District 1 Council member, Pete Smith, has proposed a resolution to amend the county charter to allow council members to run for a third term. Please read the following and educate yourself on the issue. A hearing will be held at the Arundel Center in Annapolis on July 18. Members of the community will be able to speak between 7 and 11:30PM.
http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/government/ph-ac-cn-council-third-term-0710-20160710-story.html
Notice: Our neighbors in Arundel Hills will be holding a Q&A session with their attorney regarding the Trevillian Properties planned development near B&A Boulevard. Arundel Hills won Phase 1 and is now preparing for the appeal process. The meeting will take place Tuesday, July 19 at 7PM in the lot at B&A & McHenry. There will be refreshments and a 50/50 raffle. LSIA is opposed to this development as we have concerns over how it will impact traffic entering B&A.
June 16, 2016
Dear Resident,
The invasive pest, Emerald Ash Borer, has killed millions of ash trees across the United States and is now a serious threat in Anne Arundel County. These infested ash trees die one to three years after infestation and are a hazard when located in close proximity to people and property. To protect public safety and avoid property damage, the Department of Public Works (DPW) is now working to treat or remove the “street trees” occupying county –maintained roadside property that have been identified by the County Forester as ash.
Identifying the presence of this pest can help retain ash trees through treatment and minimize risk from hazard trees. It can also contain costs for tree removal and replacement. However, it is important to note, most ash trees that have been identified within the County right-of-way are too damaged for treatment to be effective and are considered hazardous. Therefore, they must be removed to avoid potential injury or property damage.
There are a number of things you can expect to encounter over the coming months:
1. Prior to removal or treatment, DPW will install temporary ‘No Parking’ signs on the street to facilitate treatment or removal of the ash trees. Please keep these areas clear so that treatment/removal can proceed quickly and efficiently.
2. Parking restrictions will typically be in place for a week or less, depending on the extent of work.
3. After work crews have left the area, you may see some flags placed near remaining trees. These flags mean that the ash tree was determined to be well enough for treatment. There are no special precautions required, but please leave these flags in place as they are required per safety regulations.
4. There are many communities affected by EAB so it may take several months for crews to reach your street. In the meantime, please be mindful that ash trees are naturally brittle when dead. Dead tree limbs can fall without warning and can cause serious damage.
5. Anne Arundel County cannot remove trees on private property. It is recommended that homeowners and community associations inspect their properties for ash trees and treat or remove those trees as necessary.
Further information about identifying ash trees and about EAB can be found at:
http://mda.maryland.gov/plants-pests/Pages/eab.aspx
Please feel free to contact DPW Customer Relations at 410-222-7582 if you have any questions or seek additional information. You can also email Customer Relations at pwcust00@aacounty.org.
Matt Diehl, Manager
DPW Customer Relations
Man Your Weather Stations!
By J.E. Szech
The area around the basement door is wet. Again. It’s a familiar tale in northern Anne Arundel County. The basement is waterproofed but the tiniest of drains in the basement stairwell is clogged with leaves, or lint, or whatever critter has decided to make a home for the season. Sure I could get one of those moisture alarms, which is fantastic if you’re home to hear it. I guess I could install something that connects to my phone? Meh, I’m too connected as it is. I finally decide my best bet is to start monitoring my own weather system in Linthicum. I’ll miss you Bob Turk. You’re moustachioed face and pleasant voice have guided me for years, but I’m going on my own. I’m buying a home weather station.
Full disclosure, for years my best friend has been a ‘weather nerd’. I was relentless in my teasing him over the hours he would spend monitoring The Weather Channel. He spoke of pressure systems and fronts. Millibars and knots. Accumulation. Oh yes! There will be accumulation! I paid little attention, I wear shorts when its thirty degrees and I am not sure that I have ever owned an umbrella. Who am I? The Penguin? Something changed this winter though, maybe it was above average rainfall or the thought of being out of work for a few days shoveling snow, but I decided that weather was my new thing.
Doing your research on a weather station is relatively easy. I jumped on the web and quickly established a budget of $200.00. Some home models can easily exceed $1500.00. I’m looking to monitor the local storms, not send reports to NASA, but it is nice to know that upgrades are available.
After weeks of in-depth research and discussions with other local weather aficionados, I decided on an Acu-Rite 01500 weather station. It’s blue backlit screen offers a multitude of functions, is simple to operate, and even saves data that you can track through the year if you feel so inclined. I mounted the receiver unit on a fence post in the back of my yard. Placement is critical as the area should be free of overhead shade, and trees which could clog the rain collection cup. That’s right! You can measure your own rain! My wife was not nearly excited as I was over this discovery, but she feigned excitement, so that I would leave her alone and go back outside. The unit uses AA batteries to power the fan motor and transmit the data to the receiver inside your home. Once connected your system will go through a two week learning period that calibrates and adjusts to the environment.
Most home units are transmitting data using your home’s Wi-Fi connection. What made the system so appealing was the fact that I could purchase a bridge unit from Acu-Rite that allowed me to take the data from my backyard and send it directly to the site Weather Underground. This crowdsourced weather service has allowed me to monitor the weather in Linthicum from my phone with accurate wind speeds, rain totals, and approaching storm cells. On more than one occasion this more detailed forecast has given me the time to run home from work to make sure the basement was and stayed dry.
The detailed readouts on falling and rising pressure systems have also been critical when making decisions about outdoor projects, as well as letting folks with sinus issues know when they may have a rough day ahead. The Monitor also keeps tabs on the pressure, humidity and high and low temperatures in your home. Installation is simple, and I was up and running in about thirty minutes. Sure you can go to any website and get a weather report, but like home baked cookies, some things are just more fun when you do it yourself. Within a few minutes of activating my Weather Underground account I received a text from my friend informing me of what I already knew…I was a weather nerd. As we enter hurricane season, the weather watching should be interesting. Check back to the LSIA Facebook page for updates and storm preparedness tips regarding incoming storms, I’ll continue to get the best information to you from Office of Emergency Management as well as the national Weather Service when the major storms rear their heads. See you in the troposphere!
Bylaws Regarding Elections:
Article VI: Executive Board
Section 1
The Executive Board of this Association shall be the President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and eight (8) members of the Board of Directors, and as many as four (4) senior advisors, making a total of sixteen (16) members.
Section 2
Any member of the Association in good standing shall be eligible to hold office, providing they are residential property owners and reside in the area designated in Article III, Section 1.
Section 3
Not more than one member from an immediate family may serve on the Executive Board during any fiscal year.
Section 4
At the Board's discretion, the President may appoint a "senior advisor" to the Executive Board. A senior advisor will:
Article VII: Nominations – Elections
Section 1
A Nomination Committee consisting of three (3) members will be nominated by the Board of Directors, subject to the approval of the general membership no later than the month of February. The Nominating Committee shall present nominations to the general membership at the April meeting and/or publish the list of nominees and their proposed office in the Association’s newsletter for the May meeting.
Section 2
Further nominations may be made for any eligible member in good standing by a member of the general membership from the floor at the April and May meetings.
Section 3
Elections shall be held at the monthly general membership meeting in May at which time the Nominating Committee’s report shall be entered in the May minutes. The President-elect shall become resident agent of the Association during his/her tenure of office.
Section 4
The terms of office of President and Vice-President shall be limited to no more than four (4) consecutive one-year terms. This does not preclude a candidate from serving four (4) consecutive years in one office followed by 4 consecutive years in the other office.
Section 5
The order of succession of officers is as follows:
President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary
In the event of death, resignation, or removal of an officer or director, the Board of Directors, by majority vote, shall elect a successor.
Section 6
A member of the Executive Board shall be an Association member (see Article VI, Section 2) and shall not concurrently hold a public office. Those who become candidates for public elected office shall be given a “leave of absence” until after the election. If elected, they shall be expected to resign from the Association position.
Section 7
The Officers and Directors so elected shall assume their duties at the first regular general membership meeting, or at the first monthly meeting of the Executive Board, held subsequent to their election.
Candidates
(As of April 26, 2016)
For President:
Suzzie Schuyler
For Treasurer:
Charlie Mannion
For Secretary:
Kevin Plessner
For Vice-President
Celeste Riddle
Board of Directors
Jim Blankenship
Shawn Murphy
Dale Townsend
Jonathan McGowan
Derick Dallas
Kim Solloway
Glen Haller
Justin Szech