The
Montgomery West Homeowner’s
Association
newsletter
http://www.montgomerywesthoa.org
Letter from the President
Here we are at fall and another busy season of school, football, soccer, dance class and all of the activities that have us running around trying to keep up. We are deep in the throngs of what is turning out to be an interesting national election, as we are bombarded with political ads. As we contemplate the possible results of November, let us not forget another important November event that affects each of us every day, the annual Homeowners meeting. Ahhh, but we can be so cynical about just a small time meeting that only deals with 104 households, but we can’t neglect the thing that impacts us most immediately, the community around us. “All Politics is Local” and certainly you cannot get more local than a homeowners association. On November 18, at the annual meeting, we will be voting for 2 positions for the board. We are a self-managed, all volunteer homeowners Association. We save homeowners hundreds of dollars in homeowner’s dues. If we do not get volunteers to serve on the board we would be forced to hire a management firm and it would cost everyone hundreds of dollars more than you are paying now for the same services you receive today. Board members are homeowners who want to ensure that we protect our property values and quality of life in the neighborhood. I encourage everyone to get involved, even if it’s just to attend the annual homeowner’s meeting. One of the positions we will be filling is the Treasurer. If there are homeowners who have experience in this area, there is information on applying for this position in this newsletter. We thank Thelena Williams for her ever professional contribution to this most important position and her commitment to the community.
I encourage everyone to contribute a small amount of your time to help sustain our neighborhood
Sincerely,
Michele Heffner
2008 Board Meetings (homeowners are always welcome):
Oct. 13, 7:00 pm
Annual Meeting Nov. 18 at Strawberry Knoll, 7:00 p.m.
All meetings at 18932 Marsh Hawk Ln. unless otherwise
noted.
Meet Your Board:
President Michele Heffner
Vice President Chris Rhawn
Treasurer Thelena Williams
Secretary:
Unfilled
AERC Chair John Patton
County Liaison Chris Rhawn
When the MWHOA covenants were amended to allow sheds in
2003, the AERC recommended guidelines for sheds, which were approved by the
Board of Directors. These guidelines
were recently updated by the Board and are shown in bold as follows: Sheds
– No metal sheds. Sheds should be the same color as the house. Only one shed
per lot. Shed location and size should be in accordance with Montgomery County
standards. For single family homes sheds must not exceed 144 sq. ft. and height
of 9 ft. For townhomes the sheds must
not exceed 64 sq. ft and height of 9 ft.
Curbside Bulk Pick-up Scheduled
Fall is here and MWHOA will have its fall bulk pick-up on November 15. This will be a good opportunity to clean out your garage, basement or shed. Pick up time is 7am, so place items out at the curb the evening before. As per the contractor, the following items are excluded from this pick-up: large appliances (such as refrigerators, stoves, washers, and dryers), hazardous materials, tires, and car batteries. Also no mattresses or box springs.
MWHOA Seeks Treasurer
for 2009
The nominating committee is seeking a homeowner who has accounting and/or bookkeeping experience to serve on the board as Treasurer. The major duties of the Treasurer are:
In exchange for the volunteer services of the Treasurer, the
homeowners’ dues are waived while serving. If interested, email a resume to http://www.montgomerywesthoa.org.
Community Happenings
There
are a couple of issues the Board has been following over the past year. The first is the Webb Tract development off
of Snouffer School Road. The second is
the proposed Montgomery County Bill that will ban commercial vehicles, buses
and recreational vehicles in certain areas.
The
Webb Tract is 129 acres off of Snouffer School Road. There have been many different proposals for the development of
this property. As of today, the current
plan is for the County to use 41 acres for the relocation of the Public Safety
Training Academy and the MCPS Food Distribution Warehouse. The usage of the remaining acreage has not
been publicized yet so we will continue to follow this and provide updates in
future newsletters.
The
second issue is a proposed County bill (Bill 27-08) regarding parking
commercial vehicles, recreational vehicles, and buses on county streets. This bill restricts parking on streets that
have residential homes on either side of the street, which is of particular
importance to Montgomery West due to the number of commercial vehicles and
trailers parked along Centerway Road.
This public safety issue has momentum to pass; however, a controversy
remains for the owners of these vehicles as to where they can park in the
County. There are alternative public and private
lots that are being explored as an option.
The board will continue to watch the progress of this bill and keep
homeowners informed through the newsletter.
As we enter the fall season, we ask homeowners to review their property and take any required action:
1) Make sure your trashcans and blue-recycling bins cannot be seen from the front of your home.
2) Make sure all your fences and gates are split rail in good condition.
3) Make sure your satellite dishes are not visible from the front of your home.
4) Sheds – Metals sheds are not allowed, wood and vinyl sheds should be well maintained and painted the same color as your house siding. Only one shed is allowed per lot.
5) If you have removed a tree this year, please remove the stump and plant a replacement tree.
6) Make sure there are no piles of trash, junk, or brush on your property.
Plant Some Trees
One of the greatest assets in our Montgomery West neighborhood is the beautiful landscaping and trees. During our past few AERC surveys of the neighborhood we have noticed some of our trees are aging and dying and homeowners are removing some of the larger trees on their property. To maintain our neighborhood value, we are suggesting that homeowners consider having at least five trees on their property. Fall is the perfect time to plant trees. The weather is cooler so the trees have all winter and spring to get established before the hot dry summer weather. Also, most nurseries put trees on sale in the fall so the best prices on trees are now. Consider planting a few trees. Thanks!!