Board Meeting Minutes
Minutes of Board Meeting 11-26-06
The fall meeting of the MSCA Board of Directors was held at the home of the President, Bob Gross, on November 26, 2006.
The President opened the meeting at 7:00. The Board discussed the next issue of the Tetragon. Bob will craft the message from the President, and we will include vacancy notices for the Board of Directors, landscaping progress, next meeting times, a bikeway update, and dates for spring events.
The date for the annual meeting was set at May 29th, 7:30-9:00 PM, location to be determined. The Board will again solicit candidates for all offices and committees. We urgently need a Vice President, a Transportation Chair, and a Landscaping Chair.
The date for the community yard sale was set for May 20th to avoid Mothers Day.
On landscaping, Bob will authorize the landscaper to plant pansies for the fall. The Treasurer noted that the some bills had not yet come in for work done this summer, and the Board asked to get a final accounting promptly from the landscaper for the year.
The Board discussed several projects that affect our local area. One, the Seven Locks Bikeway study continues in its preliminary planning phase. Information about the project can be found on the Montgomery County Department of Public Works and Transportation web page www.montgomerycountymd.gov/dpwt under "Capital Projects and Construction." Specific information about the project can be found by clicking here: Division of Capital Development.
The second major project is the development at Fortune Park. The primary site developers, Folger & Pratt, have filed change requests with the County that alter their proposed development in several ways. The County already approved a change to replace several garden apartments with high rise buildings. The new changes affect the commercial areas, altering the concept for a high-line hotel to a more residential suites style, and changing some of the store layouts to include a major, upscale, grocery store to be announced, and moving from above-ground parking to covered parking in that area. With the change, the developers want to make access to and from the development easier for those living west of I-270. The Board had a chance to view the plans and comment on them, and opposed a new ramp from the development onto Montrose Road westbound. Traffic from I-270 already merges with Montrose Road at this point, and people wishing to turn south on Seven Locks have to cross several lanes quickly, with limited sight of traffic coming over the bridge from the east. The proposed ramp from Fortune Park onto Montrose Road would add to this problem.
Interventions by MSCA, through various meetings with County planners, have also brought progress at the Seven Locks Road and Montrose Road intersection. New sidewalks, ramps, and an island are designed to enhance pedestrian safety at this major intersection, which will see even more foot traffic as Fortune Park development proceeds.
The Board fixed dues for 2007 at the same amount as prior years, $50. In response to a question about the nature of MSCA's
incorporation and whether dues should be considered tax deductible, it was the Board's non-professional opinion that we should not
advise anyone that payments are tax deductible. Although we are a not for profit corporation, we are not a charitable organization per se.
In closing, the President thanked everyone for coming.
Meeting was adjourned.
