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WHY WE NEED TO CHANGE… Aging infrastructure regularly fails, we need reliable, consistent water, the current system dumps rust water into the river that is not in compliance with EPA standards, and we have no fire hydrants in the community. Board Recommendation: County Water After multiple meetings and consulting Sharp water and the County, the Board has examined the pro and cons of several options and determined that our best course of action is to accept the County’s USDA application to finance construction of a connection to a County Water system to replace our well.
WHY NOT JUST REBUILD OUR WELL?
EXPECTED TIMELINE AFTER A VOTE TO PROCEED After the County is informed of our vote to proceed: (January 2024) a. 3-6 months to get an engineering firm under contract and to finalize the design phase, including workable plans and specifications. b. 2-3 months for the County procurement office to advertise and seek public bids. c. 2 months to receive bids. d. 3-4 months to award and get the low bidder under contract. e. 1 month for contractor to begin construction. f. 10-12 months for completion of construction and the well is abandoned. So, from the time of our vote to actual construction completion looks to be about 24 months (approx Spring 2026) Estimated Project Costs
ESTIMATED COSTS PER HOUSEHOLD $131/mo This monthly amount includes:
ESTIMATED COSTS PER HOUSEHOLD $392/Quarter or $131/mo 1/8 Actual Water Useage 18K gallons $44/quarter (will vary depending on Individual household habits) 1/8 Operation & Maintenance $50/Quarter 3/4 Loan Portion $298/quarter *Actively seeking additional grants $$ ESTIMATED COSTS PER HOUSEHOLD $$ - This year we have spent $53,000 to maintain and repair our well, this presently works out to over $82.00 per month per household for the failing well system. - With the proposed cost of $131 per month, the net cost for new County water would increase by $49 per month or $1.63 per day. This increase will give us clean, consistent water, new piping infrastructure, and fire protection while reducing home insurance and funds required for reserves. Ballots will be emailed and distributed on Friday, January 29, 2023 Ballots are due on or before Monday January 8, 2024 and counted at the Budget meeting on Tuesday, January 9, 2024
2 Comments
Dear Neighbors,
We continue to work to resolve our latest water issue and are planning for a long-term fix. Given these recent failings, we have decided to move up the vote to approve County water. We would like to invite you to join us this Thursday evening 12/18 at 6pm to discuss our recommendation prior to the vote. Join us then at Water Recommendation Meeting Thursday, December 28 · 6:00 – 8:00pm Time zone: America/New_York Google Meet joining info Video call link: https://meet.google.com/zte-hvhc-wcy (https://meet.google.com/zte-hvhc-wcy Or dial: (US) +1 240-544-6534 PIN: 310 908 198# If you are unable to attend, the presentation will be posted to the website after the meeting. Hope to see you, Lynne Partridge, Chair St. Martin's By the Bay HOA Board Greetings and Happy Holidays Neighbors, The frequency of emergency repairs of our aging water system this past year has hit an all time high. Our well has reached its life expectancy and is operating with short-term fixes. Its current design leeches rust into the river and does not allow for fire hydrants in our community. Our HOA Board has been quite busy managing the repairs, communicating with the county, and exploring options for a long term fix.The time has come for us to decide on a permanent solution. In early 2022 the County applied for a grant/loan combination from the USDA, and in May 2023, the USDA approved a grant of $1,029,00.00 to be used for construction.The remainder of the cost of that construction above the amount of the grant will be in a loan to the County at 3 percent interest/year for 40 years. This loan will be included in our water bill from the County. After multiple meetings and consulting with Sharp water and the County, the Board has examined the pros and cons of several options. On Wednesday, December 13, 2023 the Board determined that our best course of action is to abandon the well and accept the County’s USDA application to finance construction of a connection to the County Water system. This recommendation from the Board will require at least a 60% approval from home or lot owners. In order to fully explain the project and answer any questions, we will be examining key points in this communication, posting to the website, and holding both virtual and in person meetings over the next month in preparation for a community vote at the February Annual meeting, Included in this message you will find: an explanation of the options rejected (keeping the well), expected timeline for construction, and estimated costs. Board Recommendation Accept the County’s USDA application to finance the construction of a connection to the County Water system. This project will include a new 8” main and replace the current 2” piping throughout the community, each house will be metered and billed separately for water, and 7 fire hydrants will be installed. Open .PDF to view full document 
As we enter the holiday season I’d like to extend my thanks and share gratitude for this amazing community. This year we have mourned the loss of neighbors and welcomed new ones. We have dealt with the challenges of our aging water infrastructure and found temporary solutions. Thanks to each member of our HOA Board who shares their time, talent, and energy for any project or emergency as they arise, Thanks to several resident volunteers who also have stepped up to help throughout the year in a variety of ways; Chris Ramey, Chad Milliken, Phil Yakim, Bill Smith, Jolene Killinger, and Jeff Stopford have all lent their time and energy to help us maintain and improve our community. Thank you all, Lynne  County Water Project Minutes from our meeting on November 17th are posted on the website. We met to review options for a new water system prior to the County’s vote held on Tuesday November 21st. In the coming weeks we will examine the pros and cons of each option for both short and long term cost effectiveness. We will then present options to the community with reasons to support our recommendation before holding a final vote, which may occur at the Annual Meeting in February. Waterfront Wetlands A Giant Thank You to Board members Bill Custead, Andrew Davis and residents Bill Smith and Phil Yakim for tackling the overgrowth of Phragmites that had invaded our waterfront. Working together for 5 hours they have cleared the wetlands near the dock. This allowed us to expose the drain to the pumphouse and rescue the native plants that have been suffocated by the invasive Phragmites. We will extend this work to the right of the dock to remove the overgrowth from the dock and beyond. The wetlands are heavily regulated by MD environmental laws, and we were very careful to remove only the invasive species permitted. We look forward to seeing the return of native creatures as the native plants begin to recover and thrive Burn Pile On Friday November 24th our annual Bonfire was lit. This tradition occurs the day after Thanksgiving, weather permitting. With a permit from the county, we held a controlled burn of all of the clippings that have been deposited to the burn pile throughout the year. Neighbors joined us as we enjoyed the warmth of the fire and watched the dogs play!  Budget/Reserve Study
The State required Reserve Study has been conducted and a final report will be shared when it is complete. The recommendations will be included as we prepare the annual budget. A Board meeting will be held in January to review the budget and presented at the annual Meeting on February 10, 2024. Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season, On Behalf of the HOA Board of Directors, Lynne Partridge, Chair |
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