The President's Comments appears on the front page of each issue of the Sea Breeze.

January/February 2008

Well, we are in the thick of Winter now.  We’ve had some really cold days recently.  Last Sunday morning, I woke up and noticed a flock of about 30-40 birds swarming outside my window.  I figured they were Starlings, but when I looked I was surprised to see they were Robins!  Aren’t they supposed to be the first birds to return in the Spring?  Global warming?  Who knows.

In this cold weather, it’s hard to think about going to the beach, but that’s what our community is talking about now.  Kate Penn, our Beach Committee Chair, and the Beach Committee, have been working hard on the beach restoration project.  As you probably know, a lot of questions and concerns were raised at the November General Meeting about the plan developed by Flood Brothers, the design firm we hired for the project.  At the November Board Meeting, Kate proposed delaying going forward with the proposed design for six months in order to do more research to answer the concerns raised by the community.  This includes looking at other alternatives for all or part of the proposed changes.  The bottom line is that people raised valid questions and concerns for which we did not have definitive answers.  We feel strongly that we must be able to answer these questions and concerns as expertly and knowledgeably as possible.  In addition, we strongly feel that anything we recommend must be thoroughly investigated,  along  with  possible  alternatives, and all the information that we used to arrive at our decision must be presented to the membership.  Over the next few months, the Beach Committee will be doing a lot of research, getting bids, and gathering additional information.  That information will be disseminated through the Sea Breeze, our web site, and our regular General Meetings.  If necessary, we will schedule additional special meetings so that everyone’s questions can be answered.

In the meantime, the board will be considering bids to replace the rotting bulkheads on the east side of the beach (toward the marina, to the left as you look at the water).  This is something that is needed immediately and has nothing to do with the beach restoration planning.  I think this is the responsible thing to do and does not, in any way, ignore the questions and concerns raised by the community.

Last month, a letter was mailed to everyone in the community from a group called “Save The Beach.”  It was signed by two members of our community, Phil Jones and Christian Elkington.  They had requested to have the letter published in the Sea Breeze.  The board refused because we have had a long standing policy (over 20 years) of not publishing “Letters to the Editor.”  Instead, we created the Hillsmere Discussion Forum, an online forum where any resident can make their opinions known about any issues facing our community.  The letter disagreed with most of what the board and Beach Committee had proposed.  Prior to the January General Meeting, another person went door to door gathering proxies by telling people that the board was “getting rid of the beach.”  That kind of misinformation is deplorable.  Anyone who has attended any of the General Meetings or read the Sea Breeze knows that such a statement is completely false.  It’s fine to disagree with our proposals but we need to keep the conversation civil and productive in order to get what’s best for our entire community.  I think Kate did a wonderful job at the January General Meeting explaining what we were doing now and answering questions.  Several of the people who opposed the original plan have since become part of the Beach Committee, including both Phil Jones and Christian Elkington.  I hope their being part of the process will result in more trust between the two sides and a beneficial exchange of information.

Some of our residents were surprised to see Hillsmere mentioned in the list of projects in Governor O’Malley’s proposed budget.  The article in the January 17th Capital lists $255,000 for “Hillsmere Shores Shore Erosion Control District.”  Everyone needs to know that we were just as surprised.  HSIA has not requested any state funding nor have we taken any steps to create a Shore Erosion Control District.  About a year and a half ago, Kate Penn and I met with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to discuss ideas for something similar to the natural shoreline design.  As Kate mentioned at January’s General Meeting, DNR wanted to fund a $400,000 project that was much more extensive than the plan currently being considered.  They would pay for the project and we would pay them back over 20 years with no interest by forming a Shore Erosion Control District.  The HSIA board rejected this idea a year ago as too expensive and because getting 75% of the lot owners to sign off on a new tax district was impractical.  Apparently, DNR, knowing that we were still considering a beach restoration project, put money in their budget so they would be prepared to get started when and if we wanted to go forward with the project.  The bottom line is that the board has not talked to DNR in over a year and there is no effort to create a new Shore Erosion Control District.  We will investigate if there is any practical way to still work with DNR on our project and take advantage of their financial help.  Of course, we would make sure there weren’t any strings attached that the community would be uncomfortable with.

I mentioned the new Hillsmere Shores Discussion Forum.  If you are not familiar with online forums, it allows residents to have an online discussion about issues that are important to our community.  Most of us have had an email conversation where we exchanged emails on a particular subject with someone.  This is exactly the same, except that everyone can read the “emails” and post replies.  Anyone, resident or not, can read the online discussions.  You need to register in order to be able to post messages.  Registration is open to any resident, is free, and easy to do.  We currently have 41 people who have registered.  I can’t tell how many people have looked at the forum, but we are averaging about 5,000 page views per month.  That’s a web term, but it probably equates to about 300-500 visits per month.  Please take a look, if you haven’t already.  Remember, you can start a topic on any subject, not just the beach restoration.  There is a link on our web site at www.hillsmereshores.net.

Another way that we disseminate information is via our email list.  We have about 550 people who have added their email address to our list.  Again, there is a link on our web site to join the list.  Most of the emails we send are about meetings and issues in the community.  However, I recently sent an email about a bike that was apparently abandoned on Hillsmere Drive.  A resident had contacted me to tell me about the bike and asking that I send an email to the community.  To be honest, I was hesitant at first, wondering if it was an appropriate use of the list and if it was just an old bike someone dumped on the street.  I went ahead and sent it and soon discovered that it was the right thing to do.  I received an email from a resident the next day.  The bike had been stolen from his yard.  It said, “I can’t tell you how glad I was to recover this bike.  The original owner was a professor at Cambridge University, and this is a bike suitable for an old British movie with professors in caps and gowns riding in the rain.  It is only of sentimental value and only to me because of a late friend.  So, am I ever appreciative of your email notice.”  Sometimes this job is rewarding in completely unexpected ways.

Our community is full of really good people.  Last month, I announced that we were starting a “Good Neighbors” program to help our neighbors in Hillsmere who could use a hand.  In case you missed it, the program will not focus on money but on services and other donations.  There are many elderly people and others in our community who probably need our help.  It could be as simple as helping to change a light bulb or taking out their trash.  It may also involve donating items we don’t need anymore to those who do, or checking on vulnerable people in the event of a major storm or power failure.  Becky Lund has volunteered to lead this program.  Several people have offered their services.  If you would like to help out one or two hours a month or would like to help in other ways, please let us know.  Now we need to identify the people who could use our help.  If you have a neighbor or relative who could use some help, send an email to GoodNeighbors@hillsmereshores.net.  You can also leave a message on our 24-hour voice mail at 410-263-4456.  We will contact them and see what they might need.

Finally, please mark your calendars!  Come And Get It Day will be on Saturday, March 1.    It will be held at the Library, as usual, from 10 am to 2 pm.  Please stop by and join HSIA, get your 2008 stickers, ramp keys, etc.  Remember, in order to get stickers you will need photo copies of your vehicle and trailer registrations.  Complete information is provided elsewhere in this Sea Breeze.

We had over 125 people at our January General Meeting.  There are really important things happening in our community.  It is very rewarding to see so many people interested in what’s going on.  I urge you to come to our meetings and let your opinions be heard, no matter which side of the issues you support.

-Bill Shuman
President, Hillsmere Shores Improvement Association