Autumn Walk at Emerson News 8/24/20

1. Stephens Road Bridge Project: Closure next week o/a 8/30/20
2. Night Hours: After 10 PM
3. Welcome new neighbors!
4. Landscaping & Maintenance
5. Clubhouse Plans Revealed 8/27/20
6. Emerson Food Trucks: Wed, Fri, Weekends
7. Emerson Upgrades & Initiatives (driven by Emerson Community volunteers)
8. Hammond High School: $76M Renovation/Expansion Has Begun

News Items August 2020:

1. Stephens Road Bridge Project: Closure on/about Sunday 8/30/20 

• Stephens Road to close for about a week to relocate water/sewer lines during work hours (7 AM - 4 PM)
• Afterwards, construction of new bridge to begin, may take as long as 2 years
• Project lifts the bridge out of the floodplain (raising it 7-8 feet). Will also widen Stephens, add sidewalks, and add a median for traffic calming.
• Will have two spans, so for the most part should always have one span open without major detours
• Full info at bottom

2. Day/Night Hours: After 10 PM

• With many neighbors working from home or working shift, we were asked for clarification of Day/Night Hours
• Howard County defines daytime hours as 7 AM - 10 PM
• Please take events indoors after 10 PM
• It may be difficult to avoid loud construction or yardwork during daytime hours however

3. Welcome New Neighbors

• Please welcome our many new neighbors! Six houses have sold this summer
• Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 our social events are TBD this year 
• Do not know yet if we will be able to have distanced outdoor Picnic or Halloween events, please let us know if you're interested

4. Landscaping & Maintenance

• Our landscaping company (Johnson) seems to be doing a pretty good job so far, let us know if anything was missed
• I believe they have completed the Fall mulching including our private flower beds
• Thanks go out to Jeby for reporting the streetlight that was out to BGE
• New process for streetlights has been updated on our Maintenance Tips page: http://www.autumnwalk.com/p/maintenance-tips.html

5. Clubhouse Renovation Schematic

• Emerson scheduled to reveal $2.6M plans Thursday (8/27/20 @ 7 PM) via Zoom
• Expected to include Fitness Center, Large Events/Meeting Room, Business Center
• Steffanie Nollie (snollie@cmc-management.com) in Emerson Office will provide link before event

Join us Thursday August 27th at 7:00pm for the FIRST EVER LOOK at the new clubhouse draft schematic~

 

Login in instructions will be provided closer to the event but this is a great opportunity to see what the proposed 2nd floor expansion will look like.

 

You will have an opportunity to take a 3-D tour of the proposed design and ask questions; both the Emerson Project Owners Representative (Savills) and Architect (DCS) will be present that night as well as members of the Board of Directors and the Clubhouse Renovation Committee.

 

If you have any questions, please email Steffanie in the Emerson Front Office at snollie@cmc-management.com 

6. Emerson Food Trucks: Wed., Fri., Weekends

• Due to the popularity of the food trucks, Khaleda Hasan has expanded the schedule (see Emerson’s Facebook Page)
• Every other Wednesday: T&J Waffles [order]
• Every Friday: Lunch and Dinner
• Weekends: Adding trucks as they become available

7. Emerson Upgrades & Initiatives (driven by Emerson Community volunteers):

• Sterling Park: Pollinator Garden and Little Free Library
• Skylark Boulevard: Speed indicator in school zone
• (Planned) Monument sign at intersection of Gorman Road/Skylark Blvd to identify Emerson
• (Planned) Water feature in retention pond (to control water quality, but will also be aesthetic lighted fountain) - near Skylark/Mystic Dance/Evening Bird

8. Hammond High School: $76M renovation/expansion has begun:

• Major renovation of Hammond High School has begun (will effectively be a new school)
• Demolition of front will start in August, scheduled to open Sept. 2023
• Presently eastern side of Emerson (across I-95) attends Hammond HS

Stephens Road Bridge Project:

Project overview 3/7/18: https://www.facebook.com/groups/emersonhomeowners/permalink/739578012915351/

I got the following information from the Howard County DPW Project Manager, Kamran Sadeghi (I believe this project J4202 will take 1-2 years to complete):

After completion of the water and sewer relocation (work planned for next week) the road will be open during construction of the new bridge.
The construction of the project starts next week by relocation of water and sewer mains.

I am the project manager for the project and wanted to make sure you know that I am available to answer all your questions about the project. This closure is for one week during work hours (7am to 4pm) following message is provided via the phone number below for the residents information The Phone # is posted on the message boards onsite. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with questions and concerns.

Recorded at 410-313-3638 --
For a period of one week, Stephens Road between Whiskey Bottom Road and Gorman Road will be closed to thru traffic daily during construction hours, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The closure is expected to begin Sunday, August 30, ending Saturday, September 5. The closure will allow for water and sewer relocation.
During construction hours, traffic will follow a clearly marked detour using Whiskey Bottom Road, US 1, and Gorman Road. This recording will carry project updates.
Thank you for calling Howard County Public Works, and have a safe day.

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From the DPW site:

J4202 Stephens Road Bridge Replacement

Replacement of the existing bridge over the Hammond Branch of the Little Patuxent River.  Included in the project is continuous sidewalk construction along both sides of Stephens between Whiskey Bottom Road and Gorman Road.  Bicycle accommodation along roadway is also included.

Estimated cost of project: $5-10M

Estimated construction start: Fall 2019

Estimated construction completion: Fall 2021

Displays presented at 3/7/2018 public meeting can be found here: 

Display 1: Stephens Road Improvements

Display 2: Stephens Road Typical Section