New Oella HOA Website!

The newly designed Oella HOA website is up and running, thanks to an Oella resident who moonlights as a web designer. The address is the same, but the look is much more refined, and the layout is more user-friendly. If you have comments, there is a link to the webmaster on the site. New features include a "Highlights" section and a Photo gallery. More photos are welcome.

Jazz at Banneker Park

Summer Jazz Concert Series - August 15, 6 p.m.
The Baltimore County African American Cultural Festival is co-hosting a Summer Jazz Concert with the Friends of the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum. The group Spring Forward will perform. Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum, 300 Oella Avenue. Donation: $20. For tickets contact Louis S. Diggs at 410-356-5259.

Oella Community Garden?

An announcement from an Oella gardener:

Calling all Oella Gardeners!

Perhaps you are like me: you love living in Oella, but yearn for a bit more land to sink your gardening hands into come spring. Well, perhaps you would be interested in a community garden in Oella. I envision a garden of many plots where Oella residents could plant vegetables, fruits and flowers. It would entail finding a location, and developing solutions for water, deer other and possible challenges to gardeners. It will take some planning. If you are interested in helping with the planning or just having a small plot in a nearby community garden please let me know. I would like to plan a kick off meeting for those interested in the planning sometime this summer. You can contact me by email at *annhackeling@gmail.com*

Way to go Oellaberry eaters!

Oella residents have done a great job in the effort to "control" the spread of the Oellaberries (aka wine berries) by wildlife. Normally, the birds and deer eat the berries and spread the seeds through elimination. This year, Oella residents seem to have gotten to all of the berries before the critters had a chance to dine. presumably, we aren't going to spread the seeds in the same manner as the birds and deer...

Special recognition goes to a young lady named Hope on Short Brick Row, who appears to have picked and consumed the most berries. Perhaps next year we should have a berry eating contest.

A couple of announcements from last night's meeting

1)There is some confusion about when board meetings are held. As stated on the main page of the HOA website:

"Regular meetings of the Board of Directors are held on the third Monday of every month, at 7:00 PM in the Westchester Center small meeting room unless otherwise noted on the OHOA blog. All HOA members may attend."

If a meeting has to be rescheduled, it is announced it on the blog. We'll attempt to also get it posted on the new version of the website's (to be unveiled soon) "Highlights" section. On rare occasions a meeting is rescheduled at the last minute (e. g. if numerous board members have unexpected time conflicts).


2) The management company has completed property inspections and sent out violation notices. If you cannot complete the work within the 30-day time period, please send in a request for an extension using the form located at the bottom of the violation notice and/or contact Ruthann Shae. If you have completed the work, please send in the form and/or notify Ruthann.


3) Some Pleasant Hill residents need to have tree work done that requires a crane. If there is another neighbor who needs similar work and would be interested in sharing the cost of bringing in the crane, please contact Nancy at *knapparts@comcast.com*

Tonight's meeting agenda (tenative)

Board meeting tonight 7pm, Westchester Center (board meetings are held every thrid Monday of each month unless otherwise announced here). Our President's computer crashed and the agenda was lost, so here is an approximate version:

1) Call to Order – 7:00pm
2) May/June Meeting Minutes
3) Treasurer’s Report
-Delinquency Report – Status of legal action
-Budget Status as affected by delinquencies
4) ARC Update
5) Guidelines Committee
6) HOA Landscaping & Common Areas
7) Parking Committee
8) Old Business
-Mill liaison
-Effectiveness of quarterly coupons
-Recordation of Millrace Easement
-Reserve Study
-HOA Picnic
7) New Business
-Discussion of selecting a Chairperson for ARC and a replacement (term expiration)
-New board members
-Discuss the “Blue Book” current status and issues
-Questions, comments from residents
8) Move to adjourn

Westchester Ave to be repaved

More news! Westchester Ave will be repaved between Frederick Rd and Oella Ave. Read about it at the link above.

Read about removal of Union Dam (Patapsco River)

The dam that was originally built to supply water power to the mill is being removed to improve fish migration and recreational use of the Patapsco River. Read about it by clicking on the link above.

Friday Yappy Hour at the Wine Bin to Benefit Baltimore Cares About Pets

When: 6-9 pm at the Wine Bin parking lot on Main Street

What: Fun! Bring your well-behaved dog (no dog necessary) to enjoy wine and beer tastings. Meet a dog up for adoption. Take a carriage ride around town with horses from Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue ($5, benefits Gentle Giants). 50/50 raffle ($1 tickets).

Music: 2 much 4 Tuesday

Beverages: Beer and organic wine.

Food for sale: Veggie dogs, hot dogs sold to benefit Baltimore Cares About Pets

New Second Sunday Farmers Market in Ellicott City

The "Second Sunday Market" is coming to Tonge Row in Historic Ellicott City!

The "Second Sunday Market" is an all-new farmer-style market that will be held on the second Sunday of each month on the Tonge Row courtyards of the Good Life Market Home, the Good Life Market Cottage, Mon Amie Boutique and the Little French Market.

The "Second Sunday Market" makes its debut is this Sunday, July 12, 2009. The Market will feature local produce vendors including Harbin Farms, great country breads from the Breadery and Tersiguel's French Country Restaurant, and much more!

Join in on the Fun!

Where: On Tonge Row off Main Street in the courtyards of Good Life Market, Mon Amie Boutique & Little French Market; behind the Post Office and off of the large public parking lot

When: Second Sunday of each month

Time: 10am - 3pm

We need a volunteer to keep Spring Street mutt mitt station filled

A person who does not own a dog and does not live at Spring Street has been filling that mutt mitt station. We are looking for a new volunteer (preferably someone who uses the mutt mitts) to take over the mutt mitt station filling.

It's quite a simple task that only takes a few moments a month. When you notice the mitt station is out of bags, you open it with your key and hang the bags up. When you need more bags, you e-mail the community manager.

Thanks in advance for helping out!

Contact: Amanda *laueram@yahoo.com*

Landscaping update

Long story short: we no longer have the new landscaping company, and we're back with the old one. They are trying to catch up on some things that the new company didn't get to. Everything has been mowed. The mill race trail has been weed-whacked. Bush trimming will commence shortly, as will mulching & weeding of some areas. Weed-whacking the mile-a-minute at Timber Point is also on the list.

Easy: Help MD Dept. of Natural Resources Plant Trees

Help DNR earn money to plant trees. Go to the Odwalla website and plant a virtual tree. They will donate $1 towards helping plant trees in Maryland Parks. To date, this program has helped plant over 2,000 trees in Maryland parks. It's easy and it's free!

Visit the site below, or click on the link above.

http://www.parkvisitor.com/odwalla/

Happy Fourth of July!

For those of you staying in town for the 4th, you might want to check out the parade and fireworks in Catonsville. Click on the link above for information on the schedule of events.


Please remember that it is not a good idea to shoot off fireworks into the forest in Oella, no matter how much fun! It scares the animals and could lead to fires. Catonsville offers a better show, anyway.