Howard County Officials to Address Route 1 Redevelopment, Crime on Oct. 6th

The new Southern Howard County Civic Association will be hosting Howard County officials to address redevelopment and crime along the Route 1 corridor in southeastern Howard County on October 6th.

Southern Howard County Civic Association Meeting
Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Time: 7 PM
Location: North Laurel Community Center, 9411 Whiskey Bottom Road, Laurel, MD 20723

Guests:

• Mr. Larry Twele, Howard County Economic Development
• TBD, Howard County Police Representative

Discussion: Economic development in the southeast area of Howard County with focus on Route 1 and crime.

For more information:

Notes: Emerson HOA Board Meeting 9/29/15

The Emerson HOA Board of Directors met on Monday, September 30, 2015 in the Emerson Clubhouse at 7 PM.

Highlights:

• Emerson Facebook page approved
• Still no recommendations on Clubhouse Renovation (cost & scope)
• Emerson looking into improving safety patrols, examining other vendors as well
• New Architectural Design Guidelines approved
• Board approved repair of broken sidewalks in Emerson common areas. Whether/how to include sub-HOAs and homeowners and/or reimburse them is TBD.
• Emerson HOA Board terms of office will be staggered at next election.
• Board voted to have Howard County Fire Marshall mark fire lanes. Garden Ranges asked for clarification.
• Meeting dates set:
• Next Town Hall: Monday, October 26, 2015
• Annual Meeting: Monday, November 16, 2015 (moved up one week)

Details:

Autumn Walk Friendly Lawn Care Reminders

Recently you should have received a Friendly Lawn Care Reminder in the mail to clarify the maintenance responsibilities of residents.

The majority of the community keeps a beautifully landscaped yard (a huge thank you!), but there seems to be some confusion about what the HOA contract covers and what is the homeowner/resident's responsibilities.

I wish my yard looked this good

Handy Dandy Maintenance Chart

Homeowner Responsibility	HOA Landscaping Contract
Weeding of flowerbeds	Mowing (22x per year), roughly every 7-10 days
Trimming of shrubs and bushes	Edging (11x per year)
Remulching as needed (probably 1-2 times per year)	Spring Only: one-time mulching and trenching of flowerbeds
Removal and/or replacement of dead shrubs or plants	Leaf removal (3x per year)
Ensure proper drainage, correctly position splash blocks, regrade soil to slope away from house*	Fertilizer and weed control
(Optional**) Tree Trimming	Aeration and slit seeding

* Because our townhouses share common foundations, it's important that all of us ensure that our downspouts and splash blocks direct water away from the foundation. Water sitting against the foundation can wash away support and also lead to cracking during freeze-thaw cycles. 

** The street trees in front of our houses are public trees maintained on a 12-year cycle. Homeowners are encouraged to perform minor trimming to keep clearance of 12'-14' over roads and 8' over sidewalks.

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Your Maintenance Responsibilities
In short, the HOA contract does not cover maintenance of certain items in your yard.

Gorman Crossing Yard Sale at Emerson on Saturday 9/19

Gorman Crossing Elementary School PTA will be sponsoring a Yard Sale and Vendor Fair at the Emerson Clubhouse on Saturday, September 19, 2015.

Date: Saturday, 9/19/15
Time: 8 AM - 12 PM
Location: Emerson Clubhouse, 8400 Upper Sky Way, Laurel, MD 20723

To sign up for a space:

• Gorman Crossing Elementary Yard Sale and Vendor Fair

Spaces are $25 for vendors and free to families. The fees can be paid by cash, check, or credit card at the event.

Gorman Crossing is the elementary school for Autumn Walk, and one of two elementary schools for the Emerson Community.

Papal Visit Expected to Impact DC-Area Traffic 9/22-9/24

AAA Mid-Atlantic is warning residents that Pope Francis' visit to the United States is expected to impact traffic in the Washington, DC area next week (Tuesday, September 22 through Thursday, September 24).

Pope Francis arrives at Andrews Air Force Base on Tuesday at 4 PM and will visit the White House on Wednesday, followed by a parade down Constitution Avenue in the Popemobile to St. Matthew's Cathedral. On Thursday, the Pope will be on Capitol Hill.

The effects of the visit are expected largely to be due to some security closures in DC and New York City.

However, Philadelphia is expecting 2 million visitors from across North America during the Papal Visit on Saturday and Sunday (September 26-27, 2015) with major disruptions to traffic.

• DC Government:
• Papal Visit 2015
• Maps of Road Closures
• AAA Papal Visit Page
• Unofficial Papal Visit Schedule for Washington DC
• Road Closures in Washington DC (WUSA 9/10/15)
• Additional Road Closures (WUSA 9/16/15)

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An excerpt from an email sent to AAA Mid-Atlantic members on 9/16/15:

In the coming week, nearly two million people are expected to travel from around the country and throughout the world to take part in Pope Francis' first visit to the United States.

Whether you plan to take part in the Papal Visit events or need to adjust work and/or leisure travel accordingly, as a AAA Member, you can count on us to help.

Know Before You Go - Papal Visit Cities/Dates 

Emerson Board Meeting Rescheduled to Tuesday 9/29

Emerson HOA has announced a date change for the next Emerson Board of Directors Meeting.

The new date:

Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Time: 7 PM
Location: Emerson Clubhouse

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From Emerson's Management Team:

Emerson Board of Directors Meeting

Date Change!

The Board of Directors Meeting, normally scheduled for Monday September 28th has been moved to Tuesday evening September 29th. Start time is 7pm and location is still the Clubhouse.

Agendas will be available at the door and on the Website that day.

Konterra Opening Delayed to 2018

In an article on June 11, 2015 in the Prince George's edition of The Maryland Gazette, representatives of the Gould family (the developers of Konterra) and several local officials discussed the current state of the project.

From the Konterra Fact Sheet

The opening date for Konterra Town Center East, planned as a mixed use retail center with office space and some residential housing, has been pushed back from 2015 to 2018.

Work is proceeding on building the east entrance to the Konterra development, with more construction expected this summer.

Several buildings have already been built on the 2200 acres of scattered parcels that comprise Konterra, straddling I-95 between MD-198 south to MD-200 (the Intercounty Connector). Town Center is expected to be about 740 acres in size.

The overall plan for Konterra includes:

• 1.5 million square feet of retail (comparable in size to The Mall in Columbia)
• 3.8 million square feet of office space
• 4500 multifamily rental and condominium residences
• 600 hotel rooms

Other Laurel Projects

As the local market has recovered in the last few years, several other Laurel developments have been revitalized.

So Much Fun: 2015 Autumn Walk Picnic!

The 2015 Autumn Walk Picnic was a fabulous success! The weather was perfect, the food was wonderful, and everyone had a great time.

Check out our unofficial neighborhood Facebook page for about 150 pictures (and one video) to see just how much fun it was!

Many thanks to the dedicated crew of volunteers who planned and organized the Picnic over the past 2 months: Bindu, Kelly H., Allie, Daphna, Jenny, Adrienne, Jamie, and Pam, as well as the site hosts and grillmasters: Kelly and Randy R., Fred, Charles, and Dharmesh.

The dunk tank obtained by Charles and Pam was a huge hit, with a long line of mostly kids waiting to be dunked (and to do the dunking).

So was the water balloon fight, er, I mean toss. Charles also set up the inflatable water slide tower seen above that the little kids scrambled up and down.

Trash Schedule Slides for Labor Day

Just a reminder that the Holiday Slide Schedule for trash pickup is in effect next week due to the Labor Day holiday:

• Wednesday, 9/9/15: Trash Pick-up (slides one day)
• Saturday, 9/12/15: Recycle Pick-up (slides one day)

Trash and recycle containers should not be set out on the curb until after 6 PM on the night before a collection day.

Meeting Notes: Emerson Town Hall #2 on 8/24/15

The second Emerson Town Hall was held on Monday, August 24, 2015 in the Clubhouse.

Emerson HOA Board President Jack Jurgensen and the Emerson CMC managers (Channel and Steffanie) attended, as did a light turnout of 5 residents (perhaps because it was also the first day of school).

Topics:

1. Fire Lanes - including our street
2. Emerson Draft Design Guidelines
3. Security Contract
4. Route 1 Revitalization Plan
5. Miscellaneous Q&A

Details:

1. Fire Lanes
1. Emerson's Board has decided to ask Howard County to designate fire lanes in the community
1. A list of problematic streets was provided to the Howard County fire marshal, who reviewed every street in the community on various days (weekdays, weekends, morning and evening) to gauge traffic load
2. Surprisingly, the fire marshal also added our street to the list and recommended that the inner curb on the large island at the end of the street be designated a fire lane (no parking)