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