Spotlight
A Wonderful New Addition to the Neighborhood
Hudson Corvese
Hudson and his proud parents, Alyssa and Remy
Pickleball/Tennis Committee Update
FCF Kids’ Tennis Camp 2023: June 14th – August 2nd, Wednesdays and Fridays!
Coach Grant Shanahan, a UMD experienced player and private lesson coach, will once again lead our camp. Tennis skills, scoring and match playing will be taught. Players of all levels welcome – – and no experience is necessary. This is a great way for the kids in the neighborhood to get to know each and hang out. As in the past, we will have two classes, one for younger kids and one for older players. If your child is slightly younger than 6, we may be able to accommodate them.
The Programs:
- Ages 6-9 will be in the Quick Start Program. It’s a great way to learn to play, develop basic tennis skills and an understanding of the game.
- Ages 10-18 will learn the strokes, game strategy, how to serve, how to score and will play matches. Fun games will be used to sharpen skills, and challenging “match style” games will be played.
The Times
- Lessons will be twice a week, Wednesdays and Fridays, June 14 – August 2nd.
Wednesdays
- 6:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. – ages 6-9
- 6:45 p.m.– 8:00 p.m. – ages 10-18
Fridays
- 6:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. – ages 6-9
- 6:45 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – ages 10-18
The Cost
Pay one flat fee of $140 per child to attend as many lessons as you want! Availability is limited to the first who sign up, so register now!
If your child has experience playing and wants to play with the older kids, feel free to register them for that session.
To Purchase Tickets, please click HERE.
Want to find out what Pickleball is all about?
Come learn why Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America at Fishing Creek Farm’s “Intro to Pickleball – Open Play Sessions”
When: The Final lesson is Monday, June 5 from 5 - 7PM.
Where: FCF Tennis/Pickleball Court
All beginners are welcome, whether or not you have attended previous sessions.
Thank you to Rick Wheeler for organizing the lessons and providing his expertise.
Don’t have a paddle? We can help with that. There will be a few loaners available and if the interest is there, we will arrange for a paddle company representative to come to a session with demo paddles for players to try.
Please email: Pickleball@fishingcreekfarm.org if you are interested in participating.
Court repairs are complete!
Thank you for your patience.
Open Play will continue on Sunday mornings, starting at 9am. Open play is for all FCF residents regardless of skill level. Please come out and join the Pickleball craze.
If you want to be included on the FCF pickleball email distribution list, please email pickleball@fishingcreekfarm.org asking to be added. You do not need to be on the distribution list to participate in Open Play.
Finally – if you are unsure how to set up the pickleball nets we have at the court, or see something wrong with the new wheeled net and are unsure how to fix it, please let the pickleball committee know and do not try to fix it yourself. The new wheeled net has already been damaged.
Please No Trash
As most people know, we have no trash cans on court. We have a carry-in / carry-out trash policy. Lately we have seen old tennis balls and empty water bottles left behind.
Pool Committee
Beginning June 1: Pool Hours -- 11AM to 8PM
Pool Rules: Updated Pool Rules as of 5/2023 can be accessed HERE.
Book Club
The next Fishing Creek Farm Book Club meeting will discuss the classic For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. Unless it is raining, we will meet on the deck of the Clubhouse. The date of the meeting is TBD.
Amazon writes about this book:
" In 1937 Ernest Hemingway traveled to Spain to cover the civil war there for the North American Newspaper Alliance. Three years later he completed the greatest novel to emerge from “the good fight” and one of the foremost classics of war literature.
For Whom the Bell Tolls tells of loyalty and courage, love and defeat, and the tragic death of an ideal. Robert Jordan, a young American in the International Brigades, is attached to an antifascist guerilla unit in the mountains of Spain. In his portrayal of Jordan’s love for the beautiful Maria and his superb account of a guerilla leader’s last stand, Hemingway creates a work at once rare and beautiful, strong and brutal, compassionate, moving, and wise. Greater in power, broader in scope, and more intensely emotional than any of the author’s previous works, For Whom the Bell Tolls stands as one of the best war novels ever written."
I look forward to seeing everyone there.
Susan S. Magazine
301-213-1799
Land Use Committee
The Land Use Committee received an update from the County that they expect to continue the maintenance work on the drainage culverts and gabions along Hidden River View Road beginning sometime in late April to mid May. Their work is complete along Cherry Tree Lane.
Also, Habitat Enhancers, as part of their maintenance commitment for the removal of invasive species and the re-establishment of native tree species to Smith Island, planted and caged 75-80 two year old seedlings of black cherry and oak trees over the past month. Please be careful when tromping through the woods to avoid the new seedlings so they have a chance to take root over the upcoming growing season.
A special thanks goes out to Eric Sprague for making the arrangements to get the osprey pole on Smith's Island straightened just in time for osprey nesting. The Chesapeake Wildlife Heritage organization out of Chester MD took care of the work.
Fishing Creek Farm Logo Glassware
We have replenished our inventory of glass and plastic FCF logo glasses. They are $4 each and can be ordered by contacting boardtreasurer@
Fishing Creek Farm Facebook Page
Fishing Creek Farm residents can post items of interest, for sale, or wanted to our FB page, “Fishing Creek Farm Homeowners’ Association”. The page is administered by Deborah Brafford and is open only to FCF residents. (Be aware: there is an old FB page that is no longer in use. Its address is: Fishing Creek Farm Neighborhood and it is open to the PUBLIC.)
Although anyone can find our private site, only members can see who's in the group and what they post. When you land on the FCF FB page, you may ask to join the group. You must submit your email and house address for verification. Once your credentials are verified, you will be notified of your admission to the group.
Please feel free to post questions, information, or photos to this closed group of Fishing Creek Farm neighbors!
How to Contact Board of Directors
When contacting Board Members, please use their official neighborhood email address rather than their personal email address. The format of the FCF addresses is: boardPOSITION@
Specifically:
boardpresident@
boardvp@
boardsecretary@
boardmal@
boardtreasurer@
Clubhouse Committee
Repairs
In anticipation of a busy spring and summer season, we are currently evaluating several options for clubhouse cleaning services and window repairs and expect to move forward on both within the next month. Please send any questions or comments to annweins@yahoo.com or clubhouse@fishingcreekfarm.org.
Rental Rates
In 2023, the Clubhouse rental rate is $125. The fee covers cleaning, utilities and maintenance expenses. In addition, a $250 deposit will be collected shortly before your reservation and will be returned shortly thereafter, as long as there is no damage.
Community events that use the clubhouse are free but must be reserved in advance. Please contact jpfinsgraf@gmail.com or admin@fishingcreekfarm.org to reserve.
Clubhouse Awnings
For those residents who use the clubhouse for private events or meetings, please be aware that the clubhouse awnings have recently been fixed. Please be sure that you retract all the awnings after use or not use them at all during times of windy weather. Recently, a wind gust caught one of the opened awnings causing it to go off track. It was realigned and both manual cranks were adjusted for easier access. We ask everyone who uses them to be careful to not use them when there is wind.
If they are damaged when you are using them, you will be responsible for paying to have them fixed.
Residents Can Request New Recycling Bins
If your yellow recycling bin is either broken (usually hinges) or needs replacement you can get that done easily and at no cost by Anne Arundel County. Simply go to the website below and make a request. You will get an email confirmation of a date when the work will be done. On that day you must put the bin out by the street by 6 am. That's it!
https://www.aacounty.org/
Committee Contacts
Do you want to know who is on what committee? Do you want to know how to reach a committee member? All of that information is on our website Committee page which is located here. On this page you will note that a number of the email addresses are [committee-name/position]@fishingcreekfarm.org. This is part of our ongoing effort to have email addresses that we can use to transition easily from volunteer to volunteer when a position turns over. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with this, and thank you to all of our volunteers!
Suggestion Box
If you have an idea on how to make Fishing Creek Farm an even better place, please share it with the Board and your fellow homeowners. Suggestions are sent to our FCF Board and posted on our website. To access the suggestion box now, Click here.
| 2023 Board Officers The following will be the Board positions for 2023-2024: President: Jennifer Dengler Vice President: Jacques Smith Treasurer: Deborah Brafford Secretary: Dan Attridge Member at Large: Chris Caine |
2023: Mosquito Control Program
This year FCF is again participating in the mosquito control fogging program operated by the Maryland Dept. of Agriculture (MDA).
FCF’s Assigned night: Monday, anytime between 7pm and 2:30am
Period: June 5 to Oct. 2, 2023
Fogging is done at night using an ultra-low volume spray to dispense tiny droplets that do not coat surfaces. Fogging is only done if an MDA employee determines it is necessary, considering “mosquito landing counts” and other data. It will not be conducted during rain, in wind speeds exceeding 12mph, or if temperatures are above 89 degrees F.
MDA recommends that residents not be outside during fogging hours. It also encourages residents to reduce or eliminate standing water in their own yards to reduce breeding spots for mosquitoes.
Operating procedures. MDA’s Standard Operating Procedures, which provide more detail about the chemical used (permethrin) and spraying procedures, are posted on the FCF website and can be accessed HERE. There is even more information available on the MDA website under Mosquito Control, which can be accessed HERE. Additional documents can be accessed through the links on another document, HERE, which is also posted on our website.
Exemptions are possible. Any resident can apply for an exemption for their property. A link to the exemption form can be accessed HERE.
All documents referred to in this letter are posted on our website under Documents/Board of Directors.
Board of Directors Meetings 2023
Board of Directors meetings in 2023 will be held once per month on a Monday from 7 to 9 PM. All residents are welcome and encouraged to attend. The meetings are again being held in person at the Clubhouse, but are also available virtually. Residents can always join the meetings virtually using the link below. Agendas are posted as they are available.
The next Board meeting will be held on Monday, May 22nd. Thereafter, meetings will be held on the third Monday of the month,
When the Agenda is available, it can be accessed by clicking HERE.
For those who are unable to attend in person and are joining virtually:
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/483770581
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (571) 317-3122
Access Code: 483-770-581
Public Service Announcement
Please by courteous to your neighbors and try to remember to clean up after your dogs. Some of us are forgetting to pick up after our dogs along the path behind the tennis court and off of Southbreeze. This is a health as well as an aesthetic issue.
Thank you.
Adult Social Committee
Spring and Summer Schedule
Spring is right around the corner so let’s dust off the furniture and chill the wine glasses. It's time for Sunset Fridays! We are also offering Thirsty Thursdays on alternate months to accommodate more neighbors with different schedules.
Organizers Ann Weins (annweins@yahoo.com) & Barbara Holch (Bholch5@icloud.com) are happy to answer any questions you may have.
The following dates are scheduled for the events:
April 14: Sunset Friday
May 18: Thirsty Thursday
June 9: Sunset Friday
July 13: Thirsty Thursday
August 18: Sunset Friday
September 14: Thirsty Thursday
Architecture Committee
Approval Process
If you are planning a renovation or major landscaping work, please be sure to submit an application a minimum of 60 days prior to commencing any new work.
Our website includes instructions for necessary documents and the process to submit those documents to Maredith Management and our Architectural Review Committee. Please contact our property manager, Megan Smith at msmith@maredithmgmt.com or our Architecture Committee chair at architecture@fishingcreekfarm.org, with any questions.
The Architecture committee meets to review completed applications on the first Wednesday of each month. Following Architecture Committee meetings, the Board then reviews committee recommendations at their next scheduled board meeting.
Residents may join Architecture Committee meetings at the Clubhouse or through the virtual link below:
To join the Open AC Meetings, please use the information below:
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/908917861
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (224) 501-3412
Access Code: 908-917-861
Architecture Review 2023 Meetings (Click on the date to see meeting agenda)
June 7, 2023
July 5, 2023
August 2, 2023
September 6, 2023
October 4, 2023
November 1, 2023
Free Library
Free Blue Library
The Little Blue Lending Library continues to see high traffic, which is great! There is a need for children's books and current fiction. It is a perfect place to trade off some of your book club reads. With the warmer weather, the library is getting more use. It is also the perfect place to take your children to and borrow a book to read on the bench by the water.
Thank you for doing this!
Chris
Maredith Management Company
Megan Q. Smith is our property manager. Residents may contact her at: msmith@maredithmgmt.com or 301-710-6529 with questions.
Resale Packages
Residents who plan to sell their home, will need to order a resale package through Maredith Management at www.homewisedocs.com .
A resale package contains vital information to those purchasing a home in an association. Resale certificates reduce the liability for the HOA if the seller isn’t up to date on payments, thus ensuring that it’s the buyers’ responsibility, after a certain time period has passed, to pay the HOA. Resale certificates are legally required documents ensuring that buyers have full disclosure before purchasing a property.
Outside Equipment Must be Screened
Recent work on updating FCF covenants has refocused the community on certain requirements to maintain the esthetic appeal of FCF. One of those requirements is the screening of any outdoor HVAC/Electrical/Propane equipment so as not to be visible from the street or to neighbors.
Please ensure that any such equipment is properly screened on your property and the quality of the screening is appropriately maintained.
Thank you for helping keep FCF one of the most naturally beautiful communities in the greater Annapolis region.
Marina
Photo by Jim Reinig
Slip Holders,
The boating season has started, and many boats have returned to the FCF Marina. Please make sure that your lines are properly set for the changing tides and winds. We want to make sure your boat is protected and avoid damage to the marina and other nearby boats.
Mooring: Please remember that if you utilize a mooring near the marina, that you are responsible for the safety of your boat and you will be liable for any damages, if your boat breaks free from the mooring and causes damage to boats in the marina and/or materially damages the marina. Also, if you utilize the marina, please make sure that someone is with your boat if docked in a unloading/loading dock location or please book a transient slip for extended dock time.
Repairs: We ask that all slip holders email any repair requests to jasonhorst11@gmail.com. Please note that we are working with our contractor to replace/repair some damaged and loose boards.
Osprey: Please help your neighbors by notifying the Marina Chair (jasonhorst11@gmail.com) or directly contacting the boat owner, if you see any Osprey attempting to nest on any boat in the marina. The Osprey nesting season will typically be completed by the end of May.
Green Channel Markers: Please be aware that the two green channel markers at the entrance of the marina have shifted. There is still room for a single boat to enter or exit the marina, but the space is narrower than in the past. We are looking into options to shift the markers.
Safety: We ask all slip holders to practice safe boating and to assist others in the marina. The FCF Marina is owned and operated by the FCF HOA and is not professionally managed. Therefore, the marina is supported by volunteer homeowners, and we ask everyone to support the upkeep and safety of the marina.
Thanks,
Marina Committee
CapEx Committee
The CapEx Committee meets virtually the second Wednesday of every month. To join Click HERE.
The Board and CapEx Committee are in receipt and agreement with the final reserve study report issued by Miller Dodson. That report has been posted to our FCF website (HERE) and is available for review by homeowners. The basic takeaway is that the dues increase voted on and approved last year is very likely sufficient to maintain the various assets of our community at a level which we anticipate will preserve FCF as a premiere waterfront community and maximize home values.
The Board and CapEx Committee do not currently anticipate any major expenditures in 2023 but we are awaiting resolution of the direction and timing for the Southbreeze Beach preservation projects, and legal resolution regarding the HOA responsibility for eventual repair and replacement of the Cherry Tree Lane bulkhead. The CapEx Committee is constantly updating our internal model to reflect our current plans for necessary expenditures and match the Miller Dodson report where possible.
Safety First
Please observe the following safety considerations:
4-Way Stop
The intersection of Hidden River View Road and Cherry Tree Lane is now a four-way stop. Please come to a complete stop from any direction when approaching this intersection.
Dogs Must ALWAYS be on Leashes
No Motorized Vehicles Allowed on Beach Path
A new sign was added to the entrance to the beach area path at Smiths Island to remind everyone that no motorized vehicles (e.g. golf carts) should use the path to get down to the beach. The path is strictly for pedestrian use.
Moving Vehicles to the Right; Pedestrians to the Left - It's the Law
Residents have reported near misses with pedestrians who walk on the right, especially in groups, because they don't see or hear approaching vehicles. Please walk to the left and drive/bike cautiously on the right.