bistro Blanc

Local Strawberry-Tomato Gazpacho
pickled nectarine + lime XVO powder + micro basil

Spiced Rabbit Gnocchi
blonde mole + bentons bacon + carrot + broccolini + cotija cheese + mint
-- paired with -- Syrah, Rosenblum Vintner's Cuvee, California '10

Gorman Road Re-Opens

After almost 2 months of construction, the section of Gorman Road between Murray Hill Road and Skylark Boulevard re-opened on Tuesday, August 12th.

During the closure, the road was widened and straightened to accommodate the new Wincopia Farms development, and a pedestrian tunnel was built underneath Gorman Road between Wincopia Farms and the ballfields for Murray Hill Middle School.

This should make our commutes a little easier again!

Gorman has been widened and slightly straightened

Emerson Movie Night #2 at the Pool (8/15/14)

Emerson's next Movie Night at the Pool will be on Friday, August 15th at dusk (approximately 8:00 pm). This event is for Emerson residents only (ID required).

The movie being shown on this evening will be Despicable Me 2.

Maryland Tax-Free Week: August 10-16, 2014

This week is Maryland Tax-Free Week, when certain clothing and footwear items under $100 are exempt from Maryland's 6% sales tax from Sunday, August 10th to Saturday, August 16th.

Qualifying items purchased online and delivered this week are also tax-exempt.

Unfortunately, schools supplies are not tax-exempt.

• Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week FAQs (pdf from the Comptroller of Maryland web site)

Autumn Is Our Season (A Photo Album)

A bit late, but here are some neighborhood photos from last Autumn!