MWHOA-Newsletter-April 2006

3D"Montpelier

&= nbsp; Newsletter=

= &nb= sp; April 2006<= /span>

= = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Look Inside For:

= * President’s Article &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; * Special Offer from Tower FCU=

= * Covenant Update &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; * Identity Fraud

= * Message from the Board &= nbsp; &nbs= p; * Upcoming MWHOA Meeting= Dates

The Wood Box (President’s Article)

Covenant Update= : Spring has sprung! After a mild winter, we have enter= ed an enjoyable time of the year. It’s a time of renewal in our lives and the continuing growth = of our community. This leads me = to the most pressing problem facing our community. We need to approve the much- needed proposed Covenant amendment. = During the last five years, many attempts have been made to update, at great cost = in time and money, covenants that govern our community. Last October, the covenant committ= ee sent out a revised proposal, which reflected all previous comments and objections. As of this date, = we have had only one third of our owners respond. Virtually all responding owners ap= proved the Amended Covenants without reservation.= But we need 75% or more of our owners to approve. Our next step will be to send a le= tter to all owners who have not responded. Each owner has the responsibility to respond. The Association continues to spend= too much money on this update because some of our neighbors refuse to accept th= eir community responsibilities. To those individuals, please send in your approval letter now.

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Copies of the approval letter were provided in t= he October 2005 package and are also available on our web site (www.mwhoa.com) under Documents, Amended Covenants (last page. Help us make this a better communi= ty by providing a little cooperation

Board of Directors:

President = Dale Good

Vice President &= nbsp; Carol Haye= s

Treasurer &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Anita= Klein

Secretary = ; &n= bsp; Charles Ko= rtlang

Members at Large Alfred Vas= co, Jr.

How to Reach the MWHOA Board:=

Address: = Post Office= Box 2645

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Laurel, MD. 20709 =

Voice Mail: = (301)362-2353 &= nbsp;

E-Mail &= nbsp; &nbs= p; mwhoa@hotmail.com

Web Site: &= nbsp; www.m= whoa.com

Newsletter Editor Carol= Hayes &= nbsp; &nbs= p;

MWHOA does not necess= arily endorse advertisers’ = products and services.

<= /o:p>

SEND IN YOUR AMENDED COVENANT APPROVAL. If you misplaced the approval

form; go to www.mwhoa.com , Documents.

Trees & Things: On February 27-28, w= e had 61 hazardous trees cut down in our Common Areas at a cost of $3100.00. This economical winter cutting was= part of our program over several years to remove trees that were dead, leaning or uprooted and presented a hazard to property owners. We expect this to be an ongoing pr= oject and expense because the tree removal experts have informed the board that m= any of the trees in the common areas are nearing the end of their life cycles.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> From the recent cutting, there is = hard wood available to everyone in the community. Help yourselves by hauling the woo= d to your residences. If properly = dried over a two-year period, pinewood can be burned in your fireplace. Do not cut down any standing trees= . We do need to clean up underbrush and some trash in our Common Areas. If there is a group of homeowners = who would volunteer in their areas, the Association will provide a dumpster to = have the wood and trash removed.

The solar powered light on the signs at the Bass= wood entrance seems to be working well, since we pruned the trees back from the solar panels.

= &nb= sp; = - Dale Good, President

MWHOA Financial Update

= &nb= sp; Balance Sheet

= &nb= sp; As of 3/31/06

Assets……&#= 8230;..

Bank, Savings &a= mp; Investment Accounts

Checking Acct – Bnk of Amer. $27,291.20<= /span>

Reserves Account &n= bsp; = 0.00

Money Market – Chevy Chase 4,584.65

Money Market – E-Trade <= /span> = 8,640.48

&= nbsp; &nb= sp; = =

Other Assets &= nbsp; &nbs= p;

Assessments Receivable = $ 966.95

Late Fees Receivable = &nb= sp; 225.00

Legal Fee Receivable = 759.25 <= o:p>

Liened Amounts Receivable = 1311.79 = &nb= sp;

Certified Mailing/NSF Receivable 114.00

= Total Assets = $43,893.32

Liabilit= ies & Owners Equity………… =

= Funds &= nbsp;

&nbs= p; Reserve Fund = = $ 0.00<= /span>

= Other Liabilities &= nbsp; =

&nbs= p; Prepaid Owner Assessments 65.26

= Loans = &nb= sp; = 0.00

= Owners Equity = 43,828.06

Total Liabilities/Owners Equity $43,893.32

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; - Anita Kl= ein, Treasurer

= FROM THE BOARD…

YARD SALE ??

For some years the Association has sponsored annual yard sales in our community on weekends wi= th the Association underwriting the advertising expense. Last year, a sale was held in June= . Homeowner participation was not ve= ry good compared to previous years. The Board wonders whether the community is interested in continuing summer yard sales or perhaps a sale in the fall. Please call or e-mail the Board if you are

FROM THE BOARD… (Cont’d)

interested. The Board would consider a weekend= in July through September. If th= ere is enough interest among the homeowners, we will hold the sale(s).

= MWHOA WEB SITE

= Have you checked our new comprehensive web site at www.mwhoa.com? We have a good collection of infor= mation of interest to the community, including links to many community activities = and government agencies. Do you h= ave any items that would be of interest to the community or perhaps a service t= o the community? Call us and we will consider it for inclusion on our web site.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS &a= mp; NUISANCES

From time to time, the= Board hears about problems between neighbors that rise to the level of a public nuisance. If you have been un= able to resolve an issue with your neighbor, the County and State have extensive laws regarding animal control, building codes and laws regarding business operations. The Association supports all County and State laws and hopes that all homeowners comply with these reasonable ordinances. = If you feel a situation is a public nuisance, you may call: animal control at 301-499-8300, building inspectors at 301-883-6030, hou= sing enforcement at 301-883-6100, zo= ning enforcement at 301-883-6130 and/or any other community standards enforcement offices listed on the Frequently Called List found on the MWHOA= web site.

THANKS FOR YOUR COOPERATION & SUPPORT!

UPCOMING

MWHOA MEETING DATES

April 12 – 12111 Amblewood Drive

May 17^th – 10204 Bignonia Drive

June 14^th – 10206 Snowden Road

Meetings begin at 7:30 and are nor= mally the second Wednesday of each month. &= nbsp; Homeowners are encouraged to attend.

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“D= on’t be afraid to go out on a limb, that’s where the fruit is.” = &nb= sp; = - Unknown

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= Editor’s Notes:

The Board has asked th= at I remind homeowners that one or two line announcements/ads for services provi= ded by homeowners such as babysitting, yard work, tutoring, etc., may be posted= in the MWHOA newsletter at no charg= e. Commercial-type ads may also be published at an affordable price. Keep in mind that the newsletter is published on a quarterly basis (January, April,, July, and October), so it may be a month or two before yo= ur request is published. Please contact the editor via the Association’s= e-mail or phone for additional information and/or deadlines. = &nb= sp;

- Carol Ha= yes, Editor

HOLD ON TO YOUR IDENTI= TY

It remains the fastest-growing crime in America, affecting hundreds of thousands of consumers each year. Don’t let “Identify Thieves” steal YOUR private information.

1. = Treat your trash carefully. Shred unneeded rec= eipts and financial records, or tear them up and throw them away instead of recyc= ling them.

2. = Leave your Social Secu= rity card at home, not in your wallet. Don’t let your Social Security number be printed on documents,= if unnecessary.

3. = Don’t give your = credit card number to anyone on the Internet or over the phone unless you initiated the contact.

4. = Never put bill payment= s in your mailbox. Take them to a = post office or U.S. Mail drop box. Pick up new checks from the bank rather than having them mailed to your home.

5. = Photocopy the contents= of your wallet, front and back. = This way, you'll know what’s missing and who to call in case of theft.

Possible Signs of Frau= d

¨ Inaccuracies on your credit report or credit card statement.

¨ Failure to receive bills or other mail.

¨ Unsolicited credit cards in your name.

¨ Credit denied for no apparent reason.

¨ Contact from debt collectors or business about unfamiliar purchases= .

Has your identity been stolen?&nbs= p; Call the Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft Hotline: 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338). =

- Carol Hayes

Reprint from “Vantage Point” Publica= tion

= = ; = &nb= sp; = 2^nd Quarter Dates to Remember

= ; April 22^nd &nbs= p; Earth Day

= ; April 28^th &nb= sp; Arbor Day =

&n= bsp; = ; May 1^st &nbs= p; May Day

May 14^th &= nbsp; Mother’s Day

May 20^th &= nbsp; Armed Forces Day

May 29^th = ; Memorial Day (Observed)

June 14^th <= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; Flag Day

June 18^th <= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; Father’s Day

June 21^st <= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; Summer Begins

A SPECIAL OFFER FOR MONTPELIER WOODS HOMEOWNERS

Join Tower Federal Credit Union

Take Advantage of the Credit Union Difference!

As a Montpelier Wood Homeowners Associati= on member, you are eligible to become a member of Tower Federal Credit Union.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Take advantage of FREE checking, deb= it card, direct deposit and low-rate auto, mortgage and home equity loans. Tower offers all of the benefits o= f a full service financial institution, including the convenience of on-line Ho= me Banking, e-Statements and FREE Bill Payment with three or more payments per month.

You Save= Money with a low –rate Tower Home Equity Loan

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Put your home’s equity to work with= a PrimeLine credit line. With Tower's home equity line of credit, you'll have= a money line in place with a variable rate but will never pay interest on your funds until you use them. You= save more with a Tower home equity loan or line of credit because there are no closing costs, points or fees, and the interest you pay may be 100% tax deductible.

Apply for Membership T= oday

Visit towerfcu.org and apply quickly and easily online.&n= bsp; For membership questions, call the Member Service Center at 301-497-7000 or 800-787-8328.