3D"Montpelier

&= nbsp; Newsletter=

= &nb= sp; October 2005

Board of Directors:

President &n= bsp; = ; Dale = Good

Vice President &= nbsp; Carol Haye= s

Treasurer &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Harol= d Mohn

Secretary = ; &n= bsp; Kathleen C= ox

Members at Large Debbie Mil= ler

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

How to Reach the MWHOA Board<= o:p>

Address: = Post Office= Box 2645

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

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

E-mail: &= nbsp; mwhoa@hotmail.com

Internet = www.mwhoa.com

Newsletter Editor Carol= Hayes

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

The Wood Box (President’s Article)

It has been a very hot August and September; intensified by the construction on our front lawns and sidewalks.

Construction Work: Two contractors are working in our community. They are laying ca= bles in the easement areas owned by the County.= Legally, we cannot stop their work besides the fact that we need both types of cables being installed, i.e. the new BG&E power cables after s= ome of the lightning strikes we’ve experienced and Verizon’s fiber opt= ic cable which will provide new service capabilities in our community. The Verizon contractor is installi= ng the orange colored insulation for the fiber cable to add additional electronic = services. The black cable, being installed by BG&E, is a new main power line throughout our neighborhood. Both contractors are required to completely restore the surface areas they damage. It has been my observation that th= ey are careful and skillful with minimum damage to our lawns and sidewalk areas. The temporary asphalt patches in t= he concrete and lawn divots will be replaced with new concrete slabs in additi= on to reseeding of lawns after all connections and tests are completed. The BG&E contractor will be in= the area beyond October. All prop= erty will be restored by January. = If you have a question or complaint regarding the BG&E contractor, please call William Garner, Construction Inspector, at 1-410-291-5165. He has been responsive and is freq= uently in the neighborhood. For ques= tions and/or complaints regarding the Verizon contractor, please call the Fiber Optic Service Center at 1-888-550-2244. Hopefully, everything will be restored and improved by next year.

Anonymous Calls and Le= tters: During the past year the Associati= on has received over 15 telephone message and letters without the caller/sender identifying themselves. It is= the Board’s opinion that this type of communication serves no useful purpose. In most cases, the c= alls and letters demonstrate a lack of knowledge and/or understanding of the iss= ue or situation. When the caller= or writer is anonymous, there is absolutely no way to respond with clarificati= on or information. To all homeowners, the board respectfully requests that you identify yourselves in your letters or calls so that we can respond directl= y to your specific issue. Otherwis= e you should send your complaint or issue to the appropriate county or government authority for assistance. =

= = &= nbsp; Dale Gray, Pres.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELE= CTION

The Annual General Meeting and Election f= or next year’s Board will be held on October 19,2005 at the = Montpelier Elementary School at 7:30 p.m. The Election Ballot is included in= this newsletter. Please submit your ballot at the general meeting or, if you are unable to attend, you may mail your ballot to the MWHOA address prior to October 19^th . You may also vote by proxy, = which is also included in this newsletter. = &nb= sp; Carol Hayes

Please Vote….. =

Your Vote Is Important!!!

MWHOA Financial Update=

= &nb= sp; Balance Sheet

= &nb= sp; As of 8/31/05

ASSETS

CASH:

Cash Checking –= Potomac Valley $ 19,148.49

Money Market – = Chevy Chase = 4,682.47

Money Market – = E-Trade = 8,536= .78

= &nb= sp; = = &= nbsp;

Total Cash &nb= sp; = = $32,367.74

OTHER ASSETS: =

Assessments Receivable &nb= sp; = $ 3,881.10

Late Fee Receivable = &nb= sp; 1,094.50

Legal Fee Receivable = &nb= sp; = .60=

= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp;

Total Other Assets &= nbsp; &= nbsp; $ 4,976.20

TOTAL ASSETS &= nbsp; &= nbsp; &= nbsp; $37,343.94

&= nbsp; =

LIABILITIES & EQUITY

CURRENT LIABILITIES:

Prepaid Owner Assessm= ents &= nbsp; $ 174.75

Subtotal Current Liab. = &= nbsp; $ 174.75

EQUITY:

Prior Years’ Excess/ (Deficit= ) $ 16,417.50

Current Year Excess / (Deficit) &n= bsp; 20,751.69

Subtotal Equity &= nbsp; &nbs= p; = $37,169.19

TOTAL LIABILITIES & EQUITY &= nbsp; &nbs= p; $37,343.94

- Harold Mohn, Treasurer

&= nbsp; &nbs= p;

MWHOA MEETING DATES

October 19^th = Montpelier Elementary School

November 16^th 10206 Snowden Road

December 14^th TBA- (Call M= WHOA for location)

Meetings begin at 7:30 p.m. and are normally on = the second Wednesday of each month.

PROCRASTINATION

A painfull= y shy man fell in love with a young woman. He sensed that she felt the same way, but he couldn’t find the courage to ask her out. =

Finally, he deci= ded he would mail her a love letter every day for one year, and then ask her for a date.

Faithfully, he followed his plan, and at year’s end he was courageous enough to call= her – only to discover she’d married the letter carrier.=

–Author Unkown=

FROM THE BOARD…

= COVENANT UPDATE

You have or will short= ly receive the latest addition of our long effort to update the Covenants for = the MWHOA. This has been a very expensive effort over a three-year period at a cost of approximately $15,00= 0 in legal fees, publication costs and approval solicitation. The final product is necessary to legally correct our Covenants and includes only a few significant changes as outlined in the cover letter with the proposed Covenants. Please look at the proposed change= s and vote. We really need almost everyone to achieve the 75% vote required by the current Covenants. Vote yes or not, but please vote.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> In the past, the best we could ach= ieve was about 60% of the members voting over after a long period of effort to gather the votes. Members usu= ally approved at the 85% or better rate, but we didn’t get enough votes. Many of our residents over the yea= rs have worked on committees to develop this proposed Covenant. The Board is very grateful for the= ir efforts, especially the most recent committee. The Board believes this committee’s proposal reflects the view of the vast majority of owners= in the Association

PETS AND OUR COMMUNITY=

Recently there has been an increase in reported uncontrolled pets on our streets and in many cases causing concerns for saf= ety and sanitation. We have not m= et a homeowner in the community that does not like pets. However, there is an increased lac= k of responsibility on the part of pet owners. There have been several instances where pet owners have been cited by County animal control officers and in o= ne case a pet removed from the owners. The county we live in has a very extensive animal control ordinance which outlines many reasonable ways a pet can be declared a public nuisance animal and after due notice, removed from the community. (see County Ordinance: Subtitle 3,Section 3-101). The Prince George’s Commission for Animal Control can provide information by calling 301-883-6009. They will gladly provide pet control information and forms to identify public nuisance actions of pets. = Pet owners and non-pet owners need to be informed about the County pet rules. T= his is a very serious concern in our community.

THANKS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT & COOPERATION!!

&nb= sp;

BOARD OF DIRECTOR’S ELECTION BALLOT

Fall is now upon us. This means that the Montpelier Woo= ds Homeowners Association (MWHOA) will be holding its annual general meeting a= nd election for next year’s Board of Directors. The annual meeting will be held at= 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 19, 2005 at Montpelier Elementa= ry School on Murkirk Road. Some proposed items for discussion= are:

<= span style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family:Wingdings;mso-bidi-font-family:Wingdings'>§Report on the status of the proposed updated Covenants and Bylaws

<= span style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family:Wingdings;mso-bidi-font-family:Wingdings'>§The financial status of MWHOA

<= span style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family:Wingdings;mso-bidi-font-family:Wingdings'>§Future issues and projects

Submit ballots for the election at the general meeting, or, if you are unable to attend the meeting, please vote by pro= xy by returning the ballot to MWHOA, P. O. Box 2645, Laurel, MD. 20709 prior to the meeting. Please be sure to complete the pro= xy below in order to validate your vote (i.e. confirm you are a homeowner and = you only vote once). There are fi= ve positions on the MWHOA Board of Directors.= Indicate you votes by placing a (x) next to the candidates’ na= mes; vote for no more than five candidates.

ELECTION PROXY

Mon= tpelier Woods Homeowners Association Board of Directors

The undersigned owner(s) of the property listed below hereby appoint(s) the Board of Directors or

_________________________________________= ___________________ as agent and proxy of the undersigned, with full power of submission, to vo= te my interest in the Corporation which the undersigned would be entitled to v= ote, if personally present at the general meeting of the corporation as specified and any adjournment of such meeting, with all power which the undersigned w= ould possess if personally present upon all matters which may properly come befo= re the said meeting or any adjournment thereof. I may revoke this proxy at any tim= e in writing.

If the residence is owned by a corporatio= n, the undersigned does hereby represent that she/he has been authorized to execute this proxy on behalf of the Corporation. If the residence is owned by more = than one person, all of the owners should execute this proxy.<= /p>

Unit Owner:

_________________________________ ________________= ______________ = ______________

Signature= &nb= sp; = = Printed Name = &nb= sp; = = Date

_________________________________ ______________________________ = ______________

Signature= &nb= sp; = = Printed Name = &nb= sp; = = Date

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

THE PROXY MUST BE SIGNED AND DATED. THE ANNUAL HOMEOWNERS = DUES AND SPECIAL ASSESSMENT FEES (IF ANY), MUST BE PAID IN FULL OR THIS BALLOT W= ILL NOT BE COUNTED.

CANDIDATES’ BIOGRAPHIES

(Vote For Five Candidates)

&= nbsp; Ira D. Good, 10206 Snowden Roa= d, a resident of the community since 1987; served in the U. S. Air Force for 28 years working operations and planning. After retirement fr= om the Air Force, worked as a teach and Chairman of the JROTC Department at Bladensburg High School for 10 years. Dale has served as Vice President = and is currently President of the MWHOA.

&nb= sp; Carol Hayes, 10402 Balsamwood Dr= ive, has lived in Montpelier Woods for 21 years. She is a graduate of Howard University and a Verizon management retiree. She is a member of the National Association for Female Executives, t= he NAACP and currently serves on the board of her national high school group.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Carol has been on the MWHOA board = for one year and currently serves as its Vice President and editor of the MWHOA newsletter.

________Charles Kortlang, 12111 Amblewood Drive, has been a resident of Montpelier Woods since August 2004. He is a 30 year (retired) fire Lieutenant from Mt. Vernon, N.Y. He was Commander of th= e fire training Div. and served on the N.Y. State Academy of Fire Service faculty. A college graduate w= ho was Chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners, Carmel Fire District, N.Y., Charles is currently a warehouse manager for the AVW/TELAV Corporation.

________Alfred Paul Vasco Jr., 12010 Amblewood Drive, has been a resident of Montpelier Woods for 21 years.= In the past he has served for 4 years as Vice President and Presiden= t of our Association. He is curren= tly self employed as owner of A & E Cleaning Company.

________Anita T. Klein., 10204 Bignonia Drive, is a Montpeli= er Woods resident for the past 16 years. She is currently a housewife who is a graduate of the Univ. of Pittsburgh<= /st1:PlaceName> and Univ.= of Pennsylvania Law schools. In the past she worked for a priva= te law firm and 15 years at the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission as a security lawyer and council to the Deputy Director.

&= nbsp; Write-in

Please vote…Your vote is important! Remember to complete and sign the proxy form on the other side of the ballot.

A Special Offer for Montpe= lier Woods Homeowners

Join Tower Federal Credit Uni= on and take advantage

of the credit union differenc= e!

· Free checking, Free direct deposit

· Free home banking, Free debit card=

· Low-rate loans—auto, mor= tgage, home equity

· Higher dividends, secure sav= ings plans

<= /p>

Tower’s Bill Payment is= now FREE!

· Unlimited payments—pay as many bills as you like each month<= o:p>

·   Send checks to family = and friends, anywhere in the coun= try

·   Complete control over transactions—one-time or recurring payment options

=    Only $2.95 for any month tha= t you pay less than 3 bills

=

To become a Tower member,= visit towerfcu.org and apply for membership—quickly and easily. Membership questions? Call the Member Service Center at 301-497-7000 or 800-787-8328.

*******************************************************************= **********

4^th Quarter 2005

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EVENTS

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

=

Bowie International Festival. Oc= t. 1 at Allen Pond Park. 3330 Northview Dr. Performances, international food= and craft vendors & children’s activities. 11 am – 5 pm. Admission is free. Refresh- ments will be sold. 301-809-3078

Colonial Day. Oct. 8^th at National
Colonial Farm, 3400 Bryan Point R= d., Accokeek. Re-enactors recre= ate a busy 18^th century day on a tobacco farm; includes hands on activities, demonstrations and musical enter-

tainment. Noon-6 pm. $2, 5 and younger free.   301-283-2113

Gorgeous Prince George’s Day. Oct. 15^th at locations tba. In its 3^rd = year, this event was created to help beautify the county.   Volunteers will plant tree= s in public areas. 301-952-4491<= o:p>

Mayhem in Marlborough Ghost Walk. Oct. 21-22 at Darnall’s Chance House Museum, 14800 Governor Oden Bowi= e Dr., Upper Marlboro. A walk thro= ugh historic Upper Marlboro with a costumed guide to meet “ghosts”= ; of people who once lived and worked in 18^th century Marborough. One hour tours begin at 7 p.m. a= nd run continuously until 9 pm= . Not recommended for children und= er 6. $6 adults, $4 children. 301-952-8010

Gingerbread House Contest and Show. Nov. 25 – Dec. 11 at Darnall’s Chance House Museum, Upper Marlboro. Visitors can vote= for the Viewer’s Choice Award. Noon – 5 pm. $= 1 ; free for ages 4 and younger. 301-952-8010

19^th Annual Winter Festival of Lights.   Nov. 25 – Jan 1 at Watkins Regional<= /st1:PlaceName> Park. 301 Watkins Park Dr., Upper Marlboro. A drive-through d= isplay featuring more than 1 million lights in animated displays along a 2.5 mile ride. Canned goods requeste= d for donation to local food banks. Admission fee for each vehicle.&n= bsp; Nightly 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.&nbs= p; 301-699-2456

Annual Train-Spotting Day. Nov. 27^th at Bowie Train Station Museum, 8614 Chestnut Ave., Bowie. Unique and rare train cars can b= e seen on Amtrak’s busiest day of the year. Noon – 4 p.m. Free. 301-809-3088

Old <= st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Town Bowie <= st1:place w:st=3D"on">Holiday Festival. Dec. 4, centered on Ninth Street and Chestnut Avenue and spread over much of the business district and at the Bowie Railroad Station Museum. Holiday music, entertainment and antique shopping. Sponsored by the City of Bowie. Noon – 5 p.m. Free. 301-809-3047

Oxon Hill Holiday Festival. Dec. 10 at Oxon Cove Park, Oxon = Hill Farm,, 6411 Oxon Hill Road, Oxon Hill.&n= bsp; A tribute to Native American, African and European cultures, with horse drawn wagon rides, music, games, storytelling and colonial-style cooking. Sponsored by the National Park Service. Noon – 3 p.m. Free. 301-839-1176

&nbs= p;

= ;    4^th= Quarter Dates to Remember

October 3^rd             =    Rosh Hashanah Begins

October 10^{th         &=
nbsp;    Columbus
Day (observed)}

October 12^{th         &=
nbsp;    Columbus
Day}

October 12^{th         &=
nbsp;    Yom
Kippur Begins}

October 24^{th         &=
nbsp;    United
Nations Day}

October 30^{th         &=
nbsp;    Daylight
Savings Time Ends}

October 31^{st         &=
nbsp;     Halloween}

November 8^{th        &=
nbsp;    Election
Day}

November 11^{th          =
Veterans
Day}

November 24^{th        &=
nbsp; Thanksgiving
Day}

December 25^{th          =
Christmas
Day}

December 25^{th          =
Hanukkah
Begins}

December 26^{th          =
Kwanzaa
Begins^&=
nbsp;}

⁼⁼

Look Insi= de For:

*   PresidentR= 17;s Article      =            * Board Messages        =     *   Prince George’s County Events

*    Board Election Ballot           * Tower FCU Offer        = *   Covenant Updat= e

Montpelie= r Woods

Homeowners Association

Post Office Box 2645

Laurel, Maryland 20709

CANDIDATES’ BIOGRAPHIES

A Special Offer for Montpe= lier Woods Homeowners

4th Quarter 2005

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EVENTS

=

4^th Quarter 2005