Emerson Clubhouse Construction Begins

The rebuild and renovation of the Emerson Clubhouse will begin soon, with the parking lot fenced off beginning Wed., June 30, 2021. The construction trailer is already in place.

A second story will be added to the Clubhouse, creating usable space for the first time for large meetings and events, and also adding a small fitness center.

The pool pumping equipment was also evaluated during the pre-construction phase and it was discovered that the equipment would need to be repaired or replaced. Rather than perform this work in two phases the Emerson Board of Directors decided to close the pool entirely for 2021.

Originally slated to begin in Winter 2021, the project was delayed in getting permits and is now scheduled to be completed in early 2022.

During construction the Emerson Food Trucks (every Friday, and alternate Wednesdays) have located to the Enclave at Emerson parking lot at 8450 Upper Sky Way, Laurel, MD 20723.

Howard County, MD Ranked #8 in US Healthiest Counties

US News and World Report has ranked Howard County, MD (where our Autumn Walk at Emerson community is located) as the #8 healthiest county in the United States, from among almost 3000 communities rated in 2021.

This is the highest ranking in Maryland with Montgomery County coming in second at #65. (Though two counties in Northern Virginia, Falls Church and Loudon are #3 and #4 respectively.)

To read more:

• Howard County, MD at US News & World Report
• Howard County Ranks #8 as 2021 Healthiest Community (Patch.com)

Save the Date! Autumn Walk Picnic Sat. 8/28/21

Save the Date on your calendars! The 2021 Autumn Walk HOA Picnic will be on Saturday, August 28, 2021 (with the next day the Rain Date). More details will be coming in a month.

It's been two years since we've had a Picnic due to the pandemic, making it harder to meet the neighbors including several new families.

Thanks go out to AJ (9838), Swapnil (9846), Jenny (9847), and Fred (9854) for volunteering to organize the event. Let them/us know if you want to help in any way, even if you can't participate in the planning!

Emerson Town Hall with State Delegation

The next Emerson to Action Town Hall on Thursday, July 8, 2021 from 6 pm to 7:30 pm will feature three members of Howard County's delegation to the Maryland legislature:

• Vanessa Atterbeary, Maryland House of Delegates, District 13
• Jen Terrasa, Maryland House of Delegates, District 13
• Guy Guzzone, Maryland Senate, District 13

Emerson is soliciting questions ahead of time via this survey:

• https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MFCDPNN

You can find more information on Emerson's Facebook page:

• https://www.facebook.com/events/981126556052548

Changing the Fencing Standard

 Our townhome community is unique in Emerson in that the "cluster standard" (required architectural design elements) were specified by our builder and Emerson to what the Emerson Architect considers to be a higher grade of material.

This includes the divider fences, which Emerson has always required be made of wood and painted white. However, due to the current shortage of building materials (along with a case being made that vinyl is easier to maintain), Emerson has given us a process whereby we can designate an alternate material:

1. Consult the Autumn Walk HOA membership on the proposed change
2. Submit a formal letter to the Emerson ARB with the proposed change, as well as sample pictures and specifications
3. State whether all fences will be vinyl, or whether this will be optional
4. Obtain approval by the Emerson HOA Board

We are proposing that for the small dividers, that vinyl fencing be permitted as an "option," using vinyl fencing as shown in the attached pictures. These have not been approved yet as our first step is to consult the membership on the change.

• As part of that we are conducting an online survey to determine whether the majority of our owners are in favor of this change.

• We are also asking if members would like to participate in our first Picnic Social since 2019, as it was cancelled in 2020 by the pandemic.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BWHHTD8

PVC Fence Panel Full Privacy 6' Height by 8' Width

Post Caps: "New England" Style