Maryland Tax-Free Week Aug. 9-15

Maryland's annual tax-free week will run from Sunday, August 9 to Saturday, August 15, 2015.

During this event articles of clothing selling for less than $100 will be exempt from Maryland's 6% sales tax. However, accessories (e.g., jewelry and belts) as well as special purpose equipment such as football pads are not eligible for the exemption.

For a full list of tax-exempt items and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs), go to the State of Maryland Comptoller Office web site:

• Shop Maryland Tax Free Week

National Night Out at NLCC on August 4th

Emerson will not be hosting a separate National Night Out (NNO) event this year. Howard County will host its annual NNO Event at North Laurel Community Center (NLCC).

National Night Out is an annual security awareness event on the first Tuesday in August, during which police agencies encourage community-building and police-community partnerships to make neighborhoods safer.

Howard County National Night Out 2015

North Laurel Community Center (NLCC)
9411 Whiskey Bottom Road
Laurel, MD 20723

Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

For More Info Call: 410-313-0390

Howard County's event will feature the "Ocho de Bastos" Latin Rock band, displays from Howard County Police and agencies, and more.

The Beach at The National Building Museum (DC)

The National Building Museum is a private museum in downtown Washington, DC dedicated to architecture, engineering and urban design.

Housed in the 1887 US Pension Building, it's free to walk through the Great Hall and building, but admission to exhibits requires an entry fee.

This year for its annual "Summer Block Party" the museum decided to create an unusual attraction to draw attention and visitors: an artificial 10,000 square foot "beach" in the central Great Hall filled with 1 million recyclable anti-microbial plastic balls through which visitors can surf.

The BEACH will only be open from July 4 to September 7, 2015. After that date it will be torn down and the materials recycled, with a different exhibit next summer.

About the National Building Museum

Curbside Food Scrap Composting in Howard County

Did you know that Howard County has a limited-area curbside food scrap collection program they call "Feed the Green Bin"?

Areas with curbside collection of food scraps shown in red (as of 7/26/15)

The organic waste matter including fruit and vegetable scraps, yard trim, coffee grounds and filters, and even chopsticks that might normally go into the landfill or down a disposal, is instead collected from green recycling bins and taken to an $800,000 composting facility at the Alpha Ridge Landfill.


According to The Baltimore Sun, only 3% of the 34 million tons of food waste nationally in 2010 was sent to a composting facility, mostly on the West Coast.

Reporting Street Light Outages

You can report street lighting outages on the BG&E site:

• Lighting Outage Form (bge.com)

You will be asked to provide the pole number and address, as well as your own name and address.

This form was used to report a couple of lights being out on our street over the past year (including one just this month), as well as to get a pole replaced when it was knocked over.

Routine outages such as burnt-out bulbs are generally addressed within 72 hours, weather permitting.

The BGE link is also listed on Autumn Walk's "Maintenance Tips" page linked at the top of this site:

• Maintenance Tips

A well-lit street contributes to the safety of our neighborhood!

Repairs to Autumn Walk Common Areas

On Thursday, a local contractor repaired the stone retaining wall around the tree in the common area between Autumn Walk and Skylark Ridge.

Retaining Wall (Before Repairs)

Retaining Wall (After Repairs)

They also took care of miscellaneous repairs such as filling the cracks in the sidewalks near the mailboxes.

Your HOA Dollars at Work ™

Autumn Walk Picnic Changed to August 30th

(Update: The After Picnic Report was posted on 9/1/15)

Due to a scheduling conflict, the proposed date for the Autumn Walk 2015 Picnic has been moved up to Sunday, August 30th from 3 PM to 6 PM. (There will be no rain date.)

In addition to hamburgers and hot dogs supplied by Autumn Walk, several fun activities are planned and the rest of the food, drinks and supplies will be potluck.

(Update 8/9/15): Activities I've heard rumored are:

• Face Painting
• Cake Walk
• Water Balloon Toss
• Cornhole
• Mystery activities?

Hopefully all of you will be back from your summer vacations by that date!

Location
The Picnic will be held at the end of the cul-de-sac again this year (the same location as the first picnic in 2012).

RSVP and Sign Up
You can RSVP and also sign up to help or bring supplies on SignUpGenius:

• Autumn Walk 2015 Picnic

We request:

• Please include a house number or otherwise let us know who you are
• Tell us the number of adults and children expected
• Please view the list of items as only suggestions - it is all of you who make this a success!

Although Autumn Walk HOA is providing a very small amount of funding for hamburgers and hot dogs, this event as always is a joint effort of a small group of volunteers among your neighbors, and all of you for your potluck contributions.

Thanks go out to Bindu, Kelly, Allie, Daphna, Jenny, Adrienne, Jamie, and Pam for organizing this year's Picnic!

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend. This is a great way to meet your neighbors and continue to make this community a wonderful place to live!

(Draft) Revised Emerson Architectural Guidelines Posted

Emerson has posted the DRAFT revision of the Architectural Guidelines for comment.

To access the 9 MB PDF document:

• Log in to the Emerson Community web site
• Click on the "Resources" tab
• On the ensuing pop up menu, click on "Architectural Design Guidelines - 2015 Revised"

The Emerson Board of Directors will be voting whether to accept these changes (highlighted in RED) at the September 28th Board Meeting.

Howard County Restaurant Weeks 7/20 - 8/3

Howard County's Summer 2015 Restaurant Weeks will run from Monday, July 20, 2015 through Monday, August 3, 2015.

As always, restaurants will offer multi-course specialty menus priced from $15 to $45, with lunch typically cheaper.

This year, a few Baltimore restaurants are also participating.

Howard County Restaurants:

Homeowner Summer Maintenance Checklist

From our builder, Miller & Smith, a checklist of items to do as you enter each summer season:

Howard County Flood Information

Be careful: There have been two incidents of flooding in our area due to heavy rain, including a flash flood that led to a rescue from a stranded vehicle trapped by swift water from The Little Patuxent River near Savage Mill.

Stephens Road Flooding
The temporary flooding of Stephens Road on June 27th underscored the need for Howard County's project to raise the bridge out of the floodplain. That project is expected to begin preliminary work this summer and to be completed by the end of 2016.

The impact on traffic and the plans for any closures have not been announced yet.

For those interested in floodplain information from FEMA, you can go to Howard County's interactive map at:

• Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM)

Additional information is available from Howard County's FIRM page.

Some notes from the interactive DFIRM map shown above in the screenshot:

Beware of Distraction Scams

Howard County Police Department is warning residents of a "distraction scam," where an individual posing as a water company employee engaged a homeowner while an accomplice slipped in behind and stole valuables.

Residents should:

• Always ask for ID and call the company if you weren't expecting anyone
• Avoid letting strangers into your home where possible
• If someone claims to be selling something, they should have a Howard County-issued solicitor's license

You can call police at 410-313-2200 to report suspicious incidents, or dial 911 if the incident is in progress.

On a related note, Autumn Walk has finally posted a "No Soliciting" sign as requested by a number of our residents, especially those living near our entrance.

If someone still comes to your door, please keep the safety tips above in mind.

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From Howard County Police Department's warning on Facebook reporting this incident on 6/30/15:

Happy Fourth of July!

We hope you are enjoying your Independence Holiday weekend! Have a Happy Fourth of July!

Flags fly on the I-95 Overpass

Because the holiday falls on a Saturday, all trash collection including recycling on Friday is on a normal schedule.

Related Posts:

• Happy Fourth of July (2014) - pictures from Columbia's Lakefront
• Trash Slide Days Schedule for 2015 (last update: 3/5/15)

Maryland E-Z Pass and Toll Fees Reduced

The State of Maryland announced that reduced tolls and E-Z Pass fees took effect on July 1, 2015.

Notably, E-Z Pass no longer charges a $1.50/month maintenance fee to Maryland residents or those who had at least three trips in Maryland in the previous statement period.

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Below is the partial text from an email sent to Maryland E-Z Pass customers:

Successful First Emerson Town Hall!

The first Emerson Town Hall held on Wednesday, June 17 was a success, with approximately 40 residents engaging in a lively and informative session with three Emerson Board Members and CMC Management.

The meeting answered many questions and allowed residents to not only voice concerns, but also offer ideas for enhancing the community. Several audience members volunteered to help with community initiatives.

The next Town Hall is scheduled for August, with the precise date and time to be announced.

Alternate times (besides 7 PM on weeknights) will be considered to allow more residents to attend, especially since many have long commutes.

These notes are not in strictly chronological order because in some cases grouping topics made them more understandable.

Highlights

• Many questions answered about Emerson budget, Pool, capital expenses (major improvements), revised Architectural Guidelines, parking, traffic, Maintenance/Landscaping, dog waste stations, and safety
• Board wants to create FAQs because many of the same questions come up at every meeting
• List of the priorities of the Emerson Board of Directors handed out to attendees (reproduced below)
• Much discussion with all attendees about how to engage the community and involve them in both attending and helping organize committees and events
• Many are eager to help
• Attendees want a community where people know each other, not just a collection of homeowners

Details