Spring Newsletter

The Newsletter of the Lakewinds Homeowners’ Association • March 2022 www.LakewindsHOA.com • LakewindsHOA@gmail.com

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Neighborhood Maintenance/News: · With the warmer weather comes the removal and burning of old brush, reminder that there is NO OPEN BURNING permitted at any time. · The Board is looking into adding additional street lamps especially near the entrance to the paths. More to follow on this progress · The 2022 Landscaping contract has been awarded to C&C Landscaping, this will include the cutting of Lakewinds common areas and 3 leaf sweeps in the fall.

Assessment Collection: Per Lakewinds governing documents, owners pay an annual assessment (due by April 15th). While the Board may grant extensions for those who request them, or develop payment plan for those in-arrears, eventually we turn debt over for collection. As late payments penalize other owners by curbing maintenance efforts, DELINQUENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MISSED ASSESSMENT, INTEREST, AND PENALTIES AS WELL AS ALL COLLECTION/LEGAL FEES. Worst case, we will place a lien on the property that could delay its sale. During the collection process, owners forfeit their ability to vote for new Board members or weigh in on governing changes or to have a second reserved parking spot. Parking: According to Lakewinds HOA Bylaws Article VI (Parking Rights), each home in the Carved Stone, Better Hours and Peace Chimes courts is entitled to two parking spaces, one of which is a reserved spot. Given the difficulties that have arisen in recent years due to home-owners using more than their two allotted parking spaces, three years ago the Board agreed to grant a second reserved parking spot to any homeowner in good standing who requested one. As of summer 2021 only 17 homeowners responded to the newsletter posting about the second reserved parking spot. In October 2021 these 17 homeowners received a second reserved parking space. The Board is currently working with the contractor to set up a second date for creating additional reserved parking spaces. Please email us ASAP at LakewindsHOA@gmail.com if you are interested in receiving a SECOND RESERVED PARKING SPOT. Parking Violations: Towable violations include parking in someone else’s reserve space, double parking, and obstructing the mailboxes. This applies to renters as well as home owners. If your unit is a rental, please inform your tenants. They can learn about other Lakewinds rules by consulting our website. The Board has engaged Hoffman Towing Services and information will be available should your vehicle get towed. Sidewalk Maintenance: According to Howard County Code section 18.402 it is the responsibility of the adjacent homeowners to keep sidewalks repaired and shoveled. Howard County will only repair sidewalks if 1) the damage occurred during a County utility project or 2) is due to the roots of trees in the County right-of-way. If you feel that there has been damage done to your adjacent sidewalk by the County and would like to request an evaluation, contact the Director of the Department of Public Works. A property owner whose property abuts a public sidewalk in need of repair may request the Director of Public Works to do the required sidewalk repair or replacement at the property owner's expense. See more information at the link below: https://www.howardcountymd.gov/sites/default/files/media/2015-12/Sec%2018.402.pdf Noise Ordinances: As we approach spring and start to consider having outdoor parties and get-togethers, please remember that the Lakewinds neighborhood is subject to Howard County noise ordinances. In daytime hours (officially 7am – 10pm) the maximum allowable noise levels are 65 decibels, while during nighttime hours (10pm – 7am) the maximum allowable noise levels are 55 decibels. For reference, normal conversation is generally 60 decibels, a noisy restaurant is about 80 decibels and a shouted conversation is 90-95 decibels. Please respect your neighbors and make sure to end the outdoor portion of your entertainment by 10pm! https://www.columbiaassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Item_06c_1_Noise-Ordinances-and-Regulations.pdf Lakeswinds HOA vs Owen Brown Covenants. As this information is identified in our HOA Guidelines, and with so many new homeowners as well as renters it would be nice to revisit the difference between an HOA and the Owen Brown Covenants. The HOA is responsible for the parking pads, the common areas and any maintenance that is required in those area i.e.; removal of cars with expired tags, common area landscaping, etc. The Owen Brown Covenants is responsible for the appearance of our homes, any updates being done to our homes, as well as landscaping on home yards. These types of things must go through the Owen Brown Architectural Committee, i.e.; additions to your residence (porch, deck, sunroom, etc), removal of a tree on your property, window and roofing replacements, siding replacement and or repairs, fencing your yard, etc. Go Paperless! More than 70% of Lakewinds homeowners have chosen environmentally friendly electronic notification. To join them, email us at LakewindsHOA@gmail.com. For homeowners that have stated they are not receiving any notifications, please check your spam and or junk mail. Identify that isn’t either of those and you should receive all future notifications. Seeking Board Members: Currently, the All-Volunteer Board has members in the Peace Chimes court and on Stag Horn. We’re looking for owners on the Carved Stone and Better Hours courts or other non-court residents to join us. If you’re interested or just want to volunteer for a special project, please email at the above address. LHOA Website: The Board is in the process of refreshing and updating information on our website. Be one the look-out over the next few months for communication regarding the website update. Board Meetings are Open to All Homeowners: The Board meets every two months via Zoom to discuss issues. Our next scheduled session: May 5, 2022. To receive the link, please email at least one day before the session. We will be posting the upcoming sessions on our website. Do you have suggestions? Email or speak with a board member.