April 20, 2015 Board Minutes

River Hill Board of Directors
April 20, 2015

Mr. Kan called the regularly scheduled meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. on April 20, 2015, at Claret Hall, 6020 Daybreak Circle, Clarksville, MD 21029. Members present were Dave Clark, William McCullough. Esti Schableman, and Liyan Zhang. Mr. Herron arrived at 7:03 p.m. Michael Dai, Student Member, Michael Cornell, Council Representative, and Susan Smith, Village Manager, were present. Ms. KC Chavers was absent. A list of attendees is on file with the Minutes.

Approval of the Agenda (Agenda 2):
Mr. Cornell made a motion to approve the agenda with the addition of 7B. Free Use Request. Mr. Schabelman seconded the motion. The motion passed (5-0-0). Student Advisory Vote – in favor.

Administrative Items (Agenda 3):
Mr. Cornell made a motion to approve the March 16, 2015 Minutes with amendments. Mr. Schabelman seconded the motion. The motion passed (5-0-0). Student Advisory Vote – in favor.

Resident Speak Out (Agenda 4):
Rick Levitan (Cradlerock Way, Columbia) provided background information on the Fueling Station Task Force report and submitted copies of additional letters of support received from other organizations. He asked for the Association’s support. Mr. Kan made a motion to modify the agenda to add 7C. Fueling Station Task Force Report. Mr. Cornell seconded the motion. The motion passed (6-0-0). Student Advisory Vote – in favor.

David Elsaesser (Whistling Winds Walk) expressed concern that the design guidelines, under development by the County’s Department of Planning and Zoning, will result in an extension of the commercial area along MD 108. He cautioned the Village Board regarding potential design concepts that will enable the River Hill Garden Center and the properties on the opposite side of MD 108 to be more intensely developed.

7410 Grace Drive (Agenda 5):
The Board met with Raj Kathuria and Baldev Singh, the owners/developers of the property. Mr. Singh and Mr. Kathuria reviewed the types of non-office uses they want to be able to have e.g., coffee shop, fast food restaurant, yoga classes. They cited the need for flexibility. The Site Development Plan will be submitted to the County next week. Discussion. It was the consensus of Board that there is time for the Development Committee to work on refining the list of permitted uses.

Watershed Committee Update (Agenda 6A):
Lauren Marcus, Chair, and Bruce Eberle, member, provided an update on recent committee efforts. They asked for the Board’s approval to enter into a grant agreement with Howard County to fund efforts to educate the community on watershed issues, techniques for reducing flow and improving water quality, and the use of native plants.

Mr. Kan made a motion to approve entering into the grant agreement. Mr. Cornell seconded the motion. The motion passed (6-0-0). Student Advisory Vote – in favor.

FY14 Audit Report (Agenda 6B):
Ms. Smith reviewed the letters recently provided by the auditing firm and discussed the concerns regarding segregation of duties. The Board discussed ways to address the concerns and Ms. Smith will follow-up with the bank to check on feasibility. It was the consensus of the Board to share the letters with the Columbia Association.

FY16 RHCA Budget (Agenda 6C.)
Ms. Smith reviewed modifications to the draft budget to take into account the new rental rates, the cost of Tenant Users Liability Insurance, and beginning website upgrades immediately. Discussion.

Mr. Cornell made a motion to approve the modifications recommended by Ms. Smith with the addition of $300 to Donations/Contributions and the addition of $700 to Equipment Repairs & Maintenance. Mr. Kan seconded the motion. The motion passed (6-0-0). Student Advisory Vote – in favor.

Board Member Interviews (Agenda 7A).
The Board individually interviewed the candidates who had submitted letters of interest: Richard Thomas, John Herron, and Michael Cornell.

It was the consensus of the Board for the remaining members to conduct an email vote to appoint the new members. The vote will be conducted after April 30 and before May 11 in order that the new members may participate fully in the discussion with the County Council members on May 11. The members of the Board not seeking appointment signed email vote consent forms.

Free Use Request (Agenda 7B):
Ms. Smith reviewed the free use request received from Site Realty for a Stonehaven HOA meeting.

Mr. Cornell made a motion to approve a free use for the Stonehaven HOA meeting. Mr. Schabelman seconded the motion. The motion failed (0-5-1). Student Advisory Vote – opposed.

Mr. Schabelman made motion to approve the use of the non-profit meeting rental rate. Mr. Cornell seconded the motion. The motion passed (6-0-0). Student Advisory Vote – in favor.

Fueling Station Task Force Report (Agenda 7C):
Mr. Kan made a motion that the Board write a letter in support of the Task Force recommendations. Mr. Cornell seconded the motion. Discussion. The motion passed (6-0-0). Student Advisory Vote – in favor.

Manager’s Report (Agenda 8A):
A written report is on file with the minutes. Ms. Smith thanked the outgoing members for their service to the community. The Board discussed the format of the May 11 meeting with the County Council Members. The board agreed to clarify the discussion topics/points via email. It was the consensus of the Board to have counsel review modifications to the rental contract prior to implementation. It was the consensus of the Board to meet with the Horizon Foundation to discuss the Open Streets Initiative. This meeting will be scheduled in June or later. Ms. Smith informed the Board that no applications had been submitted for the CHOICE/RHCA Scholarship and the scholarship committee recommends rolling the $500 approved for FY15 to the FY16 scholarship. The Board was in agreement.

Board Chair Report (Agenda 8B):
Mr. Kan thanked the other members for their contributions to the Board.

Council Representative’s Report (Agenda 8C):
None.

Liaisons/Student Member (Agenda 8D):
None.

Board Speak Out (Agenda 9):
None.
Adjournment (Agenda 11):
Mr. Cornell made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:15 p.m. Mr. Schabelman seconded the motion. The motion passed (6-0-0). Student Advisory Vote – in favor.

Minutes submitted by: Susan M. Smith, Village Manager

Minutes Approved: May 11, 2015