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President’s Message
There will be an Olde Mill Swim Club
meeting and a VOMCA meeting on August 4 (July meetings were cancelled). The
pool meeting will be at 6:00 p.m., followed by the VOMCA meeting at 7:00 at the
Olde Mill Swim Club.
Taxes for VOMCA/Olde Mill Swim Club
have been paid for fiscal year 2011. Gary Mott and Associates have been paid
$3,000 for preparing our tax returns.
The following are the current bank
balances for VOMCA: Savings $3,066.38, Checking $3,186.61. The current balances
with the Swim Club are: Savings $19,136.21, Checking $13,160.18. We have 201
active members and 68 inactive members to date at the swim club, with 11 new
members. The Olde Mill Swim Club is still looking for more new members. Please
ask friends and family members if they are looking for a pool to join this
long, hot summer. We really need the support.
Please keep tabs on neighbors with
young children and the elderly. With the heat and extreme high temperatures
outside, it is important for all to stay cool and hydrated. This is a time of
year many people wind up at local hospitals to be treated for heat exhaustion.
If anyone notices any suspicious
activity in the community, at the pool, or at Barlowe Field, please contact
911. We are currently thinking of putting “No Loitering” signs up so that the county
police may enforce this. We have been having a problem down at the field and
parking lot areas over the summer.
I would like to thank Sarah Hakulin for
keeping us updated on the Wade property development plans. The following
information is an update that Sarah has sent to me:
I called the county to see
where the Wade development stands a year later from the hearing date of July
2009. Karen Llanes is in charge of the project now in Planning & Zoning and
she told me that they have not filed for any permits to move ahead nor have
they submitted an updated plan for “a greenway corridor for the passage of
wildlife through this area.”
They were to file for a
grading permit for stormwater management before May 4, 2010 or otherwise “the
applicant would be required to design the project to meet the State’s new
stormwater management criteria.” They have not applied nor submitted a concept
plan.
“The variance of time for
completion of the project granted was “a window of a total of 4 and 1/2 years
to obtain the necessary permits and complete the construction authorized in
accordance with permits obtained.” Special exception for time variance normally
“provides that a special exception expires by operation of law unless a
building permit is obtained within 18 months and construction proceeds.”
The phrases in quotes are
taken from the hearing officer’s written decision granting the special
exception and the variance.
―Tom
Stag
Become a VOMCA Member So You Can Vote
Remember to join the Village of Olde
Mill Community Association for just $15 annual dues. Fill out the application
at the end of this newsletter and send to VOMCA, Box 366, Millersville, MD
21108. Your envelope must be postmarked no later than September 1, 2010 in order to vote in the fall elections.
You can also visit the VOMCA web page at
www.vomca.org and join using PayPal.
Elections Are Coming
Volunteers are needed to fill the
Secretary’s position and the Membership position on the Board, which are
currently vacant. All offices―President, Vice President, Treasurer, Membership,
Secretary, as well as two Board positions―are available for candidates to
volunteer to run for and serve their community. Elections are this fall; October
is for the officers and November is for the Board.
Current Officers are: Tom Stag,
President; Rick Behringer, Vice President; Sarah Hakulin, Treasurer. Current
Board members are Al Miller, Tom Malloy, Sandy Sacra, and Colleen Flack. Contact
board@vomca.org.
FOOM Disappointed By Basketball Court Vandalism
For a couple of weeks the basketball hoops
were a bright yellow, painted with donated time, money, and material by two
community-minded residents who cared deeply how their neighborhood looked. Many
positive comments were made about the improved appearance of the court.
Gradually, week by week, things changed
at the basketball court. First the donated chain nets became torn, and then
disappeared altogether. Later the paint on one of the poles closest the road
appeared to have been scraped and peeled, leaving the bottom half of the pole
unpainted. The second pole has now begun
to be scraped and the paint peeled off as well.
The nets have again been replaced―but
how long will they survive? This kind of vandalism and disrespect for community
property is all of our concern. Any activity that defaces or mutilates property
meant for everyone to enjoy must be reported to the police.
Friends of Olde Mill has tried to
replace and maintain the playground equipment and the basketball courts over
the years. Community-minded residents have given selflessly to improve the
appearance of our neighborhood, so it is very disappointing to see these
efforts destroyed.
Due to the lack of a carnival and the
flea market this year―our main source of funds―we will not be able to pursue
our goal of new playground equipment or repair of vandalized property.
Thanks to all who have supported us
through the years by donating their time, money, and brawn to help maintain the
playground. We have accomplished much, but much remains to do.
―Mike
Hakulin, President of FOOM
Come See How Rain Barrels Can Help the Environment
A rain barrel demonstration and info session
will be the focus of the next VOMCA meeting, 7:00 p.m., August 4, at the Olde
Mill pool. Stacy Epperson, an Olde Mill resident and local Watershed Steward,
will be demonstrating how a rain barrel works, explaining it can benefit you
and your local sub-watershed (and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay), and will be
accepting orders for purchasing rain barrels. Ordered rain barrels can be
picked up by the buyer from Arlington Echo at a later date. You do not need to
be a member of VOMCA to attend the meeting or to purchase a rain barrel. Please
come and learn something new! You may also contact Stacy Epperson at tryswim@comcast.net for any further information.
West Nile Virus Shows Up in Linthicum
The West Nile Virus has been identified
in Anne Arundel County once again, according to the Dept. of Agriculture. The
neighborhood identified was the Shipley area of Linthicum on July 13.
Olde Mill is one of 220 neighborhoods
in the county participating in the mosquito control program run by the Maryland
State Dept. of Agriculture. There are 100 neighborhoods are on a waiting list
to participate in the spraying program.
Olde Mill’s night for spraying is
Thursday night. Spraying for adult mosquitoes is done only if a Maryland agriculture
department inspector determines it is necessary.
Remember to eliminate all standing
water in containers around the house, including plant pot saucers, as these are
breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
For questions regarding this program
call 410-841-5870 or visit the website at
www.mda.state.md.us/plants-pests/mosquito_control/
Financial Report
VOMCA
Savings $3,066.38
Checking $3,186.61
The community taxes have been sent to
the IRS and the preparation fee of $3000.00 to Gary Mott & Associates has
been paid. The property tax of $186.00 for Barlowe Field has also been paid for
fiscal year 2011.
There have been no new members for the
month of July.
OMSC
Checking $13,160.18
Savings $19,136.21
Active
Members 201, Inactive
68, New Members 11
―Sarah Hakulin
First Ever Beginner Bird Walk in Olde Mill!
Sunday, August 8, at 7:00 a.m. (no, this is not a misprint, we really
mean in the morning!). Meet Stacy Epperson, intermediate birder, at the Olde
Mill pool parking lot. We will cross Olde Mill and walk over to the high school
via Lanny Court. Plan for about an hour. Anyone age 12 and older is welcome.
(Younger children are too distracting and not able to maintain the silence we
will need to listen for sounds. I may offer a bird walk at a later date for
families of all ages if a demand exists.)
If you have binoculars and/or a guide, please bring them, but they
aren’t necessary. I will be focusing more on the sounds anyway so the walk
should be enjoyable for everyone. Discover the name of the bird that has been
making that sound you have been constantly hearing. You may contact me at tryswim@comcast.net
if you like, or you can just show up.
―Stacy Epperson
Casino at Arundel Mills Goes to Referendum
Excerpted
from Annapolis’s The Capital newspaper, July 21, 2010:
Celebrating a victory from Maryland’s
highest court Tuesday [July 20], opponents of a proposed casino at Arundel
Mills mall said they will start preparing today to take the fight to the voting
booth.
The Court of Appeals yesterday ordered
a referendum on the casino’s zoning be placed on November’s ballot, overturning
a lower court’s ruling that had halted the process.
Just hours after hearing arguments in
Annapolis, the seven-judge panel reversed the Circuit Court’s ruling that
voters could not overturn the zoning because it is tied to an appropriations
package. The panel did not release its reasoning for the ruling; a written
opinion will follow in several weeks.
Attorneys for the coalition attempting
to stop the casino argued the constitutional amendment voters passed in 2008
expressly required casinos to comply with zoning laws, including the right to
overturn them with a referendum. The judges apparently agreed.
Next, county attorneys will draft
language for the ballot question.
Letter From Sen. Ed DeGrange on Education Standards
July 13, 2010
TO:
THE CITIZENS OF LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 32
MARYLAND JOINS EFFORT TO ESTABLISH
NATIONAL EDUCATION STANDARDS
Education is the foundation for a
successful individual and a successful community. This year, the Maryland State
Department of Education realized many accomplishments which would not have been
possible without committed educators, students and families. Maryland has been
ranked as the #1 public school system in the nation by Education Week magazine
and #1 on Advanced Placement exam performance. Additionally, Newsweek Magazine’s annual America’s Top
High Schools issue ranks over half of all the public high schools in the
Maryland in the top 6 percent of high schools across the nation.
While these accomplishments are
extremely noteworthy, it is important that the State continues to provide its
citizens with a top notch education. One idea that has been up for discussion,
which is aimed at ensuring our students remain well educated and competitive,
is that of national education standards.
Currently, each state sets its’ own
educational standards and those standards may vary from state to state and/or
state to national. For example, a student in one state may receive a passing
score on their state’s standardized assessment test but score in the “below
basic” or failing range on the National Assessment of Education Progress test.
Having national education standards would mean that all states would follow the
same stringent education standards.
Earlier this year, Maryland joined 47
other states and the District of Columbia to endorse the effort led by the
National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers
to produce more rigorous national standards in English and math for teaching
the nation’s children from K-12. Only Texas and Alaska declined to participate
in the national standards effort. According to State Superintendent of Schools,
Nancy Grasmick, new tests will replace the Maryland State Assessments and High
School Assessments as soon as 2013. The new standards will not lay out a
specific curriculum, but rather raise the bar for teachers and students by
putting more emphasis on writing, math and critical thinking skills, which
students will need to be competitive in a global economy.
One of my top priorities is to ensure
that our students receive the best education possible and remain capable of
competing with students throughout the nation so that they may succeed in
either the work force or with continuing their education at an institution of
higher education.
Please do not hesitate to contact me
regarding this or any other legislative issue of concern to you. As always, I
encourage and welcome your input.
Sincerely,
James “Ed” DeGrange, Sr.
State Senator, District 32
410-841-3593
James.DeGrange@senate.state.md.us
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Village of Olde Mill
Community Association
2010 Membership Renewal
Please join your community association
today. To join, complete this form, or visit the website www.vomca.org
and join using PayPal. Please print the names of all members of your household
who are 18 years of age or older, and mail it with one check for $15.00, payable to “Village of Olde Mill Community
Association” to VOMCA, P.O. Box 366, Millersville, MD 21108. Membership card(s)
will be mailed to you.
Association meetings are
the 1st Wednesday of each month at Old Mill High School (June-Sept. meetings at
the community pool at Barlowe Field).
Names
of Adults in Household: ____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Street
Address: _______________________________________________________________
Phone
Number:_______________ (Unlisted?____) Village Crier* Sign-up Yes___ No___
Email:
___________________________ Occasional Volunteering: Yes____No_____
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*Note:
Our community newsletter, The
Village Crier, is published online. You will be signed up automatically,
via the email address you provide,
unless you indicate that you do not wish to receive the publication. You can
also read it by going to the VOMCA website at www.vomca.org.
VOMCA has made it possible to secure
grants from the State and County for projects like the repair of sidewalks,
repaving our pool road, installing speed humps, and other community improvements.
If we did not have an association and volunteers, we could not secure many of
these benefits or services.
- We sponsor an Easter Egg Hunt, Santa
Visit, Community Carnival, and Community Yard Sale. With more members and
volunteers, we could do even more.
- We’ve been keeping up with what’s
happening concerning the new development on the Wade property at Old Mill
and Oakwood Roads. Learn more, come to a meeting.
- We work with local government
concerning issues that affect our community.
- Elections are held in October for
members of the Board of Directors. In order to vote, or to run, membership
dues must be mailed and postmarked by September 1.
Occasional one-time
projects at the pool and Barlowe Field come up. If you can volunteer please
email board@vomca.org or call 410-987-0316.
Thank you,
The
Village of Olde Mill Community Association
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