Inside This Issue
2	Neighborhood Watch
2	Revised Architectural Change Request
3	Bomb Scare on Winter Moss Ct.
3	Park View at Box Hill South
4	A new Traffic Light
4	Abingdon Volunteer Fire Company

[email protected] 410-569-1344 December 1997

Our Homeowners Association has no employees. It therefore depends on volunteers and contractors. Volunteers make up the Board of Directors and various committees, and are individuals who donate their time, money, and effort in the common areas and activities of our development. Contractors provide, for a fee, those services that we homeowners have come to expect. The biggest contracts we have are for garbage collection, grass cutting, snow removal, and property management. It is clear that these services have become very important to our "way of life." Many homeowners are not aware or very concerned with how the services actually get performed; as long as they do in fact get done. Unfortunately, there simply are not enough volunteers in our community willing to provide these kind of services. Therefore, we must hire contractors. The concept is fairly straight forward. The Board of Directors hires a property management company to collect the dues; to perform administrative functions such as maintaining files, responding to inquiries, and answering correspondence; and to help the Board with administering the other contractors. The property manager develops bid specifications, with Board input and approval, then solicits bids. After careful consideration, the Board chooses a successful bidder. The contractors are accountable to the Board of Directors. The Board is accountable to the homeowners. The contractors perform services directly for the homeowners. The contractors receive payment from the Association through the property manager. All of these services cost money. The amount of money is determined by the free market. Our dues have remained constant for the past three years. Next year our dues will increase by $1.00 per month in order to maintain the same level of services that we have come to expect. There was pressure during the last two budget cycles to increase dues, but this Board worked hard to trim where we could. I’m sorry to have to inform you of this increase. We will do every thing we can to contain costs, and maintain services. Next quarter, we will publish an itemized budget for the association. I look forward to your interest and feedback. Please send your comments or questions to the address on page 4. Thank you.

During the past couple of months, several acts of vandalism and crime have occurred in our neighborhood. They include graffiti, destruction of property, and theft by taking. About a week before Halloween, our new Property Manager asked if we were going to have a community patrol during "Moving (devils, witches) Night." That one question sparked a plan of action that resulted in more than a dozen neighbors conducting foot and car patrols from 8:00p.m. till 1:30a.m. on both Thursday and Friday nights. Participants provided seven portable radios borrowed from employers and a local Church. Teams were given maps of the streets and instructions on what to do. Several volunteers carried cellular phones which came in handy to report the suspicious activity. The Sheriff’s Department was notified prior to our activities and were grateful to have us out. They were extremely busy on both nights and our efforts made their job easier. Several teenagers were safely escorted home on both nights when they were seen walking around past 11:30p.m. When asked by a Harford County Sheriff’s Deputy why he was out so late, one 15 year old replied that it wasn’t late, he "was out at this time every night." Many of us with children had a hard time with that comment.

At the November 3^rd Annual Meeting, many (approximately 20) homeowners volunteered to participate in future Community Patrols. We will begin organizational meetings in December or January. We will discuss the goals and objectives of the patrols. If you would like to be notified when & where these meetings take place, please call the hotline (410-569-1344) and leave your name and number (only if you didn’t sign up at the annual meeting.) We will contact you shortly.

In October, the Board of Directors made some minor changes to the form used to request approval of architectural changes. All homeowners must submit this form to the HOA for approval prior making any kind of change to their property. This type of control helps to protect property values. This Board does not view architectural requests as an opportunity to exercise power. It’s merely a tool to ensure consistent aesthetics throughout the neighborhood. It is important for each modification to be approved because when you try to sell your home a certificate must be issued to the buyer which states that there are no violations of the covenants or restrictions. Some homeowners fear that their request will be rejected unreasonably and proceed with construction without approval. This course of action only leads to delays and problems when you need them least: during settlement. We are including a copy of the new form for your use. Please submit appropriate requests for projects that you may have "overlooked" getting approval for in the past and all future projects so that we can help you to know whether your modification is in compliance with our legal documents. I promise you that this Board of Directors is very fair and reasonable with regard to architectural requests. Please make copies of the attached form for future reference.

Trick or Treating fun was interrupted by the threat of a bomb on Halloween evening for the families of Winter Moss and Deep Well courts. At approximately 7:00p.m., a suspicious looking device was found on Winter Moss court and the Harford County sheriff’s department was contacted. Most residents joked about the "suspicious device" while we awaited the Bomb Squad officer on duty. The yard at 3400 Winter Moss court was roped off from children out enjoying the holiday. When the bomb squad officer arrived, the event took a different turn. All residents within a 200 yard radius were evacuated from their homes and a robot was used to inspect the device. After approximately an hour of standing in the cold, the sheriffs department, not wanting to take any risks, attempted to detonate the device in a special container. With the help of the robot, the device was placed inside a tube and blown up so that no damage occurred. After some cleaning up, all residents were allowed to return to their homes. Being the resident who lives at 3400 Winter Moss, I would like to acknowledge the work of the sheriffs department. Their quick response and attention to detail kept all of us safe.

It won’t be long before we have some new neighbors moving onto Box Hill South Parkway. At our Annual meeting, we were given a presentation by Jeff Hettleman from Shelter Development Corporation. Jeff described a project to construct a four story senior apartment building on the left side of BHS Parkway as you come into our development. (Up the hill from Hidden Ridge.) Jeff met with the Board a week prior to the Annual meeting. Many questions were answered regarding the project at both meetings. The most important point was that a senior apartment building was about the best choice for our HOA interests when compared to some of the alternatives. First, it wouldn’t compete with any of our existing homes for buyers. Second, the additional traffic would be 75 % less than if a normal residential apartment building were constructed. Finally, seniors tend to adjust their driving patterns to avoid the busiest times, because they have more flexibility to do so. The apartments will be very affordable, but not subsidized. The plans are to have the building take up as little space as possible and to be architecturally pleasing. In order to do both, it has to be four stories tall. Under current zoning a four story building could be built. In order to make the building appear more residential, Shelter Development requested a zoning variance to build a taller gable roof. Pictures of similar buildings were shown at the annual meeting and met with general approval of the homeowners.

Ms. Sue Collins of the Community Relations Section of the Harford County Government has informed us that the State Highway Administration announced that work is expected to begin early next year on a traffic signal at the intersection of Route 924 and Box Hill South Parkway. The anticipated start is during the Summer of 1998.

The Abingdon Volunteer Fire Company provides many services to our community. Along with responding to fires, (which includes house fires, car fires, dumpster fires, and brush fires to name a few), they also respond to car crashes and perform rescue services (which includes removing victims who are trapped inside of the wreckage). In addition, they provide Paramedic level Emergency Medical Services. This service is of tremendous benefit to our community. Because we live so far from hospital emergency rooms, and have such a long transport time, having paramedics available to treat us if we are injured or seriously ill is critically important. Paramedics have the skills necessary to begin essential life saving treatments immediately upon their arrival. It takes years of study and dedication to become a paramedic. What is remarkable is that the personnel at Abingdon are volunteers.

The Abingdon Volunteer Fire Company has made their Hall available to us for our association meetings, free of charge.

We would like to express our gratitude to AVFC, and provide our homeowners with a way to have a great time and get some good food, by publishing the 1998 calendar of public events which includes everything from pancake breakfasts to spaghetti dinners. These events are extremely affordable, and very much worth while. The service is better than any restaurant in Harford County. Unless noted the events are held in the "hall" on the lower level of the main station on Abingdon Road. Check the hotline (410-569-1344) for more details throughout the year.

If you would like to comment on an article or issue that affects our community, you may send an e-mail to [email protected], or send your typed article to:

Newsletter, Box Hill South HOA
C/O Trenton Property Services
P.O. Box 767
Bel Air, Md. 21014

When "the common good" of a society is regarded as something apart from and superior to the individual good of its members, it means that the good of some men takes precedence over the good of others, with those others consigned to the status of sacrificial animals.

-- Ayn Rand, "What is Capitalism?" Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal

Approval of this architectural change request, by the Box Hill South Homeowners Association (BHSHOA) signifies that the request has been reviewed and meets the requirements contained in the BHSHOA: Articles of Incorporation, Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions, and By-Laws. Approval is subject to any comments included. All required State and County permits must be obtained before starting any construction.

NAME: ________________________________________________

ADDRESS: ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________

SINGLE FAMILY c TOWNHOUSE c

PHONE:______________ DATE OF APPLICATION:__________

DESCRIBE YOUR PROJECT:
(Attach appropriate drawings and permits as necessary.)

ARCHITECHTURAL REVIEW ACTION:

DATE:____________ Completed By:_________________

APPROVED c REVISE and RESUBMIT c REJECTED c

COMMENTS: