Most fireworks illegal in Baltimore County

With a few exceptions, the use of fireworks is illegal in Maryland, unless they are part of a public display for which the State Fire Marshal has granted a permit. A list of legal, public displays in Baltimore County is available online. Violators who possess or discharge illegal fireworks are subject to a misdemeanor fine of up to $250.

The Baltimore County Fire Department and the Maryland State Fire Marshal offer these guidelines:

* Hand-held sparklers are legal in Baltimore County if their packaging states that they do not contain chlorates or perchlorates.
* A relatively recent change in Maryland fire laws permits the sale, purchase and use of ground-based sparkler devices in Baltimore County. These are stationary ground-based devices that emit a shower of sparks several feet into the air. The state Fire Marshal provides a complete list of legal, ground-based sparkler devices.
* You must be at least 16 years old to purchase hand-held and ground-based sparklers.
* Hand-held or ground-based devices that create an explosion, detonation, loud noise, that launch a projectile or move along the ground under their own power are illegal in Baltimore County.
* With the exception of hand-held sparklers and ground-based sparkler devices, you cannot have a private display of fireworks at your home. However, you can have a public display with the proper permits and insurance.
* It is illegal to purchase fireworks outside of Maryland and bring them into the state.
* Toy caps are legal, but only if they use .25 grams of gunpowder or less and are designed so the hand cannot come into contact with the cap when in use. Do not allow small children to use cap guns.

Thank-you package for our step-builders

We are assembling a package of goodies to send to the crew who is rebuilding the Mill Race Trail steps (all volunteers except for the group leader). Contributions of homemade treats are welcome. Drop off at 748 Oella Ave. (Amanda's house).

Lost dog alert

A local resident needs helpfinding her dog. Flyer is posted below:

LOST DOG HELP!
I have lost a male sheltie on April 2, while I was away from home. He
ran away from my friend's house that is located in Lower Mill Court
around the Post Office. My friend tried to find him, but she could
not. His name is Connie, he's 23 lbs., with brown, white, and black
markings. He has a black collar with nametag and phone number
443-739-1976. He was first spotted on Route 40 near Superfresh and
then the Town and Country community area. Please help us find Connie!
My family is grieving and we are missing him terribly. There's a BIG
REWARD $500 or more depends on condition. If you have spotted, found,
or kept him, please call 443-315-7797 no matter when you did.
Doesn't matter if he's moved to other places, please, please, help
us. We're crying for help.
Thank you,
Sua
NEEDS MEDS (written by hand on the flyer)

Be careful on the mill race trail...

The step reconstruction is supposed to begin tomorrow. Please take care not to get caught up in the construction equipment. Jog slowly through the area!

Note: the new steps will be made from stones & boulders, not tires.

Oella Ave. progress?

The current issue holding up the Oella Ave. construction seems to be that an environmental variance request is pending. It seems that permission to build the retaining wall along Oella Ave. must be approved by the Dept. of Environmental Protection & Resource Management since there is a drainage stream directly below the retaining wall.

Volunteers needed to help with mill race trail steps re-construction

Next Wednesday & Thursday, the Patapsco park people are going to build new steps out of rocks in place of the tire steps that were destroyed. The crew could use a few strong volunteers to help. Please e-mail Amanda at laueram@yahoo.com if you can assist.

Beta version of new website

The Beta version of the new HOA website is now online. There are some kinks to work out, such as some wonky type and some non-functional links. I'm not sure why these happened, since they don't happen on my "preview webpage" option. Bear with me while I figure it out.

Greater Oella Community Association meeting June 13 7:00pm

The meeting will be held in the main hall of the Westchester Center. All Oella residents are welcome to attend. This is a good forum for non-homeowners association community issues.

June 16 Oella Community Picture

Come to the Westchester Center at 10:00am Saturday June 16 for an Oella community picture. The photo will be included in the pictorial history of Oella book.

June 4 board meeting highlights

Issues discussed (not an inclusive list):

-Regular business (minutes, financials)
-Architectural review issues
-The perpetual lack of Oella Ave. repair progress
-Issues pertaining to the Mill, including parking, pets, lighting, trail use
-Landscaping problems
-New website to come soon

Receive e-mail alerts when blog is updated

If you would like to receive automatic e-mail alerts when the blog is updated, without having a blogger account, follow these steps:

1) Go to Google's website and click on the "News" page.

2) Search for Oella.

3) Click on "Blogs," then "Blog Alerts."

4) You can enter your e-mail address & choose the frequency of e-mails.

5) Alternatively, you can subscribe to Real Simple Streaming (RSS) updates for the blog by clicking on "RSS." Follow Google's instructions to add the RSS feed to your Bookmarks folder or toolbar.

P.S. If anyone knows how to add RSS capabilities to the HOA website for free, please do tell.

New HOA website: Suggestions needed

I (Amanda, the blogger) am taking over as webmaster for the Oella HOA website beginning in June. I am working on a completely new site, as it is difficult to navigate through another person's design. New features will include an events calendar page, updated Board bios, a new Architectural Review Committee page, a Projects page, and pictures of Oella taken by residents. Old features such as the minutes and treasurer's report pages, the president's letter, the newsletter page, and the link to the blog will be retained. Members of the board are also working on a pdf version of the "blue book" to post online.

Suggestions and/or contributions would be helpful. I could also use someone to proof-read and double-check the links once the page is published. Please respond by clicking the "Comment" link or by e-mailing laueram@yahoo.com

This will take a few weeks, so bear with me during the transition period.