November 2010

I just came back from a wonderful eight day vacation sailing on the bay.  What a great time of the year to be on the water.  The days were mostly cool and sunny.  The nights were chilly, great sleeping weather.  One of the highlights of the trip was coming out of Crisfield, MD harbor and suddenly being surrounded by a pod of about 20 dolphins.  They were diving under the boat and out of the water all around us.  I know we don't see that here in Hillsmere, but it just reminded me of what a wonderful, beautiful place the Chesapeake Bay is and how much it means to our community lifestyle.

We had the last of this season's Beach Happy Hours a few weeks ago.  This one was combined with a Pig Roast.  These events, as well as the family oriented special events like the Ice Cream Social and the Halloween Parade, have really revitalized our community.  The comradery and socializing has gone a long way to make everyone feel like they are really part of something special, and they are.  Hillsmere has a well deserved reputation for being a great place to live and raise a family.  Thanks to the volunteers who work so hard to make it all happen. 

HSIA Members:         86 in favor, 9 opposed
Property Owners:     88 in favor, 8 opposed

The community has approved the sale of the property to the East Bay View lot owners.  We are currently working through the legal and technical process.  These costs are being shared equally with the buyers and HSIA.  We expect the sale to be completed by the end of the year.

We will have our November General Meeting on Thursday, November 11th.  This is a very important meeting.  The two big events are the HSIA elections (more on that later) and the approval of the budgets for next fiscal year.  It is especially important this year because the community is going to have the opportunity to decide one of our biggest budget items, security.  For the last two years, we have spent about $80,000 per year on security.  That comes to about $66 per lot per year.  About 38% of the budget is spent on patrols by off‑duty Anne Arundel County police officers.  They patrol in uniform in county police cars.  They patrol an average of just over 16 hours each week.  We also have a private security company, Blueguard, that patrols about 30 hours per week.  That is their contract minimum, so we can't reduce that amount.  It accounts for about 53% of the budget.  The balance is our beach security guard, Randy, and incidental expenses.  At the November 11th General Meeting, the Budget Committee will recommend three separate scenarios for the community to consider.  The first will be to keep things just the way they are.  The second will be a $60,000 option (about $49 per lot per year).  It will reduce the off‑duty police patrols by 56% to an average of 7.1 hours each week.  We can't reduce the other items, as I mentioned above.  The third option will be a $30,000 annual budget (about $26 per lot per year).    This plan will reduce the off‑duty police patrols by 23% to an average of 12.6 hours per week and completely eliminates the private security patrols.  It counts on a Neighborhood Watch program to take up the slack.

I believe that we should keep the security budget the same as it has been for the last two years.  It's a small price to pay for having a significant security presence, about 46 hours each week.  The cost per household is only $5.50 each month.  Some people argue that the private security patrols are not effective.  The off‑duty police are definitely better, but I think the private patrols do help.  If you have been following the security challenges we have faced over the last five years, you know that finding a good private security company at a reasonable cost is very difficult.  Blueguard  has done a reasonably good job compared to the other companies we have used.  We have been working with their supervisors to improve the effectiveness of the patrols and will continue to do so.  When considering the need for community security patrols, whether off‑duty police or private, remember that at any time there is only one county police officer patrolling the entire Annapolis Neck.  That includes everything from the beginning of Rt. 665 to the water, except for Bay Ridge which has its own police officer.  We get a good response when we call 911, but we don't get regular police patrols.  It's just too big an area for one officer to cover.  We all long for the days when you didn't have to lock your doors at night and you could leave your kids’ bikes in the driveway until the next time they wanted to play.  Unfortunately, those days are long gone.  For another opinion on security spending, please see the article by Phil Jones on page 13 of this Sea Breeze.

As I mentioned previously, it's time to hold HSIA elections.  This year we are electing officers; President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.  There is a ballot in this Sea Breeze and also on our web site.  Each member of HSIA can vote.  If you are like most members and just paid $15 for your household to join, then you can send in one ballot.  Be sure to fill‑in your name and address and sign the ballot or it will not be counted.  If you would like to vote anonymously, then you can come to the November 11th meeting and have your blank ballot validated.   This year there is a contest for President.  I am running for reelection and am being challenged by Phil Jones.  Each candidate has an article introducing themselves and talking about why they deserve your vote.  Please read these before you decide.  This is a very important decision that could make a very big difference to our community.  It is very important that you take the time to vote.  You don't have to come to the meeting.  You can mail in your ballot or just give it to someone to bring it to the meeting for you.  Your community needs you... vote!

Finally, I'd like to explain the new format for the Sea Breeze.  I'm sure you noticed that starting last month it came folded.  I talked about how our world is changing and the new Sea Breeze format is just another example.  In the past Jean Somers, our wonderful administrator and Sea Breeze editor, would stick mailing labels on the Sea Breeze and take it to the Eastport Post Office.  They knew her and would make sure that it was delivered without having to go through the whole system.  The result was that the current issue was in your mailbox within a day or two.  The Post Office is now requiring that all bulk mail have a bar code along with the address.  It also has to be folded in order to go through the sorting machines.  They also require that all mail be processed at their facility near BWI.  We now have our printer, Highstarr Copy Services,  do all the work for us.  We could do it the old way but it would cost more money and, since the flat pieces would have to be hand processed, it would take a lot longer to get to your mail box. 

I'll end the way I usually do, by reminding everyone how our community is such a wonderful place to live.  It's not that way by accident.  Of course, the people who live here are great, but it's more than that.  Hillsmere is a great place to live because of the volunteers who work so hard to keep it that way.  They have all done a terrific job and deserve your heartfelt thanks and support.

-Bill Shuman
 President, Hillsmere Shores Improvement Association