Montgomery Square Citizens' Association

Minutes of Board Meeting 5-1-2007

The spring 2007 meeting of the MSCA Board of Directors was held at the home of the President, Bob Gross, on May 1, 2007.

The President opened the meeting at 7:00. Topics discussed and conclusions were as follows.

Membership Dues: As of April 30, 2007, $8,450 had been received from 161 MSCA families. Roger Hahn will follow-up sometime after the May flyer/reminder is distributed and solicit additional contributions.

Yard Sale/Annual Meeting: Bob Gross will make flyers announcing the Yard Sale and the Annual Meeting scheduled for May 20 and May 29, respectively. He will place ads for the sale in the Gazette and the Post and will seek a speaker for the annual meeting. Teri Pflum will assist him with the yard sale. The Dorfman family will be requested to distribute the flyers as they did the MSCA newsletter.

Landscaping: The Board voted to approve the purchase of flowers for planting in the communal areas in the amount of approximately $750.00.

Bike Path: Bob Gross and Alfred Hirschman spoke at the County Planning Commission hearing on the Seven Locks bicycle path on April 25, 2007. They spoke in favor of the project, however, not as it is currently formulated as it may impact negatively on certain neighbors. The Director of the project will meet with Bob Gross for a walking tour of the proposed path in order to better understand these design issues and see the impact on specific homes along the route.

Fortune Park: The Board expressed its inclination to side with the Fortune Park developer in its debate with the City of Rockville regarding the approval of a separate access road for the commercial enterprises in the planned shopping center. At the MSCA Annual Meeting, the Board will solicit the sense of the community association on this issue.

In closing, the President thanked everyone for coming.

Meeting was adjourned.

Minutes of Board Meeting 11-26-06

The fall meeting of the MSCA Board of Directors was held at the home of the President, Bob Gross, on November 26, 2006.

The President opened the meeting at 7:00. The Board discussed the next issue of the Tetragon. Bob will craft the message from the President, and we will include vacancy notices for the Board of Directors, landscaping progress, next meeting times, a bikeway update, and dates for spring events.

The date for the annual meeting was set at May 29th, 7:30-9:00 PM, location to be determined. The Board will again solicit candidates for all offices and committees. We urgently need a Vice President, a Transportation Chair, and a Landscaping Chair.

The date for the community yard sale was set for May 20th to avoid Mothers Day.

On landscaping, Bob will authorize the landscaper to plant pansies for the fall. The Treasurer noted that the some bills had not yet come in for work done this summer, and the Board asked to get a final accounting promptly from the landscaper for the year.

The Board discussed several projects that affect our local area. One, the Seven Locks Bikeway study continues in its preliminary planning phase. Information about the project can be found on the Montgomery County Department of Public Works and Transportation web page www.montgomerycountymd.gov/dpwt under “Capital Projects and Construction.” Specific information about the project can be found by clicking here: Division of Capital Development.

The second major project is the development at Fortune Park. The primary site developers, Folger & Pratt, have filed change requests with the County that alter their proposed development in several ways. The County already approved a change to replace several garden apartments with high rise buildings. The new changes affect the commercial areas, altering the concept for a high-line hotel to a more residential suites style, and changing some of the store layouts to include a major, upscale, grocery store to be announced, and moving from above-ground parking to covered parking in that area. With the change, the developers want to make access to and from the development easier for those living west of I-270. The Board had a chance to view the plans and comment on them, and opposed a new ramp from the development onto Montrose Road westbound. Traffic from I-270 already merges with Montrose Road at this point, and people wishing to turn south on Seven Locks have to cross several lanes quickly, with limited sight of traffic coming over the bridge from the east. The proposed ramp from Fortune Park onto Montrose Road would add to this problem.

Interventions by MSCA, through various meetings with County planners, have also brought progress at the Seven Locks Road and Montrose Road intersection. New sidewalks, ramps, and an island are designed to enhance pedestrian safety at this major intersection, which will see even more foot traffic as Fortune Park development proceeds.

The Board fixed dues for 2007 at the same amount as prior years, $50. In response to a question about the nature of MSCA’s incorporation and whether dues should be considered tax deductible, it was the Board’s non-professional opinion that we should not advise anyone that payments are tax deductible. Although we are a not for profit corporation, we are not a charitable organization per se.

In closing, the President thanked everyone for coming.

Meeting was adjourned.

Minutes of MSCA Annual Meeting 5-23-06

The annual meeting of MSCA was held at Beverly Farms elementary school on May 23, 2006, as publicized in advance and in accordance with our bylaws.

Bob Gross, President, opened the meeting at 7:45. Bob introduced the board members present and highlighted existing vacancies on the board, asking for volunteers.

Bob went over many items of local interest dealing with development issues. First, he gave a review of the Seven Locks Road Sidewalk and Bikeway Project. The study phase of this capital improvement project has begun, and there will be a kick-off public meeting for the study on June 7, 2006. (See related New article posted on this site for more information: News Update 5/29/06.) Opportunitoies to comment on the project are available, and can be sent to the study project manager as noted in the news update.

The second development issue discussed was the Fortune Parc project. The developers had asked the county for approval for a change in the site plans for the project. They proposed changing several four-story rental garden apartments into 8-10 story condominium buildings similar to the one already being constructed. Several objections to the proposal and to the process for handling it were advanced by local citizens associations. Ultimately, the county approved the changes, which introduced an underground garage, added more green space, and eliminated the rental properties in favor of owned properties.

Bob next introduced speakers from two of our local pools, starting with Montgomery Square/Copenhaver Swimclub. The representative addressed their plans for renovating the pool, which will involve a staged modernization effort, starting with the party area this year, changes to the deck, a new baby pool, handicapped accessible changing rooms, a family changing room, and bathhouse renovations. Financing will come based on increased land value and be paid off over time.

The second pool was Regency Estates, which has just finished a complete replacement of their entire pool. Extolling the virtues of having a community pool, the speaker described the new geometry of the pool, which will maintain an approved 3 meter diving area, and which will allow concurrent use of the pool for both swim team practice and open swim. The pool will open on time for Memorial Day and have an open house for the neighborhood.

Following on the presentation from Regency Estates Pool, Bob mentioned that there had been some discussion about mergers with other local citizens associations, specifically Regency Estates. They did not have an active association for a while, but have rejuvented their group and do a good job pubishing newsletters and keeping up with local issues. Their newsletters are online at: www.regencyestates.org However, the way that the associations collect money and use it are quite different. The dues we collect and the landscaping work it provides are not things that Regency Estates practices. The current thinking is to continue to cooperate and team up on issues of joint concern, such as roads and development.

Bob Gross next introduced our featured speaker, Mr. Brian J. Feldman, our representative to the Maryland House of Delegates from District 15. Delegate Feldman noted that we seem to be in a period of increased activism by local citizens associations, and the larger the groups that these associations represent, the more “voice” they have with elected officials. He represents a large district, ranging from our area, out to Poolesville and up to Clarksburg. Contrary to what the newspapers portayed, Delegate Feldman felt that the State legislature did have a successful and productive year. Our delegations from Montgomery County were able to significantly increase revenues from the State to the County in several key areas, including education, school construction, and environmental issues. The legislature passed and the Governor signed the Healthy Air Act, and funded Project Open Space projects in Montgomery County. A bill improving pensions for K-12 teachers passed, as did a tuition freeze for the University of Maryland. The State did not, however, do anything with slot machines, nor did it get the new computerized voting machines to generate a paper trail to be used in recounts. Delegate Feldman is particularly active in supporting bio-technology initiatives, establishing tax credits and encouraging venture capital for growing this technology area in the County. Funding for stem cell research was approved by the State, for example.

Taking questions from the audience, Delegate Feldman explained a new law on providing “Early Voting” opportunites in Maryland. This would allow voters to vote at convenient polling places 5 days in advance of election day itself, rather than have to use the traditional absentee ballot mail-in system. The Governor opposes this initiative and is trying to get it reconsidered as a ballot question. Delegate Feldman favors the law as being designed to improve voter turnout. A discussion of why the two sides differ was very instructive. An audience member asked Delegate Feldman about the possible effect of exit polling of early voters, which was of some concern at least to some people.

In closing, Delegate Feldman again emphasized that citizen activism counts. When groups of citizens work together to get assistance from their elected officials, they can make a big difference. He offered to assist us in any way he can on state-level issues.

Bob Gross then quickly covered recent events and successes. The community yard sale was again successful, with over a dozen households formally participating, and others joining on an ad hoc basis. Treasurer David Grossman reported that dues collection has been successful overall, with revenues of approximately $10,000. Anne Stadnicki again organized publication of our community phone directory, which generated ad revenue as well. Anne passed out information on trends in local home sales, which have seen a slowdown in recent months similar to all markets in our area.

Sectretary Tom Hall called for nominations for the Board and for the Officers of the Corporation. He noted that the President, Secretary, and Treasurer had agreed to continue in office if no volunteers came forward, but that we were still short a Vice President and several key Committee Chairs. There were no nominations from the floor and the current Officers were re-elected unanimously.

In closing, the President noted that he wished to thank the Officers and volunteers, including those already noted above. He also commended Kim Ford, who arranged for the meeting room and assisted in dues collection. He thanked everyone for coming.

Meeting was adjourned.

Minutes of Board Meeting 3-16-06

The spring meeting of the MSCA Board of Directors was held at the home of the President, Bob Gross, on March 16, 2006.

Bob Gross, President, opened the meeting at 7:00. The Board discussed the upcoming printing of the community directory. Anne Stadnicki volunteers to put together the directory and have it printed at an estimated cost of about $850. Advertising revenue supplies about $600 of the cost, and Anne graciously subsidizes the rest in return for an ad placement. Bob volunteered to solicit additional advertisements from local merchants and the local pool clubs. A draft of the directory was shown, and a final round of updates – changes of information or ownership — were provided by the Treasurer, David Grossman from the dues renewal forms. David noted that a few checks were still coming in. He will supply a list of household not yet having paid, which will be given to Block Captains for a final collection push. The Board discussed whether to provide directories to all households, or only those that had paid dues. The decision was to continue the goodwill practice of providing the directory to all residents, encouraging them to give back in return, whether by dues or participation in the community governance.

Bob will be putting together a spring edition of the Tetragon, our community newsletter, which will thank those households who have paid dues on time. The Board acknowledged that there is always a chance of missing some names, but would do the best it can to get the list complete as of the cutoff date for publication.

The date for the annual meeting was set at May 15th, at 7:30-9:00 PM at Beverly Farms Elementary School. Bob is working on speakers. Volunteers for any positions on the Board or Committee Chairs are solicited and names should be volunteered to Tom Hall, Secretary, (301) 340-7491. We urgently need a Vice President, a Transportation Chair, and a Landscaping Chair.

The date for the community yard sale was moved to May 21st to avoid Mothers Day.

On landscaping, Bob will authorize the new landscaper to clean and mulch the beds and plant enough pansies to carry us over to the summer planting of annuals. Landscaping consumes the largest portion of our annual budget, but the Board agreed it was important to the character and value of homes in the community to keep the corners we maintain looking nice.

In closing, the President thanked everyone for coming.

Meeting was adjourned.

Minutes of Board Meeting 11-17-05

The fall meeting of the MSCA Board of Directors was held at the home of the President, Bob Gross, on November 17, 2005.

Bob Gross, President, opened the meeting at 7:00. The Board discussed landscaping first. Bob noted that the MSCA resident who had been doing this work, Bill Baruffi, had taken a job out of the area. The members expressed appreciation for the work Bill had done. Bob had obtained quotes from other firms doing landscaping in the area. A quote that was in the same range as our current expenses was received, and the Board voted to engage that contractor. Based on the delay in selecting a landscaper and to hold down costs for this winter, the Board agreed to skip the fall planting and to just maintain the beds neatly at this time.

The Board also reluctantly accepted the resignation of our Roads and Transportation chair, Bruce Avery, who could no longer serve in this capacity. That leaves several critical vacancies on the Board, and the Officers are actively seeking replacements as soon as possible. Vacant positions include the Vice President, Chair for Roads and Transportation, Editor of the Tetragon, and Chair for Improvements. If replacements cannot be found for departed members, sustaining the Association will be difficult. Alternatives were discussed and the decision was reached to solict for Officers and Board members in the December newsletter which we will publish shortly. If vacancies remain a problem, we will raise the issue at the Annual Meeting. Ideas for alternatives are solicited and may be presented for vote at the annual meeting.

The Association will start its annual dues collection effort with the December Tetragon. The dues will remain the same as last year, which will provide adequate revenue if the percent participation remains the same or can be increased.

Bob shared a letter that he had received from a representative of a neighboring citizens association about the development at Fortune Parc. The developers had notified the County planning office that they desired a change in the approved plan for development and had sent a very generic notice to the area’s several citizens associations. Upon inquiry, it developed that the change involved replacing two low-rise garden apartment buildings with two ten story condominium buildings. A hearing on the subject was fortunately postponed until December 8th, giving the associations time to prepare. The representative from the neighboring association solicited our support in expressing concern at the hearing. Based on the potential increase in traffic and higher skyline, the Board voted to support the concern and the Secretary will send a letter to the requestor so stating.

In closing, the President thanked everyone for coming.

Meeting was adjourned.

Minutes of MSCA Annual Meeting 5-23-05

The annual meeting of MSCA was held at Beverly Farms elementary school on May 23, 2005, as publicized in advance and in accordance with our bylaws.

Bob Gross, President, opened the meeting at 7:30. He introduced the guest speaker for the evening, Mr. Tom Pogue, Community Outreach Manager, Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW&T.) Mr. Pogue went through a brief presentation of DPW&T and its various divisions. For example, the Division of Operations handles things like traffic signals, while the Divison of Capital Development is concerned with projects such as the Seven Locks Bikeway, even large projects such as Strathmore Hall. Mr. Pogue explained that while individual requests and letters to the County do get read, coordinated input from local Citizens Associations such as ours are the best way to get things moving. He ended by demonstrating the resources available through the Department’s web site:

Montgomery County Department of Public Works and Transportation

Bob Gross then asked a few questions about local issues and opened the floor to questions from the members.

One question concerned snow removal (or lack thereof) for long periods after a snowfall, compared to other jurisdictions. Mr. Pogue clearly admitted that the County doesn’t pay to get clearing done compared to, say, the City of Rockville, where citizens pay extra taxes for city services. County road clearing is done by priority – the size and traffic volume of the roads, and our neighborhood courts are among the lowest priority. However, the County will improve communication about the status of road clearing with a new web site feature this winter, allowing residents to track the plowing status by zones and to report to the County if you believe you have been missed by accident.

Another question concerned the confusing flashing yellow light at Twin Oaks. Mr. Pogue answered that this is one of a few “pilot” sites for a proposed new traffic signal convention, part of a Federal Program. The meaning of the signal is simply “Use Caution,” but motorists report being unsure what it means, with some preparing to stop and even causing accidents. A letter with an opinion on the lights can be sent to DPW&T.

A recurring question about the new development at Fortune Parc, now named Park Potomac Place prompted discussion about traffic impacts. Mr. Pogue noted that this development is in the approved County Master Plan. The planning process considered the traffic impacts. A dedicated ramp to I-270 will help traffic from part of the development, but it is true that traffic from the townhomes (the “Brownstones”) will use Seven Locks and Montrose Roads.

In response to some of Bob Gross’s questions, Mr. Pogue covered the status of some local projects and issues. A Falls Road bike path to connect from the village to the path into Rockville from Dunster Road is in the facilities planning stage. Pedestrian signals have been improved with countdown timers at several intersections. Post Oak Road will be repaved sometime this year, one of the very few in the County to get repaved as budgets have run far behind the needs for paving operations in recent years. A discussion of repaving other areas, filling depressions and choosing quieter road surfaces continued from this question. In answer to other questions on taffic calming, complaints about trash in yards, etc., Mr. Pogue directed the members to the web site for rules and information and on how to contact the County on these subjects.

After thanking Mr. Pogue, Bob noted to the members present that these questions illustrate the need for someone to fill the Transportation Committe chair, currently vacant. A general call for new volunteers was also issued. Secretary Tom Hall announced the results of the call for nominations for officers of the association. The standing officers volunteered to continue in their positions. There were no new nominees offered. Re-election of the remaining current slate was unanimous, but the Board continues to need a Vice President. Volunteers for this or any other position on the Board should contact the President at any time.

Bob Gross then quickly covered recent events and successes. The community yard sale was being scheduled for June 11 and 12, with voluntary contributions again solicited for charity. We will not hold a Block Party this year unless a new volunteer can be found to organize it. Last year’s successful event was enjoyed by many residents but the organizers are not free to run it again this year. Bob also covered the budget and fiscal health of the association. With over 200 dues paying residents, the Association raises enough money for significant landscaping and beautification all year long, plus special events such as the ones mentioned.

In closing, the President thanked everyone for coming.

Meeting was adjourned.

Minutes of MSCA Board Meeting 4-14-2005

The MSCA Board met on April 14, 2005 at the home of the President, Bob Gross.

The treasurer had submitted his report in advance, indicating that approximately 160 households had paid dues, netting $8,155. The balance on hand in our account is around $9,500. We discussed the landscaping and noted that the pansies had come back for the most part. Bill Baruffi, who handles our landscaping, recommended we rake the mulch rather than replace it, and stay with the pansies until summer planting is due, in about the third week of May. This will save some money, and the Board concurred. We discussed the lansdscaping budget. Bob Gross will research costs further and we will set a target budget “not to exceed” amount within which landscaping operations must fit. For summer planting, deer-resistant plants will be preferred. The Board reviewed the upcoming calendar of events and adjusted some of the dates. The Block Party will have to be postponed because our organizer does not have time to plan and execute it at this time. The Yard Sale and Annual Meeting dates were not correctly computed in previous discussions and were set to the appropriate dates. The Yard Sale will be Sunday, May 15; and the Annual Meeting will be Monday, May 23rd. Ann Stadnicki will back-up Joan Clowes in making arrangements and Ann will get out a flyer with these dates and reminders on dues. We will also solicit for volunteers for Board Positions. The speaker for the Annual Meeting is still undetermined, but Bob will locate one and announce that shortly for the flyer. Bruce Avery discussed some issues with local roads that we had been able to resolve. He will follow up on some issues, including slurry coating for the southern portion of the community roads, and repairs to the walls at Post Oak and Seven Locks Roads. A question was raised by a resident about mosquito control. The Board decided that it was out of our charter to arrange any special spraying or other potentially controversial environmental actions. People with concerns may contact County or State authorities about health concerns from insects in our area. Bob thanked everyone for their support and adjourned the meeting.

Minutes of MSCA Board Meeting 12-02-2004

The MSCA Board met on December 2, 2004 at the home of the President, Bob Gross.

We discussed the landscaping and noted that most of the planting of pansies this fall seem to have been consumed by deer. This problem did not appear to be so bad in prior years, and we will have to ask Bill Baruffi, who does the landscaping, to consider what plantings would be more resistant for the future. The Board considered some informal discussions that Bob had with our neighbors to the South, Regency Estates Citizens Association (RECA.) Once dormant, RECA is now quite active. Since the southern moiety of MSCA shares its public school boundaries with RECA, the question was raised whether realigning the citizens’ associations made sense. Some MSCA residents already join the Regency Estates pool, for example, instead of the Montgomery Square-Copenhaver pool. After discussion of various pros and cons, the sense of the Board was that we would not pursue any changes or mergers at this time. There are significant differences in construction, age and prices between the Kettler-built areas served by MSCA and the areas included in Regency Estates; and MSCA has been more aggressive in raising funds to improve landscaping, for example. However, attending one another’s meetings, sharing information, and supporting common areas of interest make a lot of sense and should be pursued. Bob announced that we would be trying to get out an issue of the Tetragon in late March or early April, in time to publicize the annual May events – the Community Yard Sale on May 1 (12:00-4:00PM), the Block Party on May 15 (1:00-4:00PM), and the Annual Meeting on May 24 (7:30-9:00 PM). We will try out a new idea suggested by a member to solicit for people willing to show off their houses, especially additions or remodelings, for a new “House Tour” day. We will be looking for someone to help organize such an event as well. We would also be interested in accepting classified ads, and Ann Stadnicki volunteered to take e-mails from anyone interested (mailto: a_stadnicki@yahoo.com) Bob reported on the progress of work by the County on some projects. He was able to get the County to extend and rebuild the retaining wall on the North side of the Post Oak Road and Seven Lock Road corner, with MSCA paying for material only and the County providing labor and design. Other projects have been delayed and he will continue to urge the County to finish them, including recoating the roads in the southern portion of the community as was done for the northern side last year. Bruce Avery will contact the County to get status on the Bike/Sidewalk study that a County representative spoke about at the last annual meeting. The suggestion was made to have another County speaker at this year’s annual meeting, perhaps from the Department of Housing and Community Affairs, which offers many services, including handling complaints about various violations of residential zoning ordnances. (There are links to local county government web sites on the MSCA web page, www.montgomerysquare.org). Other possible topics for further investigation included the ICC, which is moving along, and developments planned in the area, including Fortune Park and new apartments next to the White Flint metro where the driving range once stood. Bob thanked everyone for their support and adjourned the meeting.

Minutes of MSCA Annual Meeting 5-17-04

The annual meeting of MSCA was held at Beverly Farms elementary school on May 17, 2004, as publicized in advance and in accordance with our bylaws.

Bob Gross, President, opened the meeting at 7:30. He introduced two guest speakers for the evening.

The first speaker was Amy Gleklen, representing the relatively new Seven Locks Civic Association. This group was formed to be an umbrella organization for the many community associations and other interest groups spanning the length of Seven Locks Road. Their first major subject of interest has been bike lanes and sidewalks along the entire road, replacing the patchwork of paths and sidewalks that appear and disappear. The section from Bradley Boulevard to Democracy Lane was noted as being particularly dangerous. Bob Gross followed up on this discussion with descriptions of what we as MSCA had done to get the corners improved at Post Oak and at Gainsborough, including repaving sidewalks and improving drainage.

The second speaker was Tom Pogue, Community Outreach Manager, Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW&T.) Mr. Pogue explained that there is a Capital Improvements Program (CIP) project called Facility Planning, which is an umbrella project that looks at proposals and projects like the ones mentioned and costs them out. Thanks to the efforts of the Seven Locks Civic Association, the area in question will be looked at in the FY06 CIP Budget that starts in July 2005. Facility Planning will study and cost out any missing sidewalk links in that corridor. Once a cost figure is established a project can then be put in the CIP Budget. Also scheduled are about a half dozen traffic studies at various intersections along that corridor. The overall process for the Seven Locks Project planning was explained. Mr. Pogue entertained questions and left literature on the Department’s services for those interested.

During the question and answer session, the mystery of the digging along Montrose Road west of Seven Lock Road was solved – this was for a water/sewer main to the State Police barracks, but the contractor ran into rock and abandoned the project, forcing the County to go out for new proposals to do the work, which may take many more months to restart and complete. A status of the development effort at Fortune Park was also shared. The commercial sector development there has been postponed, but townhouse construction can start anytime now. Similarly, construction at the Potomac Crest property, across Seven Locks Road from Cabin John Mall, will begin this summer.

Secretary Tom Hall announced the results of the call for nominations for officers of the association. Most standing officers volunteered to continue in their positions, except for the Vice President. There were no new nominees offered. Re-election of the remaining current slate was unanimous. The Board now needs a new Vice President. Volunteers for this or any other position on the Board should contact the President at any time.

Bob Gross then quickly covered recent events and successes. The community yard sale was again a big hit, generating sales for participating residents, who in turn donated $150 to the Stepping Stones Shelter. The Block Party surpassed all expectations, with great weather and an outstanding musical performance from a local band. Guests consumed 18 pizzas purchased from and delivered by Sienna’s Pizza. Bob also covered the budget and fiscal health of the association. With over 200 dues paying residents, the Association raises enough money for significant landscaping and beautification all year long, plus special events such as the ones mentioned.

In closing, the President thanked everyone for coming. Refreshments provided by Geppetto Catering, courtesy of owner and MSCA resident Josh Carin, were enjoyed by all.

Meeting was adjourned.

Minutes of MSCA Board Meeting 3-22-2004

The regular meeting of the MSCA Board for Spring, 2004 was held March 22, 2004 at the home of President Bob Gross.

The Board discussed and planned upcoming events, listed on the Web Site and in our most recent newsletter, The Tetragon. The Yard Sale is on for May 2nd, Sunday, 12-4 PM. Bob said that Rob Doherty would get out a flyer on the yard sale. We have signs already made up but will need to overlay the dates. Bill Baruffi has the signs and will handle them. He will also look into getting extra “arrow” signs to point to sales. We wish to place ads in the Gazette, possibly the Regency Estates Newsletter (if inexpensive or done on a quid pro quo basis), and the Washington Post. Kim Ford will do the ad placements and will serve as the point of contact for people to e-mail or call to get marked on the maps in advance. As last year, we will ask for a $10 voluntary contribution to a charity (Stepping Stones) by those participating.

The next major event will be the Block Party. Rob has arranged for the street (Henry Fleet) to be closed with County permission. Bob will ask Joan Clowes to serve as the POC for sign ups for the party, also listed on the flyer with the yard sale and annual meeting notice. Rob may get a band to play. We discussed extensively whether we could provide food, but decided that liability was a concern. Ideally we can get a pizza provider to sell at a discount per slice, and we can provide soda and safely packaged snacks. We can ask Josh Carin if he is interested in supplying food in some capacity. Other ideas included having an Ice Cream Truck come. A pot luck might work as well. The Board set a $500 target to be used for the budget for the party, which might also cover minor entertainment for kids – balloon figure-making, face-painting, etc. The Board will defer to Rob and Joan for planning within that budget or coming back with reasons for other expenses first.

The last major event discussed was the Annual Meeting. It will be held May 17th at 7:30 at Beverly Farms Elementary school. Bob will contact the Gazette to list the meeting in their calendar of events. We can start setting up at 7:00. Tom Hall will serve as the POC for people to call and nominate themselves for the Board. We will have reports from the officers and elections. For a speaker, we will try to get the developers from Fortune Park to describe that project as they did for a Board meeting last year.

Ann Stadnicki reported on the status of the Directory publication effort. She needs final updates from David Grossman as he gets dues contributions with update forms. Kim said she would e-mail Block Captains to ask if anyone new had moved in recently and could be listed. Half the cost of printing will be borne by Ann’s company in return for first choice in advertising placement. Ads for other places will be sold and some are still available. Prices include $25 (business card size), $75 for half page, $100 for full page, and $150 for inside covers.

A few updates on local projects were provided by Bob. We still believe the County will resurface, with slurry, the southern motie of MSCA similar to the way the northern motie was done last year. There are somewhat conflicting planning activities for the Seven Lock Road corridor, with a major bikeway and sidewalk study being pushed. This may actually delay some improvement work that the County was willing to do at our behest. There are some repairs needed at the corner of Post Oak and Seven Locks.

Lastly the Board discussed landscaping plans and costs. The Board authorized Bill Baruffi to proceed as discussed and the budget appears adequate for the work. We will try another push with Block Captains to increase the percentage of dues-paying members, but we already have enough to proceed with the landscaping with over 170 members paid to date.