April 20th Weekly e-Newsletter for the Village of Harper's Choice.
HCCA 2017 Village Board Candidates

Current two-year terms of office for three Village Board seats expire on April 30, 2017. Four nomination petitions were received for the Village Board seats from  Robert T. Fontaine , Erik M. Avant,  Stephen  Cook , and Benjamin S. Rubin. The terms of office for those elected will be May 1, 2017 through April 30, 2019. Village elections will take place Saturday, April 29, 2017 from 9am-3pm at Kahler Hall.

Important Election Dates:
April 28th
Absentee ballots accepted up to 5pm
April 29th
Election Day, 9am - 3pm

For more information contact Village Manager Steve Ingley at 410-730-0770 or via email at [email protected].

Community Shredding / eCycling & Red Ribbon Yard Sale

The Red Ribbon Community Yard Sale will be held on Saturday, May 6th  throughout the Harper's Choice community. Participation is simple: Click here to register your street to let us know at least one home will have a yard sale on the big day. We handle the advertising and promoting for you and your neighbors. Email or call us at Kahler Hall to sign up. Stop by Kahler Hall before May 3rd to pick up your red ribbon so eager shoppers can find you on the big day!

Community Shredding and eCycling will also take place Saturday May 6th in the parking lot of the Bain Senior Center from 9am -1pm (approx. five boxes per person).
Columbia Half Marathon
 
On Sunday, April 23, 2017, the Columbia Half Marathon will be run on the streets of Columbia. This email is to inform you of the impact to neighborhoods and roads. 
 
The 13.1 mile run course will pass by through the 4 Columbia Neighborhoods (Hickory Ridge, Wilde Lake, Town Center and Harper's Choice). On roads which have only one lane of travel in each direction, runners will occupy the shoulder of the road. On roads which have two lanes of travel, runners will occupy the lane closest to the curb. Traffic cones will be placed along the 13.1 mile course to provide safety for all runners. There will be no road closures; however, vehicle traffic may experience delays. The official start of this race is 8:00 AM. We anticipate the conclusion of this race to be around 11:00 AM. You can expect to see VMS board notifications starting Thursday, April 21 in and around Town Center. Additionally, yard signs will be placed at all major intersections and turns along the course notifying the community of this race. These yards signs will be removed no later than 7:00pm on Monday, April 24.
 
We thank you in advance for your understanding and support of this community-based event. Additional information can be viewed at www.columbia-halfmarathon.com.
 
Danny Serpico
Race Director, Columbia Half Marathon, Rip It Events


Good Pizza Great Cause! Longfellow PTA

Join Longfellow Elementary PTA and Mod Pizza for their upcoming fundraiser. Click here for flyer to receive 20% off all day, Thursday, April 25th.
HC DRUGFREE   

HC DrugFree will present "Not My Child" on April 25 at River Hill High School at 7:00 p.m. All parents are strongly encouraged to attend to learn more about the drugs abused in Howard County, what we all need to know and do about the rise in overdose deaths happening here, how parents and the community can better arm ourselves to help our children (whether pre-teens or adult children), and much more. Speakers will be announced in April. Visit www.hcdrugfree.org.

Medication and "Sharps" (needles, syringes, and EpiPens) Take Back Day will be held on April 29 at the Wilde Lake Village Center near the UPS Store and Slayton House between 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Because 3 out of 4 people using heroin began with the use of prescription medication, HC DrugFree and the Howard County Police urge you to clean out your unneeded or expired medications and join your friends at HC DrugFree's quick and convenient drive-thru collection of medication and sharps. There's no need to get out of your vehicle. Just look for the teens in bright green shirts holding the signs and directing traffic around the parking lot. Howard County Police will receive, secure, and transport your medications for proper disposal. Medical personnel will receive and handle all of your sharps for proper recycling. Be sure to secure your medications to keep them out of the hands of everyone for whom they are not prescribed. If you have questions, visit www.hcdrugfree.org and go to the Drug Take Back page or contact HC DrugFree at 443-325-0040 or email.

Cheers! For a Good Cause

Vino Scholastico is an annual fete held to raise funds for scholarships at Howard Community College. This year's event, which takes place on Friday, April 28 from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m., features tasting of fine wines and craft beers, as well as delicious gourmet food. 100% of sponsorships goes directly to help HCC students with their educational finances. Visit the event website for more information on how you can help the Howard Community College Educational Foundation.
The Columbia Orchestra: Bluebeard's Castle  
Columbia's 50th anniversary celebration continues on Saturday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m. at the Jim Rouse Theatre (5460 Trumpeter Road, Columbia). Allow the Columbia Orchestra to take you on a fantastic journey as you explore the story of Bluebeard.

Robert Cantrell and Kyle Engler join the Columbia Orchestra for a concert version of Bartok's dramatic opera. Unlock the mysteries of Bluebeard's past in a ravishing score colored by the folk music of Bartok's native Hungary. Plus, the winners of the Young Artist Competition will dazzle you with their performances. Tickets range from $10.00 to $28.00. Visit the website or call 410-465-8777 for more information.
Job Opportunity 
Administrative Assistant
Long Reach Community Association seeks part-time, 28 hours/week Administrative Assistant. Must be available for the 1st and 3rd Tuesday evening of each month for meetings.  Ability to take minutes, proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, highly organized & able to handle numerous details. Familiarity with WordPress and graphic design a plus. Applicants should request a job description and submit a resume to
  [email protected] . Due to the volume of inquiries, only qualified candidates will be contacted. No walk-ins please.   No walk-ins please.
Resumes must be received no later than May 1, 2017.
Exploring Columbia On Foot, Outdoor Walks

The walks will be held on nine Thursdays and one Saturday from March through October. Most walks will begin at 10am; the walk at The Mall in Columbia begins at 8:30am. Registration is not required.
  • Thursday, May 4, Owen Brown, meet at Lake Elkhorn (Dockside parking lot)
  • Thursday, May 18, Oakland Mills - meet at Thunder Hill Neighborhood Center (5134 Thunder Hill Road)
  • Thursday, June 1, River Hill - meet at Claret Hall (6020 Daybreak Circle)
  • Saturday, June 24, The Mall in Columbia (8:30am) - meet at the Plaza in front of Season's 52 (10300 Little Patuxent Parkway)
  • Thursday, July 13, Long Reach - meet at Jeffers Hill Neighborhood Center (6030 Tamar Drive)
  • Thursday, Aug. 31, Kings Contrivance - meet at Huntington Pool (7625 Murray Hill Road)
  • Thursday, Sept. 14, Harper's Choice - meet at Hobbits Glen Pool (11130 Willow Bottom Drive)
  • Thursday, Oct. 12, Downtown Columbia - meet at Lakefront Plaza (10275 Little Patuxent Parkway)
  • Thursday, Oct. 26, Hickory Ridge - meet at Hawthorn Center (6175 Sunny Spring
Middle School & High School XBOX Challenge


Columbia Smart Energy Challenge: Information Session

June 8, 2017; 7-8pm at Kahler Hall in Harpers Choice
 
The Columbia Smart Energy Challenge, a six-month program that began Jan. 1, further encourages individuals to improve comfort while reducing energy bills through home energy upgrades leveraging BGE's Home Performance with the ENERGY STAR Program. The Smart Energy Challenge provides additional incentives to residents as a way to raise awareness and increase the number of audits conducted. 
Join the Columbia Smart Energy Challenge
* Home energy audits are $100 (a $400 value)
* Rebates cut the cost of energy improvements by 50 percent (up to $2,000 total)
* Earn $50 when you refer a friend who completes an energy audit
* Help your neighbors! Any village that completes at least 10 energy audits during the challenge will have a celebration - with 100 free LED lightbulb giveaways to residents

Anatomy of a Scam: 
A Presentation by the Howard County Office of Consumer Protection and Howard County Police
 
Anatomy of a SCAM , learn all you can to protect yourself from various types of SCAMS - telephone, online, door-to-door, theft, skimming, and online dating.  Rebecca Bowman, Administrator of the Howard County Office of Consumer Protection and HCPD Officer Andre Lingham, Police Senior Citizen Liaison, will discuss these very important topics.  This is one presentation you don't want to miss.
 
DATE:   Wednesday, May 17, 2017
TIME:    6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
LOCATION:   The Other Barn, Oakland Mills Village Center, 5851 Robert Oliver Place, Columbia, MD  21045
 
Free program .  Registration is preferred. Contact Oakland Mills Community Association for details;
oaklandmills.org ., [email protected] , or 410-730-4610. Sponsored by the Oakland Mills Community Association's Safety & Security Committee.
Covenant Corner


Trash and Recycling
Our office receives many calls about trash and recycling issues.  Please be aware that the Village Covenants require trash and recycling be placed out no earlier than 6 pm the evening prior to pick up, and remove the containers from view that evening.  In townhouse developments, this is especially important as the trash is often placed in a cluster. 
 
Promptly remove any items the waste removal folks may have left behind and work with your neighbors to clean the cluster area between pick-ups.  The County does not provide bulk pickup curbside, and large items will not be removed.   Questions about trash and recycling should be directed to the Department of Public Works at 410-313-SORT (7678) or check them out on the web: http://www.howardcountymd.gov/DPW/Environmental_Homepage.htm  
 
Think Native Plantings! 
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has published a comprehensive Native Plant guide for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.  You can view it from our website on the home page.  With lots of photos and specifics, this is a great resource as we strive to help improve the health of our watershed. http://www.harperschoicecommunityassociation.org/system/files/files/Native%20MD%20plants.pdf
Donate a Meal to Grassroots

Grassroots Crisis Center provides three meals daily for up to 50 shelter residents in their on-site commercial kitchen. Feeding that many people means they rely heavily on community support to feed their residents. There are a number of ways that individuals and organizations can help support the meals program. They would greatly appreciate volunteer assistance with any of the following:

Prepare (offsite) and deliver a full meal for 50 people to the kitchen at Grassroots.

Prepare (offsite) and deliver part of a meal - just the entrée, for example - for 50 people to Grassroots.

Provide the ingredients for a meal to be prepared by Grassroots' staff.

Prepare sandwiches or other lunch items with fruit, chips, granola bars, or other sides.

Prepare or purchase snack foods for guests.

Have a food drive to collect necessary items for the pantry.


Dinner is served approximately from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. If meals are delivered at 3:00 p.m. or after, Grassroots staff can keep them hot on a steam table, but if they are delivered much earlier, it would be best that they were delivered chilled, to be re-heated for 5:00 p.m. dinner. For more information on how to donate a cooked meal, please visit Grassroots' website. If you are not able to cook a meal but would still like to find a way to help out, Grassroots' website lists plenty of opportunities to donate items or money, and to volunteer.
Have you visited us on Facebook lately?
 
Please join us on Facebook for up-to-date information about what's happening in and around the Harper's Choice Community.

Architectural Committee Meeting Date Change

**The Architectural Committee will meet next week on Wednesday April 12 and not Tuesday April 11.   No other changes have been made at this time.  

Please check the calendar on our website for the latest meeting dates.
 
Changes made to the exterior of homes in Harper's Choice require approval of the Village Architectural Committee (AC).
 
The AC will meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month at 7:30 PM to review applications. 

The deadline to submit applications for approval is two weeks prior to the next meeting date.
Village Board Meetings

The next meeting of the Village Board is scheduled for April 4th at 7PM. Approved Agendas and Meeting Minutes are/will be available on our website.
Keeping You Informed
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* Term expires 4/30/17
** Term expires 4/30/18

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