Autumn Walk 2016 Annual Meeting and Elections

The 2016 Autumn Walk Annual Meeting and Elections will be held on Monday, November 7th at 7 PM in the Emerson Clubhouse.

The expected agenda:

• This year there will be 1 position open on the three-member Board of Directors. For the elections to be valid, a quorum of 12 houses is needed either in attendance or by proxy.
• Your current Board is:
• Dharmesh Patel, President
• Damon Wood, Vice President
• Mike Fitzgerald, Secretary
• The Board will also be adopting the 2017 Budget at this meeting. Look for the draft budget to be mailed to you soon. Comments can be provided ahead of time or at the meeting.

Emerson Elections

The Emerson Elections will occur just one week later, on Mon., Nov. 14th.

All three resident slots on the 5-member Board are up for re-election. 

In order to provide for better continuity in the future, the terms of office will be staggered based upon the number of votes in this election. 

The candidate getting the most votes will get a 3-year term of office, the next will have 2-years, and the final director will get 1-year.

Watch for Mail

Please keep an eye on your mailbox for the candidate forms and proxy forms that are being mailed to you (separately for each HOA)!

Emerson Capital Improvements - Town Hall 10/24

Emerson will discuss the survey results and the Board's decisions for capital improvement projects at the next Emerson Town Hall Meeting on Mon., Oct. 24th at 7 PM in the Clubhouse.

As you will recall, the Board sent out a survey asking residents to provide feedback on possible improvements to Emerson facilities in order to enhance our quality of life, ranging from an expansion and renovation of the Clubhouse to an expansion of the pool.

48% of the almost 1000 households in Emerson filled out the survey, with many write-in suggestions as well.

"No Parking" Signs

The Howard County Fire Marshal is expected to install "No Parking" signs along the traffic island within the next month. This will create fire lanes to ensure that emergency vehicles can get through.

Once the signs are installed, cars can be ticketed for parking along the islands.

Howard County School Board Candidates (Wed. Oct. 19th)

(Update 11/9/16: Three newcomers were elected to the 7-member Board of Education: Kirsten Coombs, Christina Delmont-Small, and Mavis Ellis.)

As the General Election approaches, we also have an important Howard County School Board race this year.

The independent School Board directly controls $617.5M (58.8%) of Howard County's entire FY17 Operating Budget, and Howard County has set aside an $891.3M Capital Program for education.

Date: Wed., Oct.19, 2016
Time: 6pm - 9pm (Meet and Greet 6-7 pm, Forum 7-9 pm)
Location: Forest Ridge Elementary School (cafeteria), 9550 Gorman Road, Laurel, MD 20723

The Savage Community Association (SCA) and Forest Ridge Elementary PTA have partnered to bring you a forum for the upcoming Howard County Board of Education candidates prior to the election. Come meet the current BOE members and candidates on the ballot.

http://www.frespta.org/events/howard-county-board-of-education-candidate-forum/

Please Pick Up After Your Pets

Pet waste is growing a problem throughout Emerson.

There are many Dog Waste Stations installed all around Emerson that both supply bags, and have trash receptacles for depositing them after they have been used.

Please help to keep Emerson clean! Thanks all!

2016 Autumn Walk Picnic Pictures

A huge thanks goes out to the volunteers who organized the 5th Annual Autumn Walk (Garden Ranges) Picnic on Sept. 18th, often at their own expense!

There was more great food than we could eat, and we had games for the kids including the cake walk and “shaving-cream/cheese-doodle head.”

Columbia, MD #1 in 2016 Money Magazine Best Places to Live in America

Columbia, MD is #1 on Money Magazine's 2016 Best Places to Live in America list!

This is the sixth consecutive time that Columbia has been in the Top 10 of this biennial ranking, and the first time that Columbia has taken the top spot, with the publication citing good schools, a strong business climate, economic and social diversity, and relatively affordable housing for this region.

This year's rankings emphasized the economy and jobs.

Other Top 50 communities in DC-MD-NoVA were Ashburn, VA (#22) and Hunter Mill, VA (#28, incorporating parts of Reston, Herndon, Vienna, and Tysons Corner).

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

Sign Up for 2016 Autumn Walk Picnic

Update 9/15/16:

Hopefully the weather will be great, but the picnic will be held come rain or shine!

In case of rain, the picnic food and activities will move into the garages at 9832 and 9834. If the weather is good, it will stay outside in the common area behind that row.

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We have more details for the 5th Annual Autumn Walk (Garden Ranges) Potluck Picnic!

Date: Sunday, Sept. 18th
Time: 3 PM - 6 PM
Location: Autumn Walk Common Area (behind the 9830-9838 Townhouse Row)

To sign up to bring a potluck dish or picnic supplies, or volunteer to help, go to SignUpGenius.com:

http://bit.ly/2cpk0fb

or send an email to autumnwalkhoa@gmail.com. Please give us a house number/name so we know who is coming!

Come out and meet your neighbors! Fun for the whole family!

• Food, fun, games, door prizes!
• Autumn Walk HOA will provide pre-made sandwiches, everything else is up to you!

The organizers decided to go with sandwiches this year, so everyone can enjoy the picnic and no one is left tending the grills.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Autumn Walk Picnic on Sunday, Sept. 18th

Update 9/15/16:

Hopefully the weather will be great, but the picnic will be held come rain or shine!

In case of rain, the picnic food and activities will move into the garages at 9832 and 9834. If the weather is good, it will stay outside in the common area behind that row.

To sign up to bring a potluck dish or picnic supplies, or volunteer to help, go to SignUpGenius.com:

http://bit.ly/2cpk0fb

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Save the date! The 2016 Autumn Walk Picnic will be on Sunday, September 18 from 3 PM - 6 PM.

• There will be a new location this year, the grassy common area between Autumn Walk and Skylark Ridge (on the north side of the street, behind the second row of houses).

• As usual the Picnic will be potluck. Stay tuned for more details about what will be provided and what will be needed, as well as activities.

The Picnic has been a great success each of the past 4 years, thanks to the efforts of our volunteers. Please tell those not on the mailing list about it, and come out to have a fun time with your neighbors!

Flamingo Friday This Week!

We've had a few Flamingo Fridays this year, and it's great to see that this wonderful tradition is enduring.

For those of you new to our neighborhood, The Flamingo signals that everyone is welcome to drop by casually and meet the neighbors. The host provides drinks, cups, napkins, etc. -- and everything else is up to you!

Please stop by, if only for a few minutes to say hi. This is one of the many things that makes Autumn Walk a special community to live in!

Date: Friday, Aug. 5th, 2016
Time: 7 PM
Location: 9868 (Dionne and Damon)

Emerson National Night Out - Food Drive for Ellicott City

Emerson's National Night Out (NNO) will still continue as scheduled tomorrow night, but appearances by Howard County police, fire, and government officials have been cancelled due to the recovery efforts from the devastating floods in Ellicott City this past weekend.

One of Emerson's residents has arranged for a Food Drive for Ellicott City in conjunction with the Howard County Food Bank and the Grassroots Center. Donations can be brought to a dedicated area at NNO.

Date: Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Time: 6 PM - 8 PM
Location: Emerson Clubhouse

1. National Night Out Events:

Emerson Is Official Howard County Kick-Off Site for 2016 National Night Out!

Emerson's Ice Cream Social will be the Official Kick-Off Site for the National Night Out (NNO) party in Howard County for 2016, with many local dignitaries in attendance including the Howard County Chief of Police!

NNO is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, better places to live.

In support of crime prevention efforts, thousands of communities across America will be turning on their outside lights and stepping outside to take part in neighborhood events and block parties.

Date: Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Time: 6 PM - 8 PM
Location: Emerson Clubhouse

Note: There will be no parking in the Clubhouse Parking Lot on Tuesday August 2nd from 7am to 7pm

As the lead site, Emerson will host many dignitaries and special events.

Special Guests and Dignitaries:

Early Voting in Primary Elections Starts April 14

Early voting locations can be found on the web page of Howard County's Board of Elections.

You can vote at any early voting location in the county where you live from Thursday, April 14, 2016 through Thursday, April 21, 2016 from 10 am until 8 pm.

Any registered voter can vote in the non-partisan School Board elections. To vote in the Presidential Primaries, you must be a registered member of that party.

The schedule for the 2016 Election Cycle:

Primary Election:

• Early Voting: Thursday, April 14, 2016 through Thursday, April 21, 2016 from 10 am until 8 pm. 
• Primaries Election Day: Tuesday, April 26, 2016 from 7 am to 8 pm

General Election:

• Early Voting: Thursday, October 27, 2016 through Thursday, November 3, 2016 from 8 am until 8 pm.
• 2016 Presidential Election Day: Tuesday, November 8, 2016 from 7 am to 8 pm

Autumn Walk Spring Clean Up Has Begun!

The weather may have transitioned directly from Winter to Summer, but the Autumn Walk Spring Clean-Up under our landscaping contract began today!

The first stage focused on trimming the Common Area bushes, and then re-edging all of the mulched beds, including in front of private homes.

The final step will add weed control to the flower beds, and then a new layer of mulch.

As a reminder, replacing mulch which has washed away the rest of the year is the homeowner's responsibility for the private flower beds in front of your home. The re-mulching only occurs under the HOA contract once per year in the Spring.

Also, trimming of the shrubs in your private flower beds, and weeding as well, is also the homeowner's responsibility.

Howard County Board of Education Candidates in North Laurel on April 5th

Come meet the candidates!

It may surprise you to learn that because school systems in Maryland are set up to be largely independent, the School Boards have direct authority over the schools, not the elected County Government officials.

On Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at 6:30 PM, the Southern Howard County Civic Association (SHCCA) will bring together the candidates for the upcoming Howard County Board of Education elections in an open forum at North Laurel Community Center (NLCC).

There are eleven candidates for the three openings for 4-year terms on the Board that are up for re-election in the 2016 cycle. The Howard County Board of Education has 7 full Members plus a Student Member (who can vote on all matters except the budget, personnel, or other restricted topics).

The primary election will be held on Tuesday, April 26, 2016. Because the School Board is non-partisan, any registered voter can vote in the primary.

Voters will be asked to select 3 candidates, with the top 6 advancing to the general election on November 8, 2016.