April 2006

Letter from the President

     As many will remember from our last few newsletters, the Board of Directors and the Architectural and Environmental Review Committee (AERC) are working to improve the common areas all around our houses and around the borders of our neighborhood. We have heard feedback from quite a number of households and we thank you for letting us know what you think. So please, keep the communication coming!
     We have done some planting in the common areas to replace storm damage done in the past few years, cleaned our storm water maintenance pond, and cleaned debris from our common areas. If you have used the common areas to dump grass clippings or other yard debris please do not continue. We plan to levy a fine on households adjacent to the areas that collect debris to pay for the additional clean up. If neighbors know who is doing the dumping, that household will be expected to either clean away all the collected debris or bear financial responsibility for us to have it removed. Most likely, though, consideration for neighbors will be sufficient to prevent a problem.
     Along the edges of our community, some homes have used the wooded areas behind their homes, in the space behind their fence to store belongings - for example, a rowboat, a ladder, building materials, a composting container, and the occasional trashcan. We are calling Park and Planning in a week or so to ask them to come remove all the unwanted items littering the edges of our neighborhood. If you wish to keep any of the items currently stored along the edges of our community or in the areas outside your yard, please immediately move these items onto your property. Should it be necessary, the Board will levy fines to prevent discarded items from collecting again. Your neighbors will all appreciate your attention to these belongings. We recognize that here as well, thoughtfulness and consideration for others will prevent such items from continuing as a problem. Our thanks again to our members who encourage us to attend to these issues. We are guided by your comments.

Sincerely,
Heather Patton

Homeowners are always welcome to Board meetings

2006 Meetings: May 9, Sep 12, Oct 10, and Nov 14 (annual meeting)

All meetings begin at 7:00 p. m.

Email us at: info@montgomerywesthoa.org for additional information.

Covenant Enforcement

The Board of Directors continues their efforts to enforce our Covenants; ensuring property values remain at maximum value and providing a beautiful neighborhood we can be proud to call our home. The legal basis for this enforcement is contained in the Association’s Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions, and in Maryland law.

This spring, letters will be sent to homeowners who are in violation of our covenants. Each homeowner will have 15 days to correct noted violations. Failure to correct covenant violations will result in our lawyer imposing a fine of $200 or more per violation to cover the costs of enforcement. If you are concerned about potential issues with your property, submit an AERC application for review. All approved AERC applications will ensure that you are in compliance with our covenants. Remember that our covenants do not suspend Montgomery County rules and regulations, so if you have MWHOA AERC approval you still must meet the County guidelines to be in compliance with the Covenants.

Please take a few minutes to review our guidelines and covenants found on the MWHOA website (www.montgomerywesthoa.org) to make sure you have no outstanding issues. Help us keep MWHOA a beautiful neighborhood and a welcome place to be our home.

Split Rail Fences

As our neighborhood ages, some of the split rail fences are in need of repair. If your property has a fence, inspect it this spring and replace rotten or missing fence rails and posts that are broken or falling over. During the fall AERC survey, it was noted that many homeowners have replaced fence rails and posts, improving the look of our neighborhood. There are, however, several fences that need repair to be in compliance with our architectural and environmental standards. Take advantage of a beautiful spring day to perform maintenance on your fence.

Washington Post Boxes

During the fall AERC survey we noted that many of the white Washington Post Boxes have become discolored, dirty, and… well, just ugly. Many homeowners have removed their box. Take a look at your Washington Post box if you still have one and consider removing it. We observed that these boxes are rarely used for newspaper delivery and believe our neighborhood would look better without them.

Trash Cans / Recycle Bins

Spring is approaching and it is a time when many homeowners plan for home projects and others put their homes up for sale. The best appearance of all the homes in our beautiful neighborhood is best for everyone. One of the easiest improvements we can make is to move our trash cans and recycle bins out of sight. As the days become warmer, we need to be careful to cover our trash in cans with lids or put trash in heavy black trash bags. Uncovered trash cans attract rodents, wandering pets, and crows.

Your Board:

President - Heather Patton

Vice President – Michele Heffner

Secretary - Mary Beth Daucher

Treasurer – Thelena Williams

AERC Rep – John Clay

Our MWHOA Covenants require that trash cans be covered and not be in public view except on the evening before (after 6:00 pm on Sunday and Wednesday) and on the day of trash pickup (Sec. XIIe). Please place trash cans and recycle bins behind your house or in your garage on non-trash days. The Board will begin sending out violation letters for visible trash/recycle cans on non-trash days. Thanks for your efforts.