April 2008

Well, March certainly didn’t go “out like a lamb” as the saying goes.  I was at the marina a few days ago in the late afternoon.  It was cold and windy, but there were several families sitting on the benches, watching the kids play on the beach, and acting like Spring was really here, no matter what the weather was like.

Speaking of the human spirit, the board has approved the Volunteer Recognition Program that I talked about in the last Sea Breeze.  We are all excited about rewarding our volunteers and motivating more people to come forward to help their community.  There is a separate article about the program in this Sea Breeze.  Please take a look and consider getting involved.

At our last General Meeting, Captain William Krampf, the new Commander of the Southern District of the Anne Arundel County Police Department, came to meet our residents and talk about crime and police issues.  He showed up with nine other officers.  They were scheduled for 8:00 pm, so they arrived while the meeting was in progress and stood in the back of the room.  It looked like a scene from The Blues Brothers movie!  It was a great presentation.  He and his officers talked about various issues and answered residents’ questions.  One question was about gang activity.  A resident had seen M-13 graffiti on Forest Drive and some in Hillsmere.  M-13 is a violent street gang based in Los Angeles that has spread across the country.  Captain Krampf said that there is no M-13 activity in AA County.  He believes that the graffiti is being done by kids who think it’s cool.  When his officers see this graffiti, they actually remove it themselves instead of waiting for another County department to get around to doing it.  This is another example of how dedicated and professional our County police officers are.  He also addressed the concern of police not responding to calls.  As I explained in the last Sea Breeze, they respond to every call.  If you don’t ask to speak to the officer, you may not see them if an unmarked unit responds.  The calls are also answered in order of importance, so it may take longer for less urgent complaints.  He said their biggest problem is people NOT calling 911 because they think it’s not important enough or that they don’t have enough information.  He stressed that you should call 911 anytime you see something suspicious.  You don’t have to give your name or have a police officer come to your door.  He also talked about an initiative that would target all kinds of crime and enforcement from West Street to Hillsmere.  The initiative began on April 1st and will continue until April 30th.  It’s called the “ADAM” sector initiative and will be concentrating on the Annapolis Mall, Forest Drive, West Street and Admiral Cochran Drive.  They will be using speed enforcement, commercial vehicle enforcement, anti-drug operations, handicap parking violations, vehicle tag readers, extra patrols, etc.  The AA County police will be working with Annapolis City on this project.  On behalf of the entire community, I want to thank Captain Krampf and his team for all they are doing for Hillsmere.

At the General Meeting, I was talking to someone who asked if I had heard about the vandalism incident that occurred last December.  We all know about the huge Christmas light display in the 400 block of Hillsmere Drive.  On December 16th at about 1:30 am, someone completely trashed and destroyed most of her lights and displays.  She reported it to the police, but there was never any investigation, at least that she was aware of.  What made this extra disturbing was that everything was covered in blood.  The perpetrator had apparently either fallen or cut himself with a knife (a knife was used to slash the inflatable displays).  I had not previously heard about the incident.  After talking to the resident, I contacted Captain Krampf.  He has assigned a detective to see if any additional information can be found.  When something like this or any serious crime occurs, please let me know (after you call 911).  In many cases, we can help to focus attention on the incident and pass information on to the community, if appropriate.

The police aren’t the only ones standing by, ready to help when we need them.  Our “Good Neighbors” program is ramped up and ready to go.  Becky Lund has organized this program to help seniors or other needy neighbors with simple tasks such as moving something heavy, changing a smoke detector battery, cutting the grass, or donating a needed item.  She has a number of volunteers lined up, but no one to help!  If you have a neighbor who you think might need some help, please let us know or have them contact us.  People in that situation might not be reading the Sea Breeze or might be hesitant to ask for help.  On a similar note, we would like to know about any residents who, in an emergency, might not be able to take care of themselves.  If we had a major hurricane, extended power outage, or other crisis, there may be people who wouldn’t be able to evacuate or would need other help.  We would like to compile a list of people who we could assist or at least check on if something happened.  Please let us know if you know someone who could benefit from this program.  You can email goodneighbors@hillsmereshores.net or call the 24-hour voice mail at 410-263-4456 and leave a message.

With the warm weather, it is time to start taking steps to control mosquitoes.  The biggest problem we have is the Asian Tiger Mosquito.  Adult tiger mosquitoes are medium sized, black in color with distinctive white stripes.  This color pattern is the basis for the name “tiger.”  Tiger mosquitoes are persistent, moderately aggressive biters.  They prefer to bite the lower legs.  Anyone outdoors during the early morning or late afternoon in shaded areas are particularly vulnerable to being bitten, especially young children as they are often sitting or crawling on the ground.  The best thing you can do to help control the problem at your home is to drain or remove water holding containers.  This will produce remarkable long-term reductions in mosquito populations.  Most mosquitoes spend their entire lives within a few hundred feet of where they are born.  The list of breeding sites include any water holding containers, but the primary sites in residential areas are clogged rain gutters, tires, buckets, cans, bottles, boats, flower pots, bird baths, ornamental pools, plastic or canvas tarpaulins, children’s toys, rain barrels, and pet food and water dishes.  On the community survey we did in 2005, 71% of the respondents, 595 people, were in favor of mosquito spraying.  We will be contacting the MD Department of Agriculture to find out what spraying programs are available.

In last month’s Sea Breeze, I asked about homes in Hillsmere with a large number of people living in them.  I have received emails and calls about several properties, but judging from previous complaints, I’m sure there are more.  If you know of a property with a number of unrelated adults and usually many cars as well, then please contact me with the information.  Again, your name will not be used when talking to the authorities.  Email me at president@hillsmereshores.net or call me at 410-263-4102.

We are about to place our tee shirt order, so be sure to get your order form in soon.  The shirts will be a different color this year.  Show your support for your community!  All sizes are only $10 each, including children’s sizes.  They are also a great gift for adult children who have moved away and still have fond memories of growing up in Hillsmere.  Look for the order form inside this issue.

Finally, enjoy the warm weather.  We are planning some great community events this summer, including one major event we’ve never had before.  You’ll be hearing more about these in the near future.  Keep a lookout for the announcements and plan on attending.  It’s a great way to meet your neighbors and have a great time.

-Bill Shuman
President, Hillsmere Shores Improvement Association