Olde Mill Village Crier

Volume 38,  Number  1  /  January 2008

President's Message
   We will have a VOMCA meeting on Jan. 2, 2008, in Room A269 at Old Mill High School. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. The main topic will be a FOOM (Friends of Olde Mill) presentation of the playground plans at the Barlowe Field/Olde Mill Swim Club area.
   I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday Season, and may it be safe and enjoyable. I want to thank Sarah Hakulin, Rick Behringer, John Tilden, Tom Dixon, and all the volunteers who made Santa’s visit to Olde Mill a success. We had some young individuals who attend Old Mill High School who also helped. I thank these young adults for volunteering to help their community; it means a lot to me when you get involved.
   I would like to welcome all the new board members and officers for the year 2008. I thank all of you for stepping up to the plate and volunteering. We are still in need of a Treasurer for VOMCA; if you are interested please contact me or one of the board members or officers for more information.
   As many of you know, we have had breaking-and-entering incidents at homes in the greater Olde Mill area. I would like everyone to know that because of a keen eye of a neighbor who saw one such crime in progress and called 911, an individual was apprehended by County Police inside a home the Monday after Thanksgiving. I guess if you first don’t succeed you try again: This individual attempted again, on Friday of that same week, to break into a house and then ran from officers when confronted. He was apprehended and arrested a second time. I would like to thank the Anne Arundel County Police for their quick response to both incidents in our community. These officers can only do so much, so we need to assist them when we see something out of the ordinary. Please watch out for your neighbors and call 911 when you see something the least bit suspicious.
   To date we have 62 homes and 123 members that have joined VOMCA for 2008. I would like to thank all who have sent in their memberships. Please see the link at www.vomca.org to either use PayPal or print off a membership application. We need the support of the community.
   I attended two meetings in December pertaining to the proposed subdivision that Snyder Homes will present to the county. This subdivision will be a 55-and-older community that will have a 150-bed assisted living center, townhouses, and multi-family buildings. The assisted living center is proposed to be on Old Mill Blvd. just past the turn were Old Mill and Oakwood come together. The main entrance for this facility will be located at the 90-degree turn. The builder is going to run the road at the 90 degree turn that will create a “T” type intersection where Oakwood and Old Mill now exist. I am waiting to get the approval from the builder to have a sketch added to the VOMCA web site that explains the proposal. I do have a sketch of the area and will be happy to email it to anyone who is interested while we wait to get it up on the website. If you have problems downloading it please let me know. My email is tastag@verizon.net.
   I have also received a list of all the open space areas in Olde Mill. I met with Brenda Reiber from the County Executive’s office. The county real estate division put together a very nice presentation pertaining to where the spaces are located and what subdivisions the spaces are part of. I believe one of the areas defined is the Condo II area of Olde Mill off Chalet Drive and Nathan Way. If the Condo II president could get in touch with me, I can explain the situation and what needs to be done to make that area owned by the association.
   As of December 22, VOMCA has stayed below our budget for the 2007 year. We made adjustments to the budget back in the November general meeting. I would like to thank everyone who was in attendance to make this happen.
   —VOMCA President Tom Stag

Christmas Lighting Contest Winners

   Santa Claus made his annual visit to Olde Mill on Saturday, December 15. He came in a red fire truck with Glen Burnie Volunteer Fire Department helpers. The helpers collected food for the North County Emergency Outreach Network (NCEON), and Santa passed out some 220 candy canes. At each corner of the route the fire truck stopped and Santa greeted the gathered children with a candy cane,
   Thanks to all those who volunteered with the collection, especially the Musser family, John Tilden, Rick Behringer, and two other volunteers whose names I did not get. Thanks to Santa, Tom Dixon, and the Glen Burnie Volunteer Fire Department for providing the transportation and collecting the food for NCEON. Thanks to Cheri at Hair Expressions, who once again volunteered to be a drop-off point for the food collection. 
   A big thanks to all the families who thought of others and made our collection a giant success again this year. Without your support, the spirit of the season could not be a reality and ultimately a success for everyone.
 —Sarah Hakulin  

Below left: Santa greets some of his friends along the route. Below right: The Jolly Old Elf checks
the food donations loaded into his Glen Burnie VFD helpers' truck.
    

2008 Approved Budgets

Budgeted 2007       Budgeted 2008