Welcome

New Arrival!

 

Welcome Our Newest Resident!

Jackson Tucker Steppe 11/23/20

Just in time for the holidays, Fishing Creek Farm has a new resident! Born to Laura Drossner and Jackson Steppe on November 23rd, Jackson Tucker Steppe joins the Fishing Creek Farm and Steppe families!

Please join me in congratulating the growing Steppe family!

 

 

Special Feature

 

Meet Our New Neighbors

The Kamins, 3417 Hidden River View

Sports Enthusiasts with a Sense of Humor

Hilary and Scott Kamins are long-time Marylanders who grew up in Montgomery County, but have lived for the past 15 years in the Falls Church area of Virginia. Northern Virginia was convenient to Scott’s work in D.C., but as Hilary says, “It was time for a lifestyle change.” They needed a home where they could get their “heart rates down” and their middle school age boys could safely ride their bikes away from traffic and the bustle of a busy urban area. 3417 Hidden River View was the answer!

As soon as Hilary and Scott were introduced to Fishing Creek Farm, Scott says they loved the neighborhood. Hilary is thrilled that FCF offers an escape from a hectic lifestyle. She is “addicted to sunsets” and frequently closes her day with a walk to the Cherry Tree Lane beach to watch the sun go down.

Hilary and Scott have made many aesthetic improvements to their home, but Scott describes the house in general, as a “hidden gem” with “good bones”. They, like so many of us, wonder why they didn’t make the move sooner.

Both Scott and Hilary own independent businesses – Scott has a consulting business while Hilary owns and operates a Zumba fitness business. The Kamins enjoy many hobbies together including golf, skiing, and swimming, and plan special family trips around these activities. Although the Kamins also enjoy boating, Scott says, for now, the kids are “too expensive for a boat”! Instead, they will settle for “friends with a boat”! Any takers should walk to 3417 Hidden River View and introduce themselves!

Please join me in welcoming the Kamins to Fishing Creek Farm. Rumor has it they enjoy a good glass of wine and Scott has a pretty good repertoire of impressions. All in all, a get-together with the Kamins sounds like a fun evening to plan!

To read more about the Kamins, click here.

 

 

Tidewater Update

During the month of November, Tidewater:

  • Worked with the Board to finalize and gain approval of the 2021 budget
  • Sent residents annual assessment invoices (HOA dues) via US mail.  If you did not receive an invoice, or if you need assistance logging into the Tidewater portal to view your account, please contact Hailey Matthews.

You have the option to make two payments – half due by 2/1/21 and second half by 7/1/21.  We encourage you to make a payment online. If you make a payment by US mail, please mail to Tidewater address that is on your invoice: Fishing Creek Farm HOA, C/o Tidewater Property Management, PO Box 1653, New York, NY 10008-1653 – and please make sure you include your FCF account number on the check.

  • Worked with BGE to update the club house’s electrical system to ensure no further damage to the pumps.
  • Handled tree complaints with the board.
  • With the marina committee, completed the fire inspection.
  • Continued to vet proposals to repaint the clubhouse and outside maintenance.

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!

 

Book Club

Our next meeting will be February 24, 2021 at 7PM. Please mark your calendars. The link to the virtual meeting will be posted here and under “Upcoming Events” closer to the date.

The book for discussion is “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett.”

Everyone is invited to join the discussions. Please contact Susan Magazine via email or phone (301-213-1799) if you would like to join the group.

 

Pickleball/Tennis Committee Update

Pickleball Open Play Schedule Change 
Join the fun every SUNDAY from 10 AM -12 PM

Tennis Net Being Stored for the Winter

The tennis net was taken down December 7th for winter storage.

 

2020 / 2021 Deer Management Program

The Board is working with Tri-County Deer Management, an organized group of bow hunters, who aid communities such as ours in their efforts to manage the deer population within their respective areas. Fishing Creek Farm has worked with Tri-County Deer Management for many years in this effort. The bow hunters must demonstrate their bow hunting proficiency and take ongoing bow hunting safety courses. Tri-County Deer Management and its members are insured, listing Fishing Creek Farm as an additional insured. The hunters set elevated stands in the common area trees, so they have a downward trajectory, shooting their target from less than 20 yards away. The program runs during the deer hunting season, which this year is from September 11, 2020 through February 3, 2021. Management at FCF begins on Friday, September 18th.

For complete information, click here.

From our Board of Directors

The Board of Directors meetings are open to all homeowners. Our next meeting is on Tuesday, January 26th at 7 pm. The meeting will be virtual and all community residents are encouraged to attend. Click here to get joining information closer to the date. 

County Work on CTL

The Board reports that Anne Arundel County plans to begin maintenance work on the stormwater management system and the associated drainage culverts on the northside of Cherry Tree Lane (the same side as the clubhouse), starting from Hidden River View Road and going all the way to the Fishhook.  This work will begin during the last half of January and should take 3-4 days.  Please plan accordingly.

Budget 

The Fishing Creek Farm Board of Directors approved the 2021 budget at its November 24, 2020 board meeting. The 2021 budget on the FCF website can be accessed by clicking on “Documents” and then “Board of Directors” in the left hand menu of this site.

 

Governing Documents 

The Board has been working on several issues related to compliance with our governing documents, specifically, signs in yards, approved materials for home exterior, and landscaping changes on private lots and in the HOA common area. Residents are reminded that these documents are available on the website. A working group has been created to review these documents in 2021. Community input will be requested as the process moves forward.

New Board Members Needed

We will be looking for new members to join the BOD in March 2021, so please consider serving on the Board. If you are interested in joining the board, please feel free to contact Julien Hecht, if you are interested.

How to Contact Board Members

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@fishingcreekfarm.org.  Specifically:

boardpresident@fishingcreekfarm.org – Julien Hecht boardvp@fishingcreekfarm.org  – Maggie Elehwany boardsecretary@fishingcreekfarm.org -Colleen Clark boardmal@fishingcreekfarm.org – Jacques Smith boardtreasurer@fishingcreekfarm.org – Deborah Brafford

Land Use Committee

IMPORTANT NOTICE – Do Not Cut Phragmites!!

The phragmites may NOT be cut. Be aware that cutting phragmites is not allowed without a permit from Anne Arundel County. Some Fishing Creek Farm homeowners have cut phragmites on HOA community property as well as on their own properties. The HOA has received a stop work order from Anne Arundel County and we will face potential fines should they observe this happening again. We have a contractor that has a permit to spray phragmites, and then we must wait for the phragmites to die out and be replaced by native species over time. You may email the contractor, Mark Smith, or call: 443-808-9777 with questions or concerns.

Also, we remind all residents that no planting, cutting, trimming or other like activities (whether of phragmites, trees, vines, downed tree limbs or any other form of vegetation) may be conducted by any resident in or on FCF common areas without the prior written approval of the Board of Directors.

 

CapEx Update

 

We Need to Hear from You

The CapEx committee has researched our aging assets and developed three possible funding options to maintain or replace these assets that make our community so unique. We are now at the stage where homeowner input is the most important element of our efforts. Your feedback, will be critical in determining how we as a community will fund our reserve replacements and establish annual dues. All reference material is posted to the FCF website under Documents/CapEx. We strongly encourage you to review these documents, and submit any questions to the CapEx Committee (capex@fishingcreekfarm.org). The CapEx committee is planning to survey the community early in 2021 to see which option is most acceptable to the neighborhood.

 

Marina Committee Update

We have reached the end of the 2020 boating season, and we look forward to preparing for the 2021 season.  The marina has been winterized and most boats are now out of the marina.  We continue to work on some issues related to the fire suppression system and we hope to have the issues resolved soon. Some minor repairs will likely take place during the course of the winter. Please lookout for a winter marina ZOOM meeting announcement.

 

Landscape/Architectural Committee Update

THINKING OF FRESHENING UP YOUR HOME OR LANDSCAPE?   

The Architectural Control Committee is actively reviewing applications from many homeowners for new construction, new landscaping, replacement of walkways and doors, additions, tree removal, fencing, and more. All homeowners are reminded that many projects require an application to the Committee before any changes may be initiated. Please check the FCF website under Architectural Change for guidance about projects that do and do not require applications.  

If your project requires an application and supporting documents, watch the video on the website to obtain a complete understanding of how to do this. If you have further questions, please contact our Board Secretary (boardsecretary@fishingcreekfarm.org). Please be sure to submit your application 30 days in advance of starting work.   

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.