The Wood Box (President’s Article)

The new Board of Directors joins me in expressin= g our thanks to the departing board members, Frank Dresser, Chris Handy, and Bruce Norton. Over many years, they= made significant contributions to the community. Oh, lets not forget their wives wh= o I know have been very helpful.

Our thanks to all who supported the Homeowners Asso= ciation with the recent votes. The new Board hopes to continue the aim of the Association to protect property value and maintain a safe harmonious community.&= nbsp; The interest of each homeowner is important. We urge you to utilize the MWHOA&#= 8217;s e-mail or voice mail with your thoughts and ideas. There is always an invitation to a= ttend Board meetings.

The most immediate concern for the new Board is = to achieve approval of the proposed covenants. These covenants provide the basis = and guidelines for the Association. The proposed covenants are found on our web site (www.mwhoa.com). Any comments and/or questions may = be registered on our e-mail or voice mail sites. Property values are greatly affect= ed by the appearance of our neighborhood. Therefore, it is important t= o the best interests of each homeowner to cooperate in the task of updating the covenants. For those who have= not approved the covenant change, please use the form attached to this letter.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> This is very important! Legal fees continue to build up un= til we get 75% approval.

The second topic that is facing our Association = is a lack of support, guidance and funds. We are in the process of trying to fix several violations of our

President’s Article, (Continued)

Architectural Guidelines. We have spent consider= able money on legal fees and project more in the future. These costs take money from common= area maintenance and will most probably cause increased assessments in the future. Your comments on this topic are al= ways welcome, including attending our monthly board meetings.<= /p>

The Board does see = this community as a pleasant and safe community for children and adults.

Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New Year to all! – Dale Good

MWHOA Financial Update

The treasurer’s= report reflects the following financial status year-to-date.*

§ Income &= nbsp; &nbs= p; $17,002

§ Expenses &= nbsp; &nbs= p; $17,743

§ Current Ass= ets &= nbsp; $14,896

Of the total 348 ho= mes in our community, five

are now in arrears. If you need to contact the treasur= er regarding your annual assessment or get a copy of a detailed financial statement, please contact Harold Mohn on,www.hmohn@mohnanddalan.com

*A detailed financi= al statement for the MWHOA is also available on our web site. See back page for 2004 actual fina= ncial statement.

The MWHOA 2005 budget refl= ected on the following page, was accepted by the Board at the December meeting.

MWHOA Financial Update (Continued)

MWHOA 2005 Budget

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p;

RECEIPTS &= nbsp; 2004 (Est.) &nb= sp; 2005

Assessments $16,767.86 &= nbsp; $16,443.00

Special Asses. = 0.00 &n= bsp; 17,400.00

Doc. Copies &= nbsp; 25.00 &= nbsp; = 50.00

Interest &= nbsp; 106.= 25 &= nbsp; 100.= 00

Total = $16,899.11 &= nbsp; $33,993.00

EXPENSES

Web Site &= nbsp; $ 500.00 &= nbsp; $ 600.00

Printing &= nbsp; 210.82 &= nbsp; 1,000.00

Mailing &= nbsp; 1,094.65 = 1,500.00

Beautification = 0.00 = 500.00

Insurance &= nbsp; 2,038.00 = 2,100.00

Telephone &= nbsp; 317.58 &= nbsp; 400.00

Office Supplies = 0.00 &= nbsp; 100.00

Taxes &= nbsp; &nbs= p; 64.00 &= nbsp; 100.00=

Legal Fees &nb= sp; 15,348.54 &nbs= p; 20,000.00 =

Bank Fees &nb= sp; 30.00= &= nbsp; = 20.00

Community Function 0.00 &n= bsp; 500.00

Other &= nbsp; &nbs= p; 600.00 = 600.00 &n= bsp; = ; =

Total &= nbsp; &nbs= p; $217,063.59 &= nbsp; $33,920.00

<= span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Net &= nbsp; &nbs= p; ($164.48) <= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> $73.0= 0

- Harold Mohn

From The Secretary’s Desk …….

As you may have noticed, there is new playground equipment at the Pheasant Run Park near the Snowden Road entrance to Montpelier Woods. The orange safety fence that currently surrou= nds the equipment is only supposed to stay up for about a month to let the equipment settle. There are also plans for a few new walking paths, which h= ave been proposed to be completed by the spring. We were initially informed that the playground equipment would be in place in the early summer months, so t= he fall installation is likely considered timely by Prince George’s County standards.= In any case, a real effort has been made by the Parks and Recreation Commissio= n to make Pheasant Run a pleasant and enjoyable community asset. We are glad to see the improvements. Currently, there are no plans to build a parking lot.= Previous concerns about a parking lot attracting outside problems we= re expressed to the Planning Commission.

The MWHOA has applied for inclusion into the Tower Federal Credit Union’s (TFCU) membership,

making its services availa= ble to all homeowners in our community. We are pleased to announce that

&nb= sp;

From the Secretary’s Desk (Continued)

TFCU has accepted our appl= ication and added us to their charter. TFCU offers services to homeowners,

such as money management s= eminars; free checking accounts; free debit cards; free online home banking; lower a= uto and home equity loans and low-cost mortgages; and many others. A representa= tive from Tower will be speaking at an upcoming Board meeting. Please contact Kathi Cox on (301) 604-1960, if you are interested in hearing more about the benefits of belon= ging to a non-profit credit union. Also look for TFCU advertising in our newsletters.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; - Kathi Cox = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp;

Covenant Committee Established

In an effort to update and modify the rules and regulations that govern our community, early this year, the Board sent to all members of the MWHOA a pr= oposed revision to the Declaration of Covenants. While many of our members responded favorably to the proposed amendments, there are a number who obje= cted to several of the proposed changes; most importantly, the= re was not a sufficient favorable response to permit adoption of the proposed amen= dments.

In its October 2004 meeting, the Board reviewed the community responses and determined that the proposed document needed to be re-visited. A committee to review and, as need= ed, draft a new proposed revision. The committee is presently working on a new proposed revision in an effort to address those objections previously forwarded to the Board and to develop a= new document that will satisfy the concerns of our members.

The committee would very much like to receive your input regarding any new conc= erns you have with the previously proposed revision. The next committee meeting = will take place on January 10, 2005. The goal is to prepare a new draft document that can be circulated to members f= or approval in early 2005. We ur= gently request that you review the proposed revision previously sent to you and provide your input to the Cove= nant Committee via MWHOA’s e-mail, telephone, or mailing address listed on the first page. – Derek Theissen<= /o:p>

Covenant Committee:

Derek Theissen &nb= sp; = Bruce Norton

Bruce Norton = &nb= sp; Debbie Roy

Deborah Miller = ; Carol Hayes

Gary Miller

UPCOMING

2005 MWHOA MEETING DAT= ES

January 12^th – 10301 Bristlewood Court<= /st1:Street>

February 9^th - 10206 Snowden Road

March 9^th – Montpelier Elementary School

Meetings begin at 7:30 and are nor= mally the second Wednesday of each month.

Notices of Interest

= § = On December= 2^nd, the Association signed an Easement for Emmanuel Baptist Church on Route 197= to run sewage and water lines through one of our common areas. This construction expected to begi= n in the Spring 2005, will go up Basswood Terrace and into the common area at the end of the street. Residents = on Basswood Terrace should not be inconvenienced during construction. The church will restore all proper= ty after the lines are buried. T= his will not cost the MWHOA any money. We will notify homeowners when a firm schedule of construction has b= een established.

= § MHOWA receives frequent information letters from= the Patuxent Wildlife Visitors Center located on <= st1:Street w:st=3D"on">Powder Mill Road. They have many programs for childr= en and adults. You may call 301-497-= 5887 for more information and reservations.&nbs= p; People with special needs are accommodated.

§ The Bi-county Transitway (inter-county connector= ) is a hot topic again. Meetings are= being held throughout our area. If = you are interested, call the Maryland Transit Administration, Office of Plannin= g on 410-767-3694 for meeting schedules.

§ It appears a Harley-Davidson Store will be openi= ng at the intersection of Route 197 and Laurel Drive. This business project has been underway for over two years. It is currently expected that construction will begin in the Spring of 2005.

- &nb= sp; 3D"Happy Dale Good

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<= span style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>Selling Your House?

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<= span style=3D'font-weight:normal'>Don’t forget that Maryland law requires you to supply prospective new owners with copies of the covenants and bylaws governing the community in which we live as well as a copy of the current architectural controls that are applicable to us. If you have lost yours, additional copies may be purchased from the Association.

Additionally, you or your representative should obtain a letter from MWHOA outlining your current sta= tus with the Association regarding assessments, fines, or other charges that are outstanding against your property. If a document exists that allows your property an exception to one of the architectural controls, that document must also be provided.

Editor’s Notes:

The MWHOA Newsletter is published on a quarterly basis. The next newsletter wil= l be published around the beginning of April 2005.

Our goal is to provide articles tha= t are of interest and use to you. W= ith that in mind, we would like to hear from you. If you would like to contribute an article or ad that would be of interest to the Montpelier Woods community, submit it the Board for review via e-mail or to the Board’s mailing address found on the first page. – Carol Hayes

3D"7

1.&n= bsp; Eat right 9= 0% of the time; eat whatever you want 10% of the time.

2.&n= bsp; Get as much= sleep as you need to be happy, healthy, and fun to be around.

3.&n= bsp; Make up cre= ative excuses to get more exercise.

4.&n= bsp; Do something every day that makes you laugh out loud.

5.&n= bsp; Take a walk= or get some other exercise whenever you feel stressed.

6.&n= bsp; Go outside = and play at least once a week.

7.&n= bsp; Limit TV to= one hour a day or less

President’s Article, (Continued)

MWHOA Financial Update

Of the total 348 ho= mes in our community, five

*A detailed financi= al statement for the MWHOA is also available on our web site. See back page for 2004 actual fina= ncial statement.

MWHOA Financial Update (Continued)

Community Function 0.00 &n= bsp; 500.00

Other &= nbsp; &nbs= p; 600.00 = 600.00 &n= bsp; = ; =

Total &= nbsp; &nbs= p; $217,063.59 &= nbsp; $33,920.00

- Harold Mohn

From The Secretary’s Desk …….

Covenant Committee Established

UPCOMING

2005 MWHOA MEETING DAT= ES

Notices of Interest

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<= span style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>Selling Your House?

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Editor’s Notes:

Source: The Hope Heart Institute, Seattle