Whats New

WHAT'S NEW!

	October/November 2011 - The Board of Directors is in the process of composing the Petition for the next Special Tax District. Two Community Forums were held, the first on October, 22, 2011 and the second on November 2, 2011. For more information, click on the following link... STD 2013 - 2014

	September 2011 - The Results of the Covenant Vote ballot are as follows: Number of Property Owners - 1284, Number of Ballots mailed - 1284, Number of lots eligible to be voted - 1641, Number of lots voted - 696, Number of invalid ballots - 48, Number of ballots needed to return a positive vote - 821, Number of Yes votes - 435, Number of No votes - 213, Measure - FAILED

	August 2011 - The ballot to update the Covenants was mailed to all property owners on Saturday, August 13th. Please note the ballot must be returned via U. S. Mail by August 29^th in the self-addressed stamped envelope provided. It will be returned to a Post Office Box at the Lusby Post Office in order to assure the integrity of the vote. If you have any questions, please contact a Board member - all Board member contact info in located on this website. Click here 2011-2012 Board Contacts

	July 2011 - The Board agreed unanimously to continue with the slate of officers from the 2010/2011 Board of Directors. Gary Heal will remain as President, Amy Rispin as Vice President, Max Munger as Treasurer and John McCall as Secretary. The Policies and Procedures Manual was also reaffirmed.

A Request for Proposals for Drum Point Drainage Improvements in various areas of the community has been advertised in the Calvert Recorder. See the fall newsletter, coming soon, for details on the site locations.

	June 2011 - The following people were elected to the 2011/2012 Board of Directors: Amy Rispin, Dale Maxwell and Dennis Baker. Continuing on the Board will be Gary Heal, Max Munger, John McCall, Tricia Powell, Duane Heidemann and Dan Mathias. The Board extends its appreciation to all who ran for the Board, including Bob Boxwell. Thanks is also due to Nancie Hillsman, Rosaleen Barazzone and John Ivancik who served on the Nominating Committee and Len Addiss, Joe Frost and Susan Holt who tallied the ballots during the June 11th meeting of the General Membership.

	April 2011 - The Board of Directors selected Jeff MacDonald as the new Project Inspector for Drum Point. Mr. MacDonald has more than 30 years experience managing road construction projects (see the summer edition of the Newsletter, available on this webpage, for more detail).

	March 2011 - As many of you may have gathered, all General Membership meetings are now being held at the Southern Community Center. This was a cost-cutting measure by the DPPOA Board. Due to the difficulty in scheduling and confirming Wednesday evening meetings at the Southern Community Center, the Board made a decision in January of 2011 to hold all meetings on Saturdays - two in the mornings at 10:00 a.m. and two in the evening at 7:00 p.m. The Board felt it important to continue with the two morning and two evening meetings each year in order to afford everyone an opportunity to attend as often as possible, given their own busy schedules.

	February 10, 2011 - The formal notification regarding a parking area at the River View Drive/Lake Vista Dry Hydrant states, “The [Appeals] Board finds the applicants are requesting a variance in the waterfront buffer requirement for the purpose of constructing a parking lot for fire trucks to receive water from Lake Vista through a dry hydrant…that the proposed parking area for fire trucks is intended to provide fire protection service for the community therein promoting the safety and general welfare of Drum Point’s residents. Based on these findings of fact, the Board concludes the requested variance will not adversely affect the Comprehensive Plan.” The Appeals Board does require that a “Buffer Management Plan” be instituted which includes the planting of trees and shrubs and the use of railroad ties to help stabilize the gravel area on which the proposed pumper truck would park. The area in question will be 351 square feet in size and, per a decision by the Board at the February 1^st meeting, parking will be restricted to use by emergency vehicles only.

	February 2011 - See the new Environmental Page - bottom left of opening page to website.

	January 6, 2010 - The Calvert County Board of Appeals granted the request for a variance to install a parking area (351 sq ft) in the critical area, adjacent to Lake Vista for use by emergency vehicles.

	January 6, 2010 - The Calvert County Board of Appeals has scheduled a hearing, set for 9:00 a.m. January 6th, in the Commissioners' Hearing Room (second floor of the Courthouse in Prince Frederick). This hearing is a response to the Association request to build a parking area (351 sq ft) in the critical area, adjacent to Lake Vista for access by emergency vehicles to the dry hydrant.

	December 10, 2010 - Speed limit signs and a three-way stop have been added to Lake Drive in an attempt to slow traffic on that street. Please be aware the signs have been placed in the Association rights of way, and every attempt was made to make them as unobtrusive as possible. These signs were placed with guidance from the Calvert County Department of Public Works.

	November 23, 2010 - The signs to slow traffic on Lake Drive were just delivered and will be placed within the next week or two.

	October 5, 2010 - In an effort to slow the traffic on Lake Drive, the Board of Directors, voted to place signage, per the recommendation of members of the Department of Public Works. The signs will be ordered but will take several weeks to arrive. If these measures are successful, other areas will be considered. The Board also requested the Department of Public Works consider traffic-calming measures for Barreda Boulevard, a County-maintained road.

	September 8, 2010 - Joan Jaquette and Bud Dombroski of the County Public Works Department conducted a site visit of Lake Drive, Lake Place, Bay Drive (at the causeway) and Barreda Boulevard to discuss options for traffic calming.

The Board of Directors was represented by Amy, Sam, and Dan. Sue Fisher of Lake Drive joined us as well. Options under consideration could include selective use of striping, rumble tape, shallow speed humps, or additional signs. Joan and Bud shared their knowledge of pros and cons of each of the traffic calming methods. They will return to take measurements of road curvatures and widths and write up a review for us detailing options deemed practical and effective for the sites. After we receive the results of their consultation, we will bring the topic to the Board for discussion.

Updates on the progress of these efforts will be posted on this web page.

August 10, 2010 - First DPPOA Board of Directors annual report to the Board of County Commissioners - presented by John McCall (outgoing Board President) and Gary Heal (incoming Board President). A copy of the report and the attachments can be obtained from the Association office or by clicking on the following links:

Drum Point 2010 Report to BOCC.PDF

Drum Point 2010 Report to BOCC Attachment I. PDF

Drum Point 2010 Report to BOCC Attachment II.PDF

June 30, 2010 - Results of question regarding upgrade of roads for possible turnover to County (Are you in favor of the Drum Point Property Owners' Association spending funds to bring some roads up to County standard in order to turn ownership of said roads and rights of way over to Calvert County):

Number of ballots returned: 366

Number of valid ballots: 357

Number of invalid ballots: 9

Number of Yes votes: 96

Number of No votes: 261

DPPOA 2010 budget and dues under revision. Billing still to be mailed!

Our treasurer is busy revising our revised, revised, budget in consideration of the new Special Tax District (STD) Agreement’s impact on our own DPPOA Budget. This will be discussed at the March 20^th General Membership meeting. We will also present a recommendation to increase dues to $60.00 per year. Although this may seem high, the reduction of the STD from $192.00 to $50.00 dramatically cut funding for administrative costs and effectively reduced the amount we are permitted to spend on restoring the beach and maintenance of DPPOA-owned easements to the water, as well as any non-road related maintenance. With the proposed increase, the total cost of being a member in Good Standing will be $60.00 in membership dues, $50.00 for STD Fees and the $10.00 Covenant Fee. This is a total of $120.00, a net reduction in total costs of $107.00 from last year’s cost of $227.00.

	STD III amended by Board of County Commissioners @ $50/lot. (click here)
	STD IV not approved. DPPOA 2010 membership dues billing is delayed!
	June Bylaw amendments fail to reach required 2/3 approval at meeting.
	Next membership Meetings!

Note the meetings will be conducted according to the state quorum law to be invoked by the members at the meeting, by which all those attending the subsequent meeting will constitute a valid quorum for the conduct of any business regardless of the attendance.

Community Emergency Services Team CERT training.

If any members of our community decide that they would like to attend a future training class, just fill out the attached CERT registration form and send it on in to Sandy Simmons,

Emergency Planner
Department of Public Safety
Emergency Management Division
175 Main Street, Courthouse
Prince Frederick, MD 20678

Ian Preuss, Emergency Planner, 410-535-1600, ext. 2537 or 443-624-1944

Past Meeting Notes:

	December 2009: Max Munger retires from BOD! STD III amended and agreement still under discussion with county. No approved budgets. Roads turnover still a basic issue! Stormwater Management projects finally being completed!
	September 2009: The Special Tax District IV (STD IV) fails. STD III amended by BOCC. Operating Agreement has not yet been agreed or signed. All budgets are invalid.
	June 2009 General membership meeting: 2010 budget passed, all bylaw amendments failed, new elected officers announced.
	March 2009 General membership meeting: STD IV discussed, no quorum, no business conducted, forced a mail ballot for elections.
	December 2008 General Membership Meeting: The proposed projects for FY2010-2014 funding were presented and discussed. A survey form is available for property owners to rate the desirability of each project and provide feedback to the BOD before setting a STD IV budget submission to the BOCC.
	September 2008 General Membership Meeting: The 2009 DPPOA budget was approved. First SHUR funding has been deposited. The first dry hydrant is installed and working.
	June 2008 General Membership Meeting: Newly elected directors took office. Welcome Bob Pattison and Sam Bergeson-Willis. No change in officer positions. No quorum, no business conducted. Budget was not voted. See notice above regarding quorum for Sept meeting.
	March 2008 General Membership Meeting: DPPOA is keeping its roads:

Carol Weinberg related the history of the first STD and preparations for the second STD. It was during this time the Board came to the community regarding the reluctance of the County to take the roads. A recommendation was made and accepted at that time to simply bring all the roads up to the best standard possible. This decision had been published in the newsletter.

A motion was made that, “we no longer try to get our roads put under the care of the County and that we care for them ourselves.” The motion was seconded, and discussion followed. A second motion was made and passed, to table the original motion until the September meeting of the membership in order to allow time for information to be distributed to property owners that they may make an intelligent decision. The Board is currently seeking comment and feedback on the recommendation which was published in the most recent newsletter.

Elections: John Gray and Dennis Baker will run for the upcoming term. Sam Bergeson-Willis and Bob Pattison have also agreed to run.

	Dec 2007 General Membership Meeting: State Highway User Revenue/tax funds to be available to DPPOA in July 2008. Causeway guardrail reduction project is completed. Dry hydrants to be installed under grant program. 2007 Budget passes as presented in the newsletter. DPPOA given authority to issue Quit Claim deeds on riparian issues. 2008 Budget committee to look at additional revenues, Reserve requirements and STD rates.
	March 2007 General Membership Meeting: All outstanding reimbursements received from FEMA and STD funding requests. Includes all causeway reconstruction, equalizer pipe and office septic tank replacements. BOCC approves State Highway User Revenue Sharing (SHUR) for DPPOA! STD operating agreement revision on BOCC agenda March 27th! Approved DPPOA acceptance of reasonable land donations! approved Gribble Quit Claim for pier construction! Motion to consider blanket quit claim approval at June meeting!
	Lusby Village Green: Calvert County has begun its planning efforts! The BOCC has delayed any planning action until 2010 in conjunction with an as yet unknown developer. (The dirt pile is NOT in the Village Green) More later...
	Water Data for Calvert County Wells. There is a nice clickable map that has links to real time wells and other monitoring wells in all of Calvert county including a few right near Chesapeake Ranch. (Courtesy of USGS) http://md.water.usgs.gov/groundwater/calvert/

Also you should be aware of a new initiative here with Maryland Geological Survey and the Maryland Dept of Environment. It is a long-term assessment of the Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system. The study will be focused in Maryland but will include hydrologically appropriate areas of Delaware and Virginia. (Coastal Plain Study)

Here are the links to the Calvert County Economic Development and Planning and Zoning websites dealing with the Lusby Town Center.
http://www.co.cal.md.us/assets/Planning_Zoning/PDF_Files/LusbySlideshowJuly2005.pdf

	*Drum Point 2010 Report to BOCC.PDF***
	*Drum Point 2010 Report to BOCC Attachment I. PDF*
	*Drum Point 2010 Report to BOCC Attachment II.PDF***

	*Number of ballots returned: 366*
	*Number of valid ballots: 357*
	*Number of invalid ballots: 9*
	*Number of Yes votes: 96*
	*Number of No votes: 261*

	Carol Weinberg related the history of the first STD and preparations for the second STD. It was during this time the Board came to the community regarding the reluctance of the County to take the roads. A recommendation was made and accepted at that time to simply bring all the roads up to the best standard possible. This decision had been published in the newsletter.
	A motion was made that, “we no longer try to get our roads put under the care of the County and that we care for them ourselves.” The motion was seconded, and discussion followed. A second motion was made and passed, to table the original motion until the September meeting of the membership in order to allow time for information to be distributed to property owners that they may make an intelligent decision. The Board is currently seeking comment and feedback on the recommendation which was published in the most recent newsletter.
	Elections: John Gray and Dennis Baker will run for the upcoming term. Sam Bergeson-Willis and Bob Pattison have also agreed to run.