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2010 Carrolltowne HOA News and Information
The following is the contents of the letter that was mailed out to homeowners at the end of 2010.
Annual Meeting
The annual meeting is scheduled for January 19, 2011 in the large meeting room at the Eldersburg Library at 7 pm. Please think about becoming involved with the community. There are many ways that may interest individual homeowners, such as landscaping around our entrance signs, attending Freedom Area Citizens Council (FACC) meetings, organizing updates and community support to try and make changes at the mall. The board members have been in their position for 7 years in some cases. New neighbors who have new ideas and new energy are needed to move our community forward. Last year we had a neighbor who offered to work on the website. Although it is time consuming we appreciate his efforts.
Management Company
This is the seventh year for many of us on the board. Our secretary and member at large both had a sudden relocation at the beginning of the year and those positions have been vacant. At many meetings there are only two of us that can make it. That being said, we are looking into a management company to take over. This will raise all of our dues about $40.00 a year. We would like to see different homeowners step forward to avoid this from happening and to keep our fees more reasonable. At this point we are still interested in helping new board members.
Assessments
Assessments are again mailed January 1 and are due January 31, 2011. Assessments will remain $90.00 this year which is the same as 2010. Most of the money collected in the assessments goes to insurance, lawn mowing/maintenance and taxes and legal fees, which we try to recoup. This year we had to place liens on eight Carrolltowne homeowners, three of which have judgments already in place. Liens are placed against the property and ownership cannot be transferred or refinanced until the lien is cleared. They now owe your association around $1,000.00 in unpaid assessments and legal fees. Until repayment is made the Association has to pay these fees. It is a lot of expense of time and money. This is part of homeownership in Carrolltowne for everyone. We all sign it when we buy our houses. Our plan is for the unpaid assessments to be turned over for collection by April 1 in the future. Please pay your assessments by January 31. If the assessment is a hardship for you please let us know, it is confidential and we can work out a payment schedule.
Tennis Courts
The tennis courts did see more use this year thanks to the repavement. Remember any homeowner in good standing can get a key to the gate for the cost of the key. We ask you to relock the gate securely when you're done and not share the key with outsiders so that we don't have to replace the lock. Because the lock is outside it sometimes is stiff - you can spray it with WD40 or use some graphite (you can get it by the key maker in Wal-Mart), and the lock turns easily. This spring one of our homeowners removed the lock and it has to be replaced. If you had previously signed a Tennis Court Agreement sheet please check to see if you have or your kids have the lock. We will replace the keys one time at no cost to you.
Social Activities
The Easter Egg Hunt this year was planned and organized by Judy Reed and Karen Allen. Middle School children helped for community service. It is nice to see this Carrolltowne tradition continue. Karen Allen and Debbie Hoffen organized the second annual Halloween Parade for kids from 1 - 10. Middle School children again volunteered to help with the games and activities afterwards. Of course there was lots of candy and prizes to be won.
Open Space Areas
The Storm Water Management Area continues to be an ongoing project that will require the working brains of several people to figure out what to do with it. Anyone interested please let us know. We have a few who are already interested in it. Unfortunately erosion washed away the supports under the Eagle Project Bridge that was built and it had to be removed. The board also elected to have the Andylin's open space surveyed so that we are aware of our property lines and trees and we will have the entrance ways more defined. After the survey was completed we discovered that there were multiple properties where encroachment had occurred. At present letters are being drafted to those homeowners and will be filed with the association lawyers for future protection of association property.
Goals for 2011
We are hoping to contact a waste management company about many getting yard
waste dumpsters this spring. Further info on it will be relayed through
email and this website. Local garbage companies have contacted us to
offer a good deal on waste removal. Many of the incentives along with a
cheaper price include dumpsters once a year for large waste removal, fewer
trucks rumbling through at the wee hours of the morning, along with routine
yard waste removal. Anyone interested in spearheading this in their area
of the neighborhood or in general please contact us.
We were able to enter all the email addresses we had but then had a computer
problem. Hopefully that will be a way of passing on information in the
future.
We have arranged for a community sidewalk clearing from snow with a high
school student for this year.
We have joined FACC and are
trying to have someone attend those meetings. I myself work night shift
and other board members have evening commitments at times. If anyone is
a member of FACC and attends those meetings, we could use your representation.
We are going to try to reactivate the email link to enhance communications.
We are planning to continue to have the Community Yard Sale the second
Saturday in May.
Sidewalks and Curb Appeal
If you have sidewalks at your house it is your responsibility to keep them clear from snow and branches. The board at times hears concerns from neighbors, who use the sidewalks, about branches from trees and brush that are overgrown. We do send letters asking people to address the issues but it would be nice if everyone took a look around their house and sidewalks and addressed the things that need to be addressed. Keep in mind curb appeal is for the neighborhood's sake. Garbage cans should be behind the front line of your house, cars should not be parked on the grass along side driveways, and the permanent parking of camping trailers are all prohibited in the covenants.
Companies that do work for Carrolltowne
Rick's Tree and Stump Removal - 443.398.5480
Signature Lawn Service - 410.857.8008
Abba-Chief Tree Service - 410.875.2967
Dog Walking
Everyone who owns a dog knows the benefit of walking it for exercise and companionship. Along with that comes the responsibility to clean up after it. Nobody likes to clean up after someone else. Nobody wants to step out of their car into something that was left in the grass. If you walk your pet please pick up after it and remember our open spaces are for all of us and not a place to let your animal do their thing without cleaning up.