2010 Board of Directors Election Results

Mr. Mangen of American Community Management verified a quorum of members at Monday's annual meeting (by way of attendees and proxy ballots). After a quorum was established, the election process commenced.

Each of the three candidates were announced. Director Lauer read a prepared statement that Mr. Drehoff ask be read in his absence. That was followed by statements by the other 2 nominees - Directors Altemus and Rath. Before voting commenced, there was an open call for nominees from the floor — there were no additional nominees.

Two volunteers then collected the ballots and tallied results with Mr. Mangen observing the process. Upon completion, the results were announced with Directors Altemus and Rath retaining their seats on the board.

The board would like the thank the volunteers that tallied ballots as well as all that participated in the voting process.

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Per request, additional details regarding the election have been posted below:

There were 25 ballots cast by members in attendance and 18 cast by proxy. These 43 ballots fulfilled the 25% membership attendance requirement to establish a quorum as mandated by the CC&Rs (25% of 161 membership requires 41). The counting of ballots was performed by 2 volunteer members in attendance, with Mr. Mangen from ACM acting as a witness. The detailed election results were as follows:

Candidate	Total Votes
Anne Altemus	37
Jeff Baker (write-in)	1
Don Drehoff	1
Raina Rath	38

Please note that members were able to send in ballots for the purposes of establishing a quorum without casting votes for candidates — as such the totals needn't add up to 100% of the cast ballots.

Drinking Water Notice

As mentioned by a resident at the annual meeting, the City of Baltimore issued a public notice regarding drinking water this Summer as required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since many residents reported not seeing the notice, it is passed along here for reference...

• City of Baltimore Public Works — Public Notification
• The Anne Arundel County government seems to have posted a copy of the letter mailed to residents.

Celebrate Benjamin Banneker's 279th birthday Saturday, Nov.13, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Banneker Park

On Saturday, Nov.13, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., join the Friends of Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum and others as they celebrate Benjamin Banneker's 279th birthday. The program "What's up with Ben" will be a "spoken word café" as spoken word artists interpret Benjamin Banneker's life and accomplishments. Admission is free, donations are accepted.

The museum hosts a unique collection of Banneker's works, a gallery featuring "An Exhibition of Maryland Community Quilts", a gift shop, patio garden and a reconstruction of Benjamin's cabin on the grounds. The Historical park consists of 142 acres on the original Banneker property, with a wildlife habitat, gardens, nature trails and a restored 1850's era house.

The Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum is located at 300 Oella Avenue, Oella, MD 21228, about two miles east of old town Ellicott City.

For information call 410-887-1081.

Nov 15 Annual Meeting agenda and candidate bios

November 15, 2010 Oella Homeowners Association Annual Meeting Agenda
7pm, Main Hall, Westchester Center

1)Call to order if quorum is established
2)Introduction of Board of Directors & Community Manager
3)Approval of 2009 Annual Meeting Minutes—member vote
4)Treasurer’s report--review of 2010 budget status, delinquency report; proposed budget for 2011, HOA expenses, paying dues online/automatic payments
5)Landscaping and common area maintenance—vegetation areas; parking areas:paving & painting needs, snow removal; long range plan for repair/replacement/improvements (draft)
6)Architectural Review Committee
7)Guidelines discussion
8)Encroachment at Charles James Circle—member vote on granting easements
9)Introduction of candidates for Board of Directors
10)Questions and comments from residents
11)Election-- member vote by written ballot, counting of votes and verification of ballots,results will be announced on the HOA website
12)Adjourn

Board Candidates (alphabetical order):

Anne Altemus (Current board Vice President). I moved to Oella in 1993, and bought my home in 1996. I am a medical illustrator by training, and currently work at the National Library of Medicine at NIH in Bethesda , MD and am an Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the Department of Art As Applied to Medicine. My primary office location is at the NIH in Bethesda , MD. It is a lengthy and sometimes arduous commute, but once I turn onto Oella Avenue and wind up the hill toward Long Brick Row, I quickly realize why I live in Oella. I was appointed to the HOA Board in the Spring of 2007 to fill a vacancy and then formally elected later that year. I am keenly interested in many aspects of the service of the Board in support of the Association with specific emphasis on a few areas: providing historical consistency to the oversight of the work of the Board and its volunteer governance, preserving the charming and historic character of the village, and finally, supporting my neighbors who serve in many ways to make Oella a wonderful community.

Don Drehoff (Oella resident). I feel I could contribute the following to the community: 1)hold to, if not reduce, the existing budget and HOA assessments; 2) work to replace the existing management company, if not eliminate; 3) minimize the influence of the ARC, if not eliminate altogether; 4) limit the encroaching control of the HOA, if not eliminate altogether; 5) neutralize Wagandt’s negative impact on the community. I have the following background: 1) MBA; 2) MS in strategy; 3) previous HOA experience (Aspenwood , early 90s); 4) a desire to represent those in the community who have had unfavorable experiences with the HOA.

Raina Rath (Current board President). I have lived in the Oella area since 1994. I am interested in preserving the historic streetscapes and natural landscapes that drew me to the area. Oella is unique in so many aspects that I felt it important to serve on the board to establish a functional and cohesive written governing policy. I am a local attorney and enjoy my Oella home which is a serene retreat from the workaday world.

The Last “First Fridays” Event of 2010 in Historic Ellicott City is November 5

The Historic District will celebrate the last of its monthly “First Fridays” series of events of 2010 on November 5 from 6-9 pm with a Main Street Gives Back theme. There will be family-friendly entertainment and games as well as live music by The Bristols, Bill Hooper and more. Shops open late.

Participating shops and restaurants will offer special promotions, host a food drive and donate 10% of their evening’s sales to benefit The Grassroots Day Resource Center of Howard County. Please bring a non-perishable food item to support this local charity.

“First Fridays” are sponsored by The Ellicott City Business Association

Landscaping improvements--Thanks to donors!

We've made several landscaping improvements in the past several months thanks to generous donors and the bulb sale. A big THANKS! goes to the volunteers who helped plant, and to those who contributed. Here's what we've done:

1) Donated black-eyed susans and perennials planted along stone wall on Oella Ave. ~800 block.

2) Donations for a tree in memory of deceased mill worker Earnest Harding, Jr. exceeded the cost of the tree. Thus, we planted a redbud tree behind Short Brick Row and some perennials at the Long Brick Row outhouse garden.

3) Part of the bulb sale proceeds were used to purchase beautyberry bushes planted near the outhouse garden. The rest of the proceeds will be used in the Spring to purchase redbud canes for planting along the riverside in the Spring Street/Lillies Lane garden areas.

4) Donated daffodils were planted at Timber Point, Long Brick Row, and Short Brick Row. More bulbs are on their way. E-mail Amanda if you want some for common areas near your house.

Tentative Oella HOA Meeting Agenda - Monday, October 18th at 7pm

1. Call to Order – 7:00pm
2. Meeting Minutes – Discuss/Revise/Approve
3. Treasurer’s Report
4. ARC Update
5. HOA Landscaping & Common Areas
6. Guidelines Committee update
1. Community feedback
7. Board Action Items from Management Report
8. Old Business
9. New Business
1. Annual Meeting Preparation
2. MD House Bill 842
3. Bruce Elliot Nomination
10. Questions and comments from residents
11. Move to Adjourn

GOCA Fall Festival Saturday at Banneker Park

Fall Festival activities will be held on Saturday afternoon in Banneker Park, sponsored by the Greater Oella Community Association. Everyone is welcome.

Reminder: turn in proxies if you cannot attend the annual meeting

The HOA needs a quorum of members to conduct business at the annual meeting on November 15, 7pm, Westchester Center. Your vote is important, so please turn in your proxy as per the instructions on the form if you will not be able to attend the meeting. An annual meeting notice will be sent to you shortly.

We are still collecting nomination forms. If you would like to run for a board position, please submit a form to American Community Management. A list of candidates will be posted before the meeting.

Design Guidelines Review

The Board of Directors of the HOA is pleased to make ready for review the Oella Design Guidelines document, which has been in preparation for nearly two years. As you may know, the Oella HOA was formed in the early 1980s by the developer, Charles Wagandt, when he began restoring the historic homes that were to become our community. As Developer, he had a vision for our historic village and to keep that vision on track he retained the right of Architectural Control.

In December of 2008, Charles and the HOA Board of Directors negotiated a transfer of Architectural Control to the Oella HOA. Part of that Agreement stipulated that the HOA was to create a set of Architectural Guidelines which present and future Architectural Review Committees (now a committee under the HOA) could use as a reference guide to make objective decisions on matters in regard to character of future changes to properties. We hope that the Guidelines will also serve to enhance each community member’s understanding and, hopefully, enjoyment of our community.

We would like to take this opportunity to invite all Oella homeowners to review the Guidelines and offer comments and suggestions. We believe that community participation is of the utmost importance in this matter, and feel that community commentary will help to make the document as cohesive as it can possibly be.

Every homeowner is encouraged to participate in this important undertaking. The new Guidelines are currently available at http://www.oellahoa.com/design-guidelines.htm. Comments will be accepted via the online comment form found alongside the link to the document itself.

If you have trouble accessing an online copy of the Guidelines, please note that there is a hard copy available at American Community Management’s main office at 9198 Red Branch Road, Columbia, MD. In addition, a hard copy can be requested from ACM and mailed to you at a cost of $0.15 per page. Comments can also be submitted in writing. If you would like a hard copy of the comments form, please contact Alan Mangen of ACM at 410-997-7767 ext. 151.

The review period will end on Monday, October 25, 2010. Comments, both written and online, must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, October, 25th. The Guidelines Committee will then finalize the document, taking each and every comment into
consideration.

Thank you and we look forward to receiving the community’s input.

Sincerely,

Oella HOA Board of Directors

Visit the Design Guidelines Page »