February 1, 2016 Board Minutes

River Hill Board of Directors
Meeting Minutes
February 1, 2016
Michael Cornell, Board Chair, called the regularly scheduled meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. on February 1, 2016, at Claret Hall, 6020 Daybreak Circle, Clarksville, MD 21029. Members present were Dave Clark, Mavourene Robinson, Esti Schabelman, Richard Thomas, and Liyan Zhang. Jennifer Zhang (Student Member), Chao Wu (Council Member), and Susan Smith (Village Manager) were present. Will McCullough was absent. Ms. Zhang, Mr. Wu, and Mr. Schabelman left the meeting early. A list of attendees is on file with the Minutes.

Approval of the Agenda (Agenda 2):
Mr. Thomas made a motion to approve the agenda with the addition of 7A RHCA 25th Birthday Celebration. Ms. Robinson seconded the motion. The motion passed (6-0-0). Student Advisory Vote – abstained.

Administrative Items (Agenda 3):
Mr. Smith made a motion to approve the January 11, 2016 Minutes with a change in 6B. to read “after sunset and no later than 8 p.m.” Mr. Thomas seconded the motion. The motion passed (6-0-0).

Resident Speak Out (Agenda 4):
Members of the First Lego League Pixel Robots team presented information on composting and results of their online composting survey. Copies of the information are on file with the original minutes. To date, the survey results indicate a need to educate the public about composting. They asked the Association to support their efforts by sharing the survey. They also recommended a community composting demonstration and consideration of neighborhood composting locations. The Board of Directors thanked the youth and agreed to support their efforts. The Board asked that they return prior to the end of the school year to present an update.

River Hill Watershed Committee Update (Agenda 5):
Members of the Association’s Watershed Advisory Committee presented an update on their efforts to date. A copy of the presentation is on file with the original minutes. They reported on the poor water quality downstream from the stormwater management ponds behind the Columbia Gym. They made the Board aware of the following County-identified projects: tree planting at River Hill High School, improvements to the outfall rea behind the Fire Station, and modification of a sediment pond near Winter Grain Path. The WAC expects to be involved in the tree planting effort. The use of rain gardens, water barrels, and native plants and their incorporation into the Architectural Guidelines were discussed. It was recommended that the Committee work with local realtors to distribute soil test packets.

CA FY17 & FY18 Budget (Agenda 6A):
Ms. Smith reviewed staff recommended Category III project priorities. It was the consensus of the Board that kitchen renovations at Claret Hall should be a high priority. The Board requested that CA staff attend the next meeting to report on the replacement of Claret Hall’s fireplace insert.

River Hill Village Center – Sign Design Criteria (Agenda 6B):
Greg Reed, Director of Acquisitions & Development in the Mid-Atlantic Region for KIMCO Realty, provided an update. Placement of a sign in the area between Capitol One bank and Ruby Tuesday restaurant is not an option. Giant is interested in selling the adjacent vacant parcel to KIMCO and they are exploring this opportunity. Acquisition of this site may enable KIMCO to create another entrance into the center which could accommodate a tenant identification sign. He estimated the site can accommodate a 4,000 sq. ft. building. Mr. Reed will follow-up on the Association’s concerns regarding the use of pesticides and will incorporate the Board’s December 9, 2015 comments in the Design Criteria.

Mr. Reed gave an overview of KIMCO’s concept for re-developing the Hickory Ridge Village Center. The concept includes: re-orienting the center to create parking in front of the entrance to Giant, relocating the existing retail tenants to the rear of the center, creating a “village green” with a stage, and building 300 – market rate, multi-family housing units above ground floor retail. The building would have a wrapped parking garage similar to the development occurring in Wilde Lake. He estimated a 5 – 6-year timeframe for completion.

River Hill Community Association’s 25th Birthday Celebration (Agenda 7A):
Ms. Smith solicited ideas for celebrating the community’s 25th birthday in August 2016. The Board was in general agreement that a family-friendly event in September will be ideal. This can be supplemented with other events during the year e.g., collaboration with Columbia Archives. Mr. Clark noted that River Hill High School is planning its 20th birthday and there may be opportunities for collaboration. Mr. Cornell suggested forming a planning committee.

Manager’s Report (Agenda 8A):
A written report is attached to the original minutes. It was the consensus of the Board to not submit comments regarding the re-establishment of the Clarksville Post Office. Ms. Smith reported that an attorney has been selected to review the villages’ legal documents to determine what changes need to be made to enable electronic voting and to eliminate elections when races are not contested. Ms. Smith made the Board aware that the Olney Farmer’s Market is working with the River Hill Garden Center to operate a farmer’s market on their premises on Saturday mornings, May – November, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. The concept as described would have 20 vendors, a healthy-family friendly focus with demonstrations, wine tastings, activities for children, tents in the right front parking lot, and use the rear courtyard area.

Board Chair’s Report (Agenda 8B):
None.

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

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

Board Speak Out (Agenda 9):
None.

Adjournment (Agenda 10):
Mr. Cornell adjourned the meeting at 8:19 p.m.

Minutes submitted by: Susan M. Smith, Village Manager

Minutes Approved: March 7, 2016 (as amended)