August 20, 2012 Meeting Minutes

Dipper Wettstein, Board Chair, called the regularly scheduled meeting to order at 7:05 p.m., on August 20, 2012, at Claret Hall, 6020 Daybreak Circle, Clarksville, MD 21029. Members present were DengFeng Liu, Kenny Kan, Tony Miceli and Liyan Zhang. Susan Smith, Village Manager, and Tracy Boulle, Communications Coordinator, were present. Jenny Chu, Todd Harrison, Sean Salisbury (Student Member), and Michael Cornell (Council Representative) were absent. Kenny Kan left at 8:01 p.m. Tracy Boulle left at 7:50 p.m.

Approval of the Agenda (Agenda 2):
Mr. Miceli made a motion to approve the agenda as presented. Mr. Liu seconded the motion. The motion passed (5-0-0).

Administrative Items (Agenda 3):
Mr. Kan made a motion to approve the July 16, 2012 Minutes. Mr. Liu seconded the motion. The motion passed (5-0-0).

Resident Speak Out (Agenda 4):
None.

Communications Plan – Newsletter/Website (Agenda 5A):
Ms. Boulle presented the Board with a chart showing net newsletter revenue by month (without staff time) over the last 3 years. Revenue for FY13 is predicted to be ahead of the last two years. Based on the analysis to date, staff recommended that the number of newsletters printed be reduced from 2,500 to 2,200 resulting in a savings of approximately $6500. This would require that number of newsletters delivered to the Village Center Merchants and condominiums be reduced and could be done on a trial basis. The Board discussed various options including selling space for advertising on the website, distribution of the newsletter by bulk mail, reduction in the number of issues of the newsletter printed, and staff costs associated with the newsletter. Ms. Boulle explained that the Association will transition from the Peopletree listerv to Constant Contact and that website upgrades first discussed in FY12 will be implemented for launch in late September/early October. Staff will further research the impact of the Board’s questions and will conduct a survey of readers to determine resident’s preferred methods of obtaining information.

FY12 Financial Reports – Schedule A (Agenda 5B):
Ms. Smith presented the Schedule A for review. Mr. Kan made a motion to approve the FY12 Schedule A as presented. Mr. Zhang seconded the motion. The motion passed (5-0-0).

Because no teens had yet arrived, the Board moved ahead to Agenda 6C.

FY13 Budget Spreadsheet by Quarter (Agenda 6C):
Mr. Kan made a motion to approve the FY13 Budget Spreadsheet by Quarter. Mr. Zhang seconded the motion. The motion passed (5-0-0).

CA Proposed Legislation (Agenda 6D):
Ms. Smith gave a brief summary. The following Board Members indicated that they would attend the August 30 information meeting: DengFeng Liu, Dipper Wettstein and Liyan Zhang.

Mr. Kan asked to add an item to the agenda for the next Board Meeting: River Hill Health Day. Mr. Kan then left the meeting.

Teen Advisory Committee Interviews (Agenda 6A):
The Board interviewed the following youth individually: Keshav Kowtha and Deep Singh.

Student Member Committee Interviews (Agenda 5B):
Mr. Salisbury did not attend the meeting. Mr. Wettstein made a motion to appoint Kaede Johnson and Tiffany Kan as the Student Member Committee for the period September 1, 2012 – August 31, 2013. Mr. Miceli seconded the motion. The motion passed (4-0-0).

Mr. Wettstein made a motion to appoint the following youth to the Teen Advisory Committee for the period September 1, 2012 – August 30, 2013: Atman Panigrahi, Pradyun Dixit, Tina Chen, and Deep Singh. Mr. Liu seconded the motion. The motion passed (4-0-0).

Manager’s Report (Agenda 7A):
A copy of the written report is on file with the original minutes. Ms. Smith reported that representatives from Boy Scouts will attend the September 10 meeting. Ms. Smith reported that representatives from State Highway Administration will attend the September 24 meeting to present plans for a bicycle commuter route between Clarksville and Ft. Meade. Ms. Smith gave an update on the re-paving/bike lanes on Great Star Drive. The Board discussed the need for street trees to be elevated throughout the village. At the Board’s request, Ms. Smith will draft a letter to the County regarding the needed for trimming, with an immediate focus on Great Star Drive and Summer Sunrise Drive.

Ms. Smith reported that the Master Plan Committee has requested changes to the Master Plan Committee Charter to reflect the emphasis of the Committee’s work on the Village Center. Mr. Miceli made a motion to amend the charter to rename the Community Association Master Plan Committee as the River Hill Village Center Master Plan Committee and to rename the River Hill Community Advisory Master Plan to the River Hill Village Center Master Plan. Mr. Wettstein seconded the motion. The motion passed (4-0-0).

Ms. Smith reported that residents on Summer Sunrise Drive have requested traffic calming or other alternatives to slow speeds. DPW conducted a speed survey in 2011 which shows that the road warrants attention. DPW will conduct a speed study on River Run (from Sundown Trail to Summer Sunrise Drive) to see if traffic calming is needed in this area. Then a plan for moving forward will be developed.

The Board discussed the installation of a parking pad for catering vehicles at Claret Hall. Mr. Miceli made a motion to continue to pursue this capital project and request on onsite meeting with representatives from Howard Hughes Corporation. Mr. Liu seconded the motion. The motion passed (4-0-0).

Board Chair Report (Agenda 7B):
Mr. Wettstein reported that he had received interest from one resident interest in serving on a River Hill Watershed Advisory Committee. It was the consensus of the Board that John McCoy, CA’s Watershed Manager, should be invited to a meeting of interested residents to present more information about the concept. This will be followed by the drafting of a River Hill Watershed Advisory Committee Charter.

Council Representative Report (Agenda 7C):
None.

Liaisons (Agenda 7D):
None.

Executive Session (Agenda 8):
At 9:19 p.m. Mr. Wettstein made a motion to move into Executive Session to discuss personnel matters. Mr. Miceli seconded the motion. The motion passed (4-0-0). At 9:44 p.m. Mr. Wettstein made a motion to end the Executive Session. Mr. Zhang seconded the motion. The motion passed (4-0-0).

Board Speak Out (Agenda 9):
None.

Adjournment (Agenda 10):
Mr. Wettstein made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:45 p.m. Mr. Liu seconded the motion. The motion passed (4-0-0).

Minutes submitted by: Susan M. Smith, Village Manager

Minutes Approved: September 10, 2012