Please allow us to interrupt your summer for a serious message about two important issues that are related to each other: money and the need for CSHOA volunteers.

The June newsletter contained information about the state of our Reserve Fund. In case you missed it, a copy is posted below on this site or click here. If you need another electronic copy of the Reserve Study, you can get it by sending an email to George Newman, CSHOA secretary, at newfair@verizon.net. The bottom line is that if we want a Reserve Fund adequate for our needs, we’re going to have to raise some money, probably by means of a special assessment. The Board is empowered to impose such an assessment without seeking member approval. However, we plan to encourage discussion of this issue at our annual general meeting on Sept. 6. We also plan a referendum to get a sense of the community. This will be an advisory vote, not binding. Eventually the 2008-09 Board, to be elected at the meeting, will have to decide on a course of action.

That brings us to volunteerism. Several Board members will be leaving their posts in September. We need people to run for their seats. Ideally, we’d like to have enough candidates so that the members can consider differing points of view in a competitive election. But we absolutely must have a Board of Directors. We also need committee volunteers. CSHOA has a proud tradition of community involvement, and we’re grateful to those who do volunteer. Notably, we had an excellent Independence Day celebration, thanks to those who gave their time on a warm evening to help with traffic control. But we need more volunteers. You can sign up at the general meeting, but please take the opportunity before then to contact a Board member — contact information is in every newsletter — about volunteering and especially about running for the Board. Please talk up these issues with your neighbors. We want lots of well-informed people at the meeting. If you have neighbors who aren’t yet on our email list, please encourage them to join it by sending an email to newfair@verizon.net

Many thanks for your time in reading this. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Your CSHOA Board

Aren’t we blessed to be living so close to this wonderful, relaxing, scenic Bay? With such a great community it’s too easy to take it all for granted, but it takes a lot of folks to keep it that way. Each of us has a responsibility to be a good neighbor as well as a good steward of the environment. Please do your part and volunteer for our community efforts for the Chesapeake Beach Fireworks Celebration on Thursday, July 3rd. Volunteer opportunities are explained later in this newsletter.

This is the first year that CSHOA has set up a quarterly payment method for annual assessment, and we are well into the second quarter. Most everybody is doing their part to keep CSHOA finances in good shape, but several CSHOA neighbors are late in paying their duties, including a few who, as of mid-May, have not paid anything for 2008, and have not responded to reminder notices. If an attorney gets involved, it gets really expensive because the delinquent homeowner pays all the extra collection, recording and attorney’s fees. Please call Brenda Conway, of Summit Management at 703-360-0904 to settle your account if you are not current on your assessments.

I have several other examples of what being good neighbors is all about. First, Please put your household trash and yard waste out only the day before trash day, and put it by the curb at your home. Some folks have been putting it where the town doesn’t expect trash to be, and they will more than likely not pick it up. Make sure your trash is secure. On windy days it will blow right into the Bay. Note that the town only picks up yard waste in clear bags (not black), and tree limbs, branches and twigs must be tied in bundles. In addition, if you have something that won’t fit into your trash can (larger or odd size) you must call Town Hall (410-257-2230) for special pick up. Be a good neighbor and make the proper arrangements so it doesn’t sit there for days or even weeks.

Second, parking on our streets is tight. The streets are public so we as CSHOA cannot limit who can and cannot park on the street. But please obey the existing laws: Do not park on the wrong side of the street, do not park closer than 30 feet to a stop sign and do not park in front of a fire hydrant. We have talked with the sheriff’s department and they have given several warning citations for some of these violations. Be courteous and a good neighbor, and remember there is nothing that gives you any special rights to a parking place on the street.

Third, no matter what, it is trespassing to go onto, or instruct somebody to go onto, your neighbor’s property to trim a tree. No matter how bad you think that tree is (diseased or blocking your view, etc), and how much you think you know what your neighbor wants, unless you have their permission, you could be cited by the sheriff’s office for trespassing (at the very least).

Fourth, keeping your grass mowed and your weeds pulled and your house in good shape are just a few of the responsibilities of homeownership. In addition, our covenants require that you maintain your home. A number of homes in the community need some serious attention: siding boards falling off, decks and/or fences falling down, and peeling and chipping paint. Please if your home is one of these needing attention don’t wait, be a good neighbor and a law-abiding member of Chesapeake Station and fix up your home.

Finally, the Sheriff’s Dept has increased bicycle patrols in our community. If you see Deputy Tilley please thank him for his good efforts. Being a good neighbor means that if you see suspicious activity please report it to the Sheriff’s department. You can either call 911 or the Sheriff’s non-emergency number at 410-535-2800 and leave a message for Deputy Brian Tilley. If you want to email him, he can be reached also at tilleytb@co.cal.md.us.

The board has been reviewing financial statements, audits, and the updated reserve study to provide a sound strategy for future replacement funding of CSHOA necessities. We will be glad to provide the updated study to anybody interested in looking at it. Later in this newsletter you’ll find more discussion of this subject.

One final bright note is the “Beach Trolley” which has begun running and will continue through Labor Day, according to the President of the Beach Trolley Association, Stewart Cumbo. The trolley route is from the Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum to Skipper’s Pier in Deale. It will run on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays each week and also on Labor Day. It stops at several restaurants and businesses including North Beach Pier, Herrington Harbor South, Rose Haven, Herrington Harbor North, Tracey’s Landing and finally Skipper’s Pier. Please go to www.beachtrolleyassociation.org to get times and more details. What a great way to take a relaxed ride around our little corner of the Bay.

Your 2008 Board tries to meet the second week of each month. Sometimes there are conflicts so it is not always on the same night of the week. The meetings are open, so if you would like to attend, contact a board member for time and dates. If you have any concerns or suggestions, feel free to call or email.

– Jim Mulder

Board faces Reserve Fund Issue

Where do your assessment payments go? We all know they’re used for current needs, from lawn-mowing to tree-trimming to fence-mending. They also pay for the costs associated with events such as the July 3 celebration, and they help the CSHOA board and committees communicate with you by means such as this newsletter.

But year-to-year expenses are only part of the story. Sound management requires us to maintain a Reserve Fund to cover repair and replacement of our infrastructure, including walkways, steps, parking lots and the beachfront. Right now most of the money that would normally go into the Reserve Fund goes instead to pay off the Small Business Administration loan that helped us repair the damage caused in 2003 by Hurricane Isabel.

The Board recently commissioned an update of our Reserve Fund study by Mason & Mason of Reston, Va., a highly respected firm in the field of capital analysis. Those receiving this newsletter by email also have received an attachment containing the updated study. Board Treasurer Roland Schlehuber will be happy to answer questions about the study.

The study makes clear that we are not putting sufficient resources into the Reserve Fund, and won’t be doing so for several years, even if assessments are raised annually by 10 percent, the maximum allowable without approval by two-thirds of the membership. However, the by-laws empower the Board to impose, without seeking membership approval, a special assessment for a specific purpose, such as paying off the SBA loan to facilitate growth of the Reserve Fund.

Your Board does not believe in using this power without consulting the membership. At the same time, we’re mindful of our responsibility to provide for the future as well as the present well-being of the Association. We’re looking at formal ways for the membership to express its opinion, perhaps through a non-binding advisory referendum at this year’s annual meeting in September. In the meantime, we welcome comments. Board members’ contact information appears at the end of this newsletter.

Grounds Committee Update

It has been a beautiful spring. The lawns and flowerbeds have been prepared for the approaching summer season and they are looking good. Kathy Scott has again designed and planted a beautiful array of flowers for the entrance garden at Mears and C Street. Let me take this opportunity to compliment everyone in the community for how nice your flower beds are looking.

Continuing with the work that was started last fall, we have planted five Magnolia Virginiana, two in the bed along Mears Avenue adjacent the first townhouse on C Street and three at the entrance to C Street to provide a shield between us and the parking lot for Rod n’ Reel. We have three Service Berry bushes remaining to be planted in the bed with the two Magnolia Virginiana. We planted two Eastern Pines on either side of the sidewalk running from the townhouse parking lot to the shopping center at 7832 and 7834 C Street.

The split rail fence behind the entrance garden at Mears and C Street was rotting and falling down. We removed the fence entirely because the Leyland Cypress have filled out nicely and are providing the privacy for which the fence was originally intended.

The Berm clean-up has been completed. We planted three Maple Trees, two Skip Laurels, eleven grasses throughout and 200 English Ivy plants on the North side of the Berm. In accordance with Andino’s contract, the Berm will be maintained on a continuing basis.

Various trees and shrubs encroaching on private property and/or walkways have been trimmed throughout the community.

Tent caterpillars at the top of the walkway from Carousel to the Overlook were bagged and/or cut out. According to Andino’s, tent caterpillars are mostly a nuisance and most trees recover nicely from any damage they may have sustained.

Approval has been given to shore up the walkways leading to the shopping center at 7834 and 7792 C Street with landscape timbers to stop ground and mulch erosion.

If you have a common ground concern that you would like addressed, please do not hesitate to call me, Pam Johnson, at 301-812-1748 or email me at veritysailor@aol.com.

Architecture Update

After a quiet winter for the Architectural Committee, spring has brought a number of requests for permission for painting, landscaping and other changes. The committee is pleased that CSHOA residents are making it a habit to contact us before they begin work that would alter their appearance of their home or grounds.

One problem we’ve run into is that the original list of approved paint colors includes some that are no longer being manufactured, at least not under the original name. We’ve been taking requests for painting on a case-by-case basis, and recently approved a project where the paint will match an approved color for vinyl siding. We’ll be working on trying to clarify this further.

We’re grateful for the good cooperation we’ve had, and would like to emphasize again that when you’re planning renovations, please bring our committee into the picture as early as possible. If you need an application form, please ask me. I can supply either a hard copy of an electronic one. You can reach me at 410-286-3922 or newfair@verizon.net — Barbara Fairchild, Architectural Committee chair

Thanks to all for beach cleanup help
As these pictures by Jax Photography demonstrate, two-legged and four-legged residents of Chesapeake Station joined May 3 to clean up our beach. Big thanks to all! We had lots of muscle, participation and enthusiasm. (I wish I knew all your names!) Rob and Sharon Crow led our efforts, while Jim Mulder made sure we had our chainsaw, wheelbarrow etc. Rudy Fimbres and Jack Shearin tackled the rocks, and others raked the beach and fed the dumpster. Thanks to Pat Friel, Jackie O’Shea, Shirley Bealor and Sharon for the 5-star breakfast. And as always we are grateful to our most generous hosts, Mary and Sven Thulin. See you on the beach. – Heidi Daniels

Volunteers needed

You will soon receive, if you haven’t already, a letter from President Jim Mulder outlining procedures for distributing parking passes for the night of July 3, when CSHOA residents and their guests gather to watch the Independence-eve fireworks over Chesapeake Bay.  We want you to enjoy the show with as many visitors as you can handle. At the same time, we have an obligation to limit the number of guest vehicles, so we can keep streets open for general safety and maintain a path for emergency vehicles.

Please read Jim’s letter carefully. (If you haven’t received it by June 9, contact Jim or Board Secretary George Newman for a copy.)  Basically the distribution will work the same way as it did last year, with one important addition: When vehicles enter with guest passes, the folks at the gates will tear off a stub from the pass.  This is to prevent passes from being “recycled,” which defeats their purpose.

You can help this system work.  Please:

• Don’t ask for passes unless you intend to use them.  If your plans change, give your passes to someone who needs them or return them to the Board.
• Plan ahead.  Get passes to your guests in plenty of time. When practical, have guests carpool.  This saves passes, parking spaces and gasoline.  If your guests are arriving early, consider having them park in public areas and walk into Chesapeake Station.  A new option this year is the Beach Trolley, described by Jim in his message in this newsletter. 
• Understand that if your guests don’t have a parking pass, their vehicle will not be admitted even if you vouch for them.  (If you are unable to get the pass to them in advance, you can meet them at the entrance with it.)
• Remember that you are responsible for the conduct and safety of your guests. That includes watching where they park and making sure that they have a designated driver, if needed.
• Make sure your own cars have CSHOA parking stickers so you aren’t stopped.  If you need a sticker, contact Margie Hunter at 410-257-5647.  (But please don’t try to give your sticker to a guest.)

Many thanks for your cooperation.

Please do your part and volunteer for our community efforts for the Chesapeake Beach Fireworks Celebration on Thursday, July 3.Volunteer opportunities are explained later in this newsletter.

This is the first year that CSHOA has set up a quarterly payment method for annual assessment, and we are well into the second quarter.  Most everybody is doing their part to keep CSHOA finances in good shape, but several CSHOA neighbors are late in paying their duties, including a few who, as of mid-May, have not paid anything for 2008, and have not responded to reminder notices.  If an attorney gets involved, it gets really expensive because the delinquent homeowner pays all the extra collection, recording and attorney’s fees. Please call Brenda Conway, of Summit Management at 703-360-0904 to settle your account if you are not current on your assessments.

I have several other examples of what being good neighbors is all about. First, Please put your household trash and yard waste out only the day before trash day, and put it by the curb at your home.  Some folks have been putting it where the town doesn’t expect trash to be, and they will more than likely not pick it up.  Make sure your trash is secure. On windy days it will blow right into the Bay.  Note that the town only picks up yard waste in clear bags (not black), and tree limbs, branches and twigs must be tied in bundles.  In addition, if you have something that won’t fit into your trash can (larger or odd size) you must call Town Hall (410-257-2230) for special pick up.  Be a good neighbor and make the proper arrangements so it doesn’t sit there for days or even weeks. 

Second, parking on our streets is tight. The streets are public so we as CSHOA cannot limit who can and cannot park on the street.  But please obey the existing laws: Do not park on the wrong side of the street, do not park closer than 30 feet to a stop sign and do not park in front of a fire hydrant.  We have talked with the sheriff’s department and they have given several warning citations for some of these violations. Be courteous and a good neighbor, and remember there is nothing that gives you any special rights to a parking place on the street. 

Third, no matter what, it is trespassing to go onto, or instruct somebody to go onto, your neighbor’s property to trim a tree. No matter how bad you think that tree is (diseased or blocking your view, etc), and how much you think you know what your neighbor wants, unless you have their permission, you could be cited by the sheriff’s office for trespassing (at the very least).

Fourth, keeping your grass mowed and your weeds pulled and your house in good shape are just a few of the responsibilities of homeownership. In addition, our covenants require that you maintain your home.  A number of homes in the community need some serious attention: siding boards falling off, decks and/or fences falling down, and peeling and chipping paint. Please if your home is one of these needing attention don’t wait, be a good neighbor and a law-abiding member of Chesapeake Station and fix up your home.

Finally, the Sheriff’s Dept has increased bicycle patrols in our community.  If you see Deputy Tilley please thank him for his good efforts.  Being a good neighbor means that if you see suspicious activity please report it to the Sheriff’s department.  You can either call 911 or the Sheriff’s non-emergency number at 410-535-2800 and leave a message for Deputy Brian Tilley.  If you want to email him, he can be reached also at tilleytb@co.cal.md.us. 

The board has been reviewing financial statements, audits, and the updated reserve study to provide a sound strategy for future replacement funding of CSHOA necessities.  We will be glad to provide the updated study to anybody interested in looking at it.   Later in this newsletter you’ll find more discussion of this subject.

One final bright note is the “Beach Trolley” which has begun running and will continue through Labor Day, according to the President of the Beach Trolley Association, Stewart Cumbo.  The trolley route is from the Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum to Skipper’s Pier in Deale.  It will run on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays each week and also on Labor Day. It stops at several restaurants and businesses including North Beach Pier, Herrington Harbor South, Rose Haven, Herrington Harbor North, Tracey’s Landing and finally Skipper’s Pier. Please go to www.beachtrolleyassociation.org  to get times and more details.  What a great way to take a relaxed ride around our little corner of the Bay.

Your 2008 Board tries to meet the second week of each month. Sometimes there are conflicts so it is not always on the same night of the week. The meetings are open, so if you would like to attend, contact a board member for time and dates.  

If you have any concerns or suggestions, feel free to call or email. – Jim Mulder

Board faces Reserve Fund Issue

Where do your assessment payments go?  We all know they’re used for current needs, from lawn-mowing to tree-trimming to fence-mending.   They also pay for the costs associated with events such as the July 3 celebration, and they help the CSHOA board and committees communicate with you by means such as this newsletter.

But year-to-year expenses are only part of the story.  Sound management requires us to maintain a Reserve Fund to cover repair and replacement of our infrastructure, including walkways, steps, parking lots and the beachfront.   Right now most of the money that would normally go into the Reserve Fund goes instead to pay off the Small Business Administration loan that helped us repair the damage caused in 2003 by Hurricane Isabel.

The Board recently commissioned an update of our Reserve Fund study by Mason & Mason of Reston, Va., a highly respected firm in the field of capital analysis.  Those receiving this newsletter by email also have received an attachment containing the updated study.   Board Treasurer Roland Schlehuber will be happy to answer questions about the study.

The study makes clear that we are not putting sufficient resources into the Reserve Fund, and won’t be doing so for several years, even if assessments are raised annually by 10 percent, the maximum allowable without approval by two-thirds of the membership.  However, the by-laws empower the Board to impose, without seeking membership approval, a special assessment for a specific purpose, such as paying off the SBA loan to facilitate growth of the Reserve Fund.

Your Board does not believe in using this power without consulting the membership.  At the same time, we’re mindful of our responsibility to provide for the future as well as the present well-being of the Association.  We’re looking at formal ways for the membership to express its opinion, perhaps through a non-binding advisory referendum at this year’s annual meeting in September.  In the meantime, we welcome comments.  Board members’ contact information appears at the end of this newsletter.

Grounds Committee Update

It has been a beautiful spring.  The lawns and flowerbeds have been prepared for the approaching summer season and they are looking good.  Kathy Scott has again designed and planted a beautiful array of flowers for the entrance garden at Mears and C Street.  Let me take this opportunity to compliment everyone in the community for how nice your flower beds are looking. 

Continuing with the work that was started last fall, we have planted five Magnolia Virginiana, two in the bed along Mears Avenue adjacent the first townhouse on C Street and three at the entrance to C Street to provide a shield between us and the parking lot for Rod n’ Reel.  We have three Service Berry bushes remaining to be planted in the bed with the two Magnolia Virginiana.  We planted two Eastern Pines on either side of the sidewalk running from the townhouse parking lot to the shopping center at 7832 and 7834 C Street. 

The split rail fence behind the entrance garden at Mears and C Street was rotting and falling down.  We removed the fence entirely because the Leyland Cypress have filled out nicely and are providing the privacy for which the fence was originally intended.

The Berm clean-up has been completed.  We planted three Maple Trees, two Skip Laurels, eleven grasses throughout and 200 English Ivy plants on the North side of the Berm.  In accordance with Andino’s contract, the Berm will be maintained on a continuing basis.

Various trees and shrubs encroaching on private property and/or walkways have been trimmed throughout the community.

Tent caterpillars at the top of the walkway from Carousel to the Overlook were bagged and/or cut out.  According to Andino’s, tent caterpillars are mostly a nuisance and most trees recover nicely from any damage they may have sustained.

Approval has been given to shore up the walkways leading to the shopping center at 7834 and 7792 C Street with landscape timbers to stop ground and mulch erosion.

If you have a common ground concern that you would like addressed, please do not hesitate to call me, Pam Johnson, at 301-812-1748 or email me at veritysailor@aol.com.

Architecture Update

After a quiet winter for the Architectural Committee, spring has brought a number of requests for permission for painting, landscaping and other changes.  The committee is pleased that CSHOA residents are making it a habit to contact us before they begin work that would alter their appearance of their home or grounds.

One problem we’ve run into is that the original list of approved paint colors includes some that are no longer being manufactured, at least not under the original name.  We’ve been taking requests for painting on a case-by-case basis, and recently approved a project where the paint will match an approved color for vinyl siding.  We’ll be working on trying to clarify this further.

We’re grateful for the good cooperation we’ve had, and would like to emphasize again that when you’re planning renovations, please bring our committee into the picture as early as possible.  If you need an application form, please ask me.   I can supply either a hard copy of an electronic one.  You can reach me at 410-286-3922 or newfair@verizon.net  – Barbara Fairchild, Architectural Committee chair

• Vandals destroyed the solar lights along the walkway below the Overlook Friday night, and the sign at the Overlook was stolen.
• A bench from the bay front walkway was thrown onto the beach. It has been retrieved and reinstalled.
• There has been at least one report of a solar light missing from private property.

There may be more damage. The aforementioned three occurrences have been reported to the sheriff. Please check your property and report anything missing or damaged to the Sheriff’s Department at its non-emergency number, 410-535-2800. Refer to Case #08-27471.

The deputy assigned to our community, Brian Tilleay can be contacted during Town Hall business hours at 410-257-2230.

Please be alert to suspicious behavior. Remember “911” is available all day, everyday for emergency issues.

Thank you — CSHOA Board

The Board and I owe you all a big apology for the way the 2008 assessments and the coupon mailings were handled. There are lots of circumstances that aligned to cause this to not work out the first time, but I’m sure you don’t want to hear about that. It is important to know that the mistakes are fixed, both with the coupons and with our 2008 budget. The corrected 2008 budget is on Pages 5-6 of this newsletter. The mailing of the new coupons was completed and everybody was given extra time to pay the first installment on the 2008 assessment. If you have paid using the first set of coupons, or sent in your payment without any coupons, please call Brenda Conway at 703-360-0904 or send her an email at Brenda@summitmanage.com and she will help you get things straightened out.

Brenda has brought significant experience and input into how we as CSHOA should be conducting our business. The Board of Directors is very pleased to have her continue as our financial services provider in 2008. Please feel free to contact her if you have any questions.

The 2008 assessment includes the increase that was discussed at the September meeting. The 2007 amount for Town Houses is $719.80 and for other homes it is $678.00. This includes the SBA loan payments as well as the extra that townhome owners pay to cover part of the expected repair/replacement for the parking lots. Brenda’s suggestion of a quarterly payment was a good one and I believe it will help Chesapeake Station and our community all the way around. There are no additional fees to the homeowners if 2008 assessment is paid in four installments or if it is paid all at once.

We would like to update our Chesapeake Station Directory. We need volunteers to gather information, organize the data and then distribute the directory to homes in Chesapeake Station. If you are interested in helping please contact one of your board members. It’s easiest to contact us via email; see our addresses later in this newsletter. If you received this newsletter by email, you are already on the list kept by our secretary, George Newman. Printed newsletters now go only to those who request them. Please let your neighbors know about the convenience of electronic delivery. We use the email list only to help homeowners in Chesapeake Station with information necessary to keep our neighborhoods informed and connected. We don’t share your email address with anyone, and that includes the others on the list.

CSHOA seriously needs you to consider running for the Board of Directors. Some of the current members have been on the board for five years, and many of us are discussing not being available for the board in 2009. The CSHOA by-laws require a board to oversee the affairs of Chesapeake Station, and the laws of Maryland require that there must be a board for a corporation such as CSHOA to enter into contracts. So if nobody volunteers in 2009, there can be no contract for financial services management, no contract for grounds maintenance, no contract for tree trimming, no contract for snow removal, no contracts for auditing the books and no contract for doing our CSHOA tax returns. If that happens, it would be a disaster for our property values. No experience is required to be a board member – just willingness to attend one evening meeting a month and put in some time in planning and decision-making. Any board member would be happy to provide more details.

Your 2008 Board tries to meet in the first or second week of each month. Sometimes there are conflicts so it is not always on the same night of the week. The meetings are open, so if you would like to attend, contact a board member for time, date and location.

Jim Mulder
President, Chesapeake Station Homeowners Association

Don’t Lose Your Homestead Tax Exemption!

Chesapeake Station homeowners recently received notices of new tax assessments from the State of Maryland. Valuations are rising sharply – about 30 percent a year for most of us. But if your home here is your principal residence, the Homestead Tax Credit limits the annual increase to 10 percent.

Here’s the catch: The homestead credit is no longer automatic. You have to verify your eligibility. It’s easy to overlook the instructions for how to do so; they’re at the bottom of the assessment notice. You can fill out and mail the “Application for Homestead Tax Credit Eligibility” that came with your notice. Or you can go to the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation website, www.dat.state.md.us, and click on the Homestead Eligibility Application link. We recommend the on-line route. It’s quicker and easier, and you get a verification page you can print out. The deadline for filing the application is April 1. Don’t delay. Protect your exemption now!

From the Grounds Committee

We started the new year by picking up where we left off last year. The town finally issued the permit we needed to remove the trees along Mears Avenue and on the Overlook. By the time you receive this Newsletter all of the trees will have been removed. The next step will be to plant replacement trees in these areas as well as on the Berm (the area next to the boat racks).

Everyone should have already received an email concerning the large White Oak tree on the Overlook next to 4034 17th Street. I am pleased that we will be able to extend the life of that 100-plus-year-old tree by reducing its weight, resulting in less stress for the tree. Also, the tree next to the White Oak has a hole in the trunk about 20 feet up from the ground. The hole will be plugged, eliminating the possibility of damage to the tree from insects and water.

We have several new projects that we would like to tackle this year. They include:
1. Remove the junipers in the center island of the “C” Street Townhouse parking lot and replace them with sod. The junipers are obstructing drivers’ view to the south when exiting the parking lot.
2. Shore up both sides of the walkways at 7834 C Street and 7792 C Street to keep the soil and mulch from washing away.
3. Plant shrubs on the back side of 4008 Band Shell Court. That is the common ground area where our children, grown-ups and dogs play.
4. Trim various trees in common ground areas that are impeding pathways and/or encroaching on residents’ homes.

The new year so far has been very good to us weather wise. Lets hope Mother Nature continues to be nice to us. If you have a common ground concern that you would like addressed, please do not hesitate to call me at 301-812-1748 or email me veritysailor@aol.com. — Pam Johnson

From the Architectural Committee

The Architectural Committee has been working closely with the owners of the houses on C Street damaged in last summer’s fire. As you can see when you go that way, reconstruction is proceeding nicely. Otherwise, winter has been fairly quiet for the Committee, but we expect that to end as homeowners plan spring projects.

The rules governing siding, colors and similar issues are spelled out in some detail in Resolution Three, but they can be summarized in one sentence: If you do anything that changes the outside appearance of your house, including landscaping changes, you need authorization from the Architectural Committee. The Committee wants to be a help, not a problem, but to help you we need to be informed as early as possible when you’re planning work. If you have questions or need a copy of Resolution Three, please contact me at 410-286-3922 or newfair@verizon.net — Barbara Fairchild.

Your car is naked without a parking sticker

A walk around CSHOA parking areas reveals many cars lacking permit stickers. To be sure, we usually enforce the sticker requirement only during the July 4 celebration, but it is strictly enforced then. More important, when all residents display parking stickers, it’s immediately clear which cars belong in the neighborhood and which ones may not belong.

Please note that parking stickers are issued to homeowners only. Tenants who need them should let their landlords know. Stickers are available from Margie Hunter, 410- 257-5647, or Jim Mulder, 410-257-0626.

Newsletter E-Delivery
This is the first CSHOA Newsletter being distributed mostly by email and by posting on the chesapeakestation.com website. Paper copies will be sent to those who have requested them. We don’t want to leave out our neighbors who don’t have access to email and the Internet. However, copying and mailing are significant expenses for your Association – expenses that must be paid from your assessments.
If your neighbors don’t know they can receive this newsletter electronically, please ask them to send an email to newfair@verizon.net.
Being on the email list means not only newsletter delivery but also prompt notification of important matters affecting the community. Be assured that we won’t send you frivolous messages, and your email address will not be visible to anyone else.

CSHOA Board of Directors

President, Jim Mulder, jmulder3@verizon.net, 410-257-0626
Vice President, John Friel, jafriel@verizon.net, 410-286-8626
Member at-Large, Heidi Daniels, heidi@chesapeake.net, 301-943-2245
Secretary, George Newman, newfair@verizon.net, 410-296-3922
Treasurer, Roland Schlehuber, bebopster1@aol.com, 410-286-2421

Chesapeake Station HOA 2008 Budget

2008
Account Description Budget Notes
INCOME:
06000 Assessment Income 59,030.40 All Homes $528, 48 TH $41.80 Additional
06030 Special Assessment Income 16,200.00 SBA Loan Portion ($150 per home * 108)
06205 Boat Rack Fees 500.00
06220 Miscellaneous Income 0.00
06400 Interest Income 500.00
______________
Subtotal Income 76,230.40

EXPENSES

General & Administrative
07000 Accounting/Audit 1,960.00 Audit/Tax Return Preparation
07050 Interest Expense 2,425.00 Loan Interest
07061 Legal Fees - General 2,100.00
07065 Miscellaneous expense 500.00
07070 Permits/Licenses 225.00 Town of Chesapeake/Calvert County Health
07080 Postage and Delivery 492.00
07085 Printing and Copying 250.00
07090 Social Events 582.00 October Fest
______________
General & Administrative 8,534.00

Contracts
07240 Grounds Maintenance Contract 30,000.00 Lawn Maintenance
07260 Management(Financial) Contrac 5,040.00 Financial Management
07270 Snow Removal Contract 1,500.00
______________
Contracts 36,540.00

Maintenance
07311 Beach Improvements 250.00
07315 Common Property Maint/Improve Deleted this account from 2008 budget
07366 Grounds Improvement Maint. Deleted this account from 2008 budget
07365 Landscaping/Watering 1,500.00
07370 Miscellaneous Expenses 150.00
07375 Tree Removal 3,500.00
07380 Sidewalk Repairs 3,000.00
______________
Maintenance 8,400.00

Insurance
07830 Insurance 1,000.00
______________
Insurance 1,000.00

Reserves
08000 Reserve Contribution-General 6,000.00
08005 Reserve Contribution-Townhous 2,006.40
08010 SBA Principal Loan Res Contr. 13,750.00
______________
Reserves 21,756.40

TOTAL EXPENSES 76,230.40

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CSHOA Board

The total assessment will be $724.00 ($574.00 plus $150 “special assessment” for repayment of the SBA loan), plus an additional $38 for townhouses, per the 2008 budget in the mailing.  

The “Authorization Agreement for Direct Payments” included in the mailing is for those who would like to have quarterly payments automatically deducted from their bank accounts. The Board apologizes for the confusion and thanks you for your patience.