MVF Executive Vice President's Report - Montgomery ...
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5
March 2021 MVF Executive Vice
President’s Report
1. General
A. Bloom Construction update - Monument, who is developing buildable lots to sell to
Ryan Homes, reports that construction in February was challenging, with several poor
weather days and resulting delays. However, with recent improved conditions they are
continuing to focus on utility installation (sewer, water, electric and stormwater
management) and grading work in Area 4. (Area between Montgomery Village Avenue
and Arrowhead Road) Paving for the southern half of Area 4 should commence later this
month and if the weather cooperates, paving should be tied in at Arrowhead by mid-April.
In Area 5 (behind Fairway island of Patton Ridge HOA down towards Stewartown Road)
they plan to begin utility work soon and retaining wall work at the beginning of April.
Associated grading work in Area 5 will be ongoing as weather allows. A utility conflict at
the southwest corner of Area 4 (at Montgomery Village Avenue) will delay completion of
that entrance to mid-May. Ryan Homes expects to start construction on the model homes
in mid-April, with completion and community sales launch by mid-July. Monument also
reports that they will apply for an amendment to Area 1 to take advantage of the
Opportunity Zone legislation enacted that the County Council adopted at the end of last
year. Since Area 1 (old Golf Clubhouse area) is entirely within the Opportunity Zone, they
are entitled to impact tax exemption without the 25% MPDU requirement. Thus, they are
reducing the MPDUs back down to 12.5%. The balance of the site will still achieve the
25% MPDU requirement as required by law.
B. Lakeforest Mall Master Plan – The City staff presented a draft of the Lakeforest Master
Plan at the March 8th Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council work session with the Planning
Commission in attendance. The plan was drafted by city staff after reviewing many
comments from the public. The plan can be reviewed on the City of Gaithersburg website
on: www.Gaithersburgmd.gov. In summary the draft plan proposes mixed use zoning,
1600 housing units (mostly multi-family, no single family) a mix of commercial and office
uses, limits to single use retailers of not more than 30,000 sq. ft., 40% greenspace
requirement, relocation of the transit center closer to the BRT on MD RT 355. There was
considerable discussion about the amount of affordable housing that should be included
on the approximate 100-acre property. A 60-day comment period will begin at the end of
March and another city work session is expected in June with projected adoption of the
new master plan by the City Council during August of this year.
C. Montgomery County Executive Order/Covid Response - On March 12, 2021, the
Montgomery County Council voted in favor of approving the latest set of health regulations
regarding COVID-19. With this round of regulations Montgomery County has started to
ease restrictions, based partially on the decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases, and
the progress on the vaccination front. The main changes with this round of regulations,
that will impact the MVF operation, includes: Recreation centers are now permitted to
open for up to 25 people/25% percentage of occupancy, whichever is more
conservative. On March 26, 2021 this will move to 50 people or 50% of occupancy. Over
the winter, the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services permitted
MVF to offer certain fitness and sports programs at Lake Marion Community Center Gym,
and now with this change in regulations we can start looking at opening more facilities for
different types of activities. Also, MVF will be able to allow more residents to attend our
outdoor programs and events as the limit has increased from 25 people to 50 people.D. 2021 General Assembly Session Update – There is less than a month to go in this
year’s State Legislative Session. Here is an update on the Bills we identified last month of
importance to Montgomery Village HOAs and Condos.
Reserve Studies – HB313 to require state-wide reserves studies, was amended to
exempt HOAs with assets that cost less than $10K when initially purchased. As of March
17, it had not had a vote in the full House. HB567, applying only to Montgomery County,
was heard in the House Environment and Transportation committee, but no vote has been
taken to pass it on to the full house.
Establishing Quorum for Annual Meetings – Montgomery Village’s Senator Nancy King
has introduced SB0535 this session, which will make it easier for associations to establish
a quorum. HB593 on the same topic was cross-filed in the House, passed in February,
and is awaiting hearing with Senator King’s Bill in Judicial Proceedings. Passage of the
Bills is likely, but could be delayed if other Bills get priority consideration in the last few
weeks of the Session.
Maryland Swimming Pool and Spa Standards HB109/SB254 –
HB 109 passed in the House and is awaiting a hearing with SB254 in the Judicial
Proceedings Committee. These Bills were carefully drafted over a number of years with
input from the County Health Departments, private industry and state agencies, and have
the support of the Maryland Association of Counties. The standards cover both
construction (administered by the Dept. of Labor) and operations (administered by the
Health Department) In Montgomery County, the County Health Department is responsible
for both construction and operations, and believes that the new standards for construction
will be beneficial, because the old standards did not fully address new pool features such
as “beach” entries. Passage of this Bill is likely.
Other Bills MVF is monitoring include:
HB0110/SB0144 -- Requires common ownership communities to permit electric car
charging stations. Passed in the House. Awaiting action by JPR committee in the Senate.
HB 248 -- Prohibits communities from regulating composting by unit owners. MVF is
worked with the sponsor to amend the Bill to allow reasonable restrictions as to location of
composting activity. Passed in the House and awaiting action by JPR committee in the
Senate.
HB 0322 -- Prohibits communities from unreasonably restricting low impact landscaping,
such as combinations of rocks and vegetation that do not require watering. Passed in the
House. Awaiting action by JPR committee in the Senate.
HB0367 -- Requires Community Mangers to be licensed. (The Bill does not require MVF
mangers to be licensed because they only provide services to MVF-affiliated
communities.) Awaiting action by JPR committee in the Senate.
HB772 -- Permits debtors, such as delinquent MVF owners, to retain up to $2600 in bank
accounts that a creditor seeks to garnish after obtaining a judgment. Bill was withdrawn by
Delegate Queen.
HB0826 -- Creates a dispute resolution process for HOAs and Condos whose governing
documents do not include a process. Passed in the House. Awaiting action by JPR
committee in Senate.
HB1023 -- Expands the authority of associations to permit boards and committees
SB0686 to meet virtually. No action taken by committee on House Bill. Senate Bill voted
favorably by JPR committee. Not heard by full Senate yet.
HB1305 -- Reduces required insurance coverage on detached condo units. No action
taken by the house.
2As the Session continues, MVF will continue to provide information to the MVF
communities about bills that could affect them.
2. Architectural Standards
A. Architectural Application Review (February 1 - 28, 2021)
Submitted architectural modifications reviewed In-House with Design Consultant: 87
items
Architectural violations reviewed In-House with Design Consultant: 32 items
Submitted architectural modifications reviewed by ARB: 0 Items
Architectural violations reviewed by ARB: 0 items
Appeals considered by ARB: 0 items
Application Completion Inspections: 77 items
TOTAL: 196 items
B. Architectural Compliance:
1. Statistics:
The following statistics reflect the results of various scheduled and follow-up inspections
in Montgomery Village’s residential communities by the Architectural Standards
Compliance team as of February 28, 2021. These statistics reflect the number of
properties inspected by the AS Compliance Specialists. The average number of
violations noted and pursued on each property inspected is three or more.
SmartWebs Enforcement 2021 2020
YTD MTD YTD MTD
a) Total Scheduled Inspections 123 59 303 86
b) New Violations 97 43 227 67
c) Scheduled Inspections (No Violations) 43 17 105 39
d) Cases Closed 55 37 147 80
e) New Running Violations (Correct by Resale) 1 1 9 4
f) Executive Committee Appeals 0 0 0 0
g) Suspended Membership Privileges 0 0 0 0
h) Lawsuits filed 0 0 0 0
i) Complaints filed at CCOC 0 0 0 0
j) Resale Certificates 65 33 65 40
2. 2021 Scheduled Community Inspections:
East Village Homes Corporation – 4 subdivisions (979 properties)
Middle Village Homes Corporation – 2 subdivisions (528 properties)
Horizon Run Homes Corporation – 1 subdivision (154 properties)
[Total properties to be inspected = 1,661]
3. Inspections and Violations Processed as of February 28, 2021:
East Village (Christine Sharp)
• The Reach (141 Town Homes) – 88 properties were inspected and processed in
SmartWebs for February.
East Village (Lauren Evans)
• Gablefield (80 Single Family Homes) – 32 properties have been inspected and
processed in 2020. All remaining properties were inspected and processed in
SmartWebs for February.
• Holly Pointe (117 Town Homes) – Inspections to being in March 2020.
3C. Architectural Standards Fees (MVF Revenue) through February 28, 2021:
Total AS Department Revenue 2021 2020
YTD MTD YTD MTD
a) bViolation Review Fees: $675 $425 $825 $950
b) Resale Disclosure Fees: $15,886 $8,180 $13,166 $7,330
D. Architectural Standards Committee Meetings:
Architectural Review Board (ARB): The ARB held a remote meeting using the Zoom
video conferencing platform on March 3, 2021 to review committee business matters
including the welcome of John Driscoll and Louis Mayer to the committee. There were no
active agenda items for review. The next ARB meeting is scheduled for April 7, 2021.
Commercial Architectural Review Committee: The CARC did not meet in March 2020.
The next scheduled meeting is April 2, 2021.
E. Other Department News:
The Architectural Standards Department continues to operate remotely, conducting legally-
required resale inspections, providing customer service to residents, reviewing new
Property Improvement Request applications along with scheduled and reported inspections.
Application volume is beginning to pick up again this winter season, however, with numbers
are still in line with our monthly average, and the resale market still continues to be busy,
and our current volume is slightly above our normal monthly average.
3. Communications
A. Committees
Nominating Committee – met on March 9 to review Student representative applications.
The committee forwarded 2 candidates to the MVF Board for interview during closed
session. The chosen Student Rep will be installed at the April 22 Board meeting.
Election Committee – met on March 19 to review and validate the final MVF election
ballots. Over 1,700 ballots were returned, validated and counted. The committee watched a
virtual ballot count (similar to June 2020) to determine the election results, which were
announced immediately following online.
B. Marketing
MVF Board of Directors Election – candidate information for the 2021 MVF Board election
was included in the Feb. 5 Village News and online at www.montgomeryvillage.com, including
the candidate video interviews. These items were pushed on social media, along with the
message to return ballots quickly. Videos have been viewed over 300 times by residents, and
the steady return of ballots indicates that messaging is working.
Recreation Programs – continued to be marketed through the Spring Recreation Guide,
online and on social media. In addition, the lobby TVs and the LMCC digital sign are being
used to alert residents to new activities available to them.
C. Village News
There was no printed Village News in March; the next print issue is scheduled for Friday, May
7. News continues to be posted online and emailed each week. Even with a shorter month,
February proved good for news website traffic, with over 5,000 hits (see stats below). With the
decrease in print, staff anticipates a steady increase in website traffic. Articles posted on the
site are referenced in various social media queries, showing that news is being looked at
online.D. Personnel
Staff continues to work on professional development through online classes, videos, and
training opportunities.
E. Online
montgomeryvillage.com – February:
monthly hits: 23,559
mobile sessions: 3,421
most visited pages: contact us; login; member dashboard; jobs/volunteer opportunities; PIR
form; Village communities; employment application; assessment fees; pay assessments
online; classes & programs; projects & development
mvnews.online – February:
monthly hits: 5,144
mobile sessions: 1,270
most visited pages: staying aware; Activity Card changes; In the News; digital trail map; Pepco
equipmentupgrade; EVP updates; HOA/COA pages; MVF Board election; BOD motions
Twitter
745 followers (up from 740 in January)
Tweet Impressions: 10.8K; 19 Mentions; 210 Profile Visits
Top Tweet: “Misplaced your ballot? Call us and we can replace it.”
Facebook
2,424 followers (up from 2,360 in January)
Post Reach – 2,587 (up 39%)
Engagement – 956 (up 21%)
Page Views – 389
Video views – 22
Most engaging post: “Whetstone Dam Toe Drain Meeting”
Instagram
451 followers (up from 433 in January)
20 interactions
245 accounts reached
Top Post: “New Playground”
LinkedIn
73 followers (up from 69 in January)
YouTube
58 subscribers (up from 54 in January)
Staff continues to monitor NextDoor and other Facebook groups for conversations that MVF
can add to and be helpful and shares information where appropriate. Recent topics of interest
have focused on the Airpark and the MVF Board election. Some groups are harder to monitor
as they are private to residents or select groups only. Staff discusses a daily report of posts to
watch for activity.
5F. Advertising
Regular advertising clients are benefiting from a mix of online and print advertising this year.
Most are in print and at minimum in the online business directory. Staff continues to work with
new clients and offer mixed packages to sustain name recognition within the Village.
Revenue Collected:
Jan - $1,930; Feb - $3,696; YTD - $5,026
Staff has continued to purse overdue accounts to settle balances. Only 2 accounts remain
unpaid at this time.
Google ads have increased again in February. At present, the total is $60.49, a $5 increase
from last month. As usual, funds will not be released until they reach $100.
4. Community Management
A. Homes Corporation and Condominium Updates:
The 2021 Annual Meeting cycle is currently underway with most meeting scheduled for
completion in March and April.
2020 – Audit field work has been completed and drafts are being presented to the boards
for review.
2021 – Covenant Compliance Inspections have begun.
Christopher The board approved the removal of six additional trees and will plant 6
Court Land in various locations as a replacement. The board is reviewing several
Association landscape enhancement proposals.
The board approved the 2020 draft audit as presented. A quorum was
Eastgate
not established for the March meeting and notices are in the process
of being mailed for the rescheduled date in May.
The board is considering modifications to the towing policy. A reserve
East Village
study update will be performed in 2021 and the board will begin to
consider projects in the spring.
The board entered into an agreement with Brightview Landscaping for
Horizon Run
landscape services which began on January 17th. The common area
drain lines were jetted in February with no issues. There was one roof
approved for replacement because it was damaged and leaking.
There was no quorum for the Annual Meeting and notices have been
Maryland Place
mailed for the reconvened meeting scheduled for April. The board will
be considering a lighting replacement project for street lights in 2021
as well as various necessary areas of concrete sidewalks.
The board is holding a second town hall meeting regarding a new
North Village
parking policy which includes permits. There will be a reserve study
update in 2021 with the site visit planned for March.
Gutters were cleaned in March. The board will be considering the
Park Place I
option to paint the stairwell ceilings and also treating the wood on the
stairwell. Notification to remind resident to turn of the exterior water
closet heaters was mailed in March.
No items to report this month.
Park Place II
The project for the Doolittle Retaining wall replacement is still in the
Patton Ridge
permitting phase with plans to begin work immediately once the
permits are approved. The board will be considering a project to pave
a section of the community as well as painting all of the parking
spaces. The board is also considering replacement of both
playgrounds.
6Construction on the projects approved and authorized through the
South Village
CBDG grant began the week of October 5th. Work on the lighting
portion of the project began in January and is ongoing. Dormant
pruning throughout the community was completed. Removal of
several dead and declining trees in various locations was completed.
Street repaving in Nathans Hill and The Hamptons has been approved
and will be scheduled for early summer. The board will be considering
proposals to paint the work “Visitor” on unmarked spaces.
The board continues to explore the possibility of parking permits for the
Stedwick
community. A draft policy was prepared and translated and made
available to review on the website. Several residents submitted
comments and suggestions. The Annual Meeting was held on March
17, 2021.
Gutter cleaning was performed. The board has approved the
Thomas Choice
replacement of several roofs due to deterioration. The board will be
Condominium
considering a study of the storm drain systems as a result of several
recent breaks.
A large concrete and asphalt project has been approved and will be
scheduled for spring/early summer. A tree pruning project in The Courts
of Whetstone and The Ridges was approved and the project is
Whetstone scheduled for March. The board approved the mailing for a Special
Meeting for the membership to consider amending the Declaration of
Covenants regarding parking of pickup trucks.
G. Finance and Administration
A. Delinquent Units and Court Cases
Delinquent Units 2020 2021 Court Cases 2020 2021
January 1,644 1,597 January 47 00
February 1,034 1,024 February 122 00
B. Interest in the amount of $4,425.26 was billed to overdue accounts in the month of
February 2021, in accordance with the Collection Policy.
C. Statement Notices: were mailed to residents on February 1, 2021
Statement Notices 2020 2021
February 1,924 1,899
D. Lawsuit Judgments Paid & Satisfied –January 2021 through February 2021 – 5 Judgments
E. Settlements: 29 new homeowners were processed between February 1, 2021 and
February 28, 2021. Of those, 29 were homes corporations and none were condos.
F. Transfer Fees: $2,175.00 was collected from February 1, 2021 and February 28, 2021.
H. Recreation, Parks and Culture
Projects:
A. Staff have worked to finalize the colors for the furnishings and shade shelters that will
be part of the new Central Park, which will be located at the former Montgomery
Village Golf Course.
B. The contractor that installed the playground at Martin P. Roy returned the week of
March 1 to complete the required repairs on the swings.
C. All parking enforcement signs were installed at MVF-owned lots.
D. A window repair at Lake Whetstone Boat Dock was completed on March 1.
7E. The new interactive online trail map of the Montgomery Village path network and
parks was launched on February 24.
F. Staff has begun planning and coordinating pre-season pool cleaning and
maintenance projects with our pool contractors. Work will begin before the end of
March.
G. Klappenberger and Son painters will begin the process of repairing and painting the
Lake Marion gymnasium ceiling on March 22. The project is anticipated to take
approximately 3 weeks to complete.
H. The concrete floor of the new North Creek Pool has been poured. The pool walls are
scheduled to be shot with concrete on Monday March 22. The bathhouse demolition is
complete and new plumbing lines are being laid. Work on the bathhouse addition and
elevator shaft is to begin soon.
I. KCI Technologies is working on the design for the stormwater management facilities for
the Watkins Mill Pool re-purpose project. Upon completion of the design, KCI will
submit the design to Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services for review
and approval.
J. Architectural Standards reviewed and approved the new entrance signs for Apple
Ridge Ballfield, Clubside Park, Martin P. Roy Park and Ed DeSimon Park. Signs
will be installed in April.
K. Ecotone has begun work on replacing the 20’ corrugated aluminum drain pipe at North
Creek Nature Center. Work is schedule to be completed the week of March 15.
Programs:
A. March 1st completed our Coat Drive in which we partnered with Cross Community
Church for gently used or new coats. Over 100 coats were donated during the drive.
B. Our Seniors in Action (SiA) virtual program continues to engage our Seniors with
weekly programming. Currently we have a total of 46 participants signed up and it
continues to grow weekly. The virtual programing consists of 5-days a week activity,
including: bingo and games, Zumba, yoga, bridge, guest speakers, crafts, trivia, and
socials.
C. Montgomery Village Foundation was able to continue its partnership with Por Nuestra
Salud y Bienestar to offer free COVID-19 testing every other Saturday through April, at
Stedwick Community Center.
D. On Saturday, March 27 we will host another food drive where all donated goods will be
donated to Gaithersburg Help.
8E. Spring class registration opened on February 5. Below are the class offerings and
registration numbers:
• Aerobic Dance and Strength & Flexibility (5)
• Outdoor T-Ball (9)
• Outdoor MVF youth Soccer (10)
• Outdoor Yoga on the Deck (3)
• Gentle Yoga (8)
• Youth Dance classes (17)
• Basketball Express (18)
• Outdoor Pickleball classes, league and tournaments (24)
• Easter Eggtravaganza for families (80)
• Scavenger Hunt (20)
• 5k and 10k training programs (8)
• Outdoor wine and paint/craft (7)
• Tailgate Bingo (11)
• Rake the Lake (10)
F. Farmers Market is fully booked with vendors for the 2021 season. New vendors
include: MODbars LLC, House of Quince, Misfits Winery, Twin Valley Distillery, and
Stone Hearth Bakery.
Personnel
A. Natalie Phillip has accepted the position as the Registration and Programming
Assistant and will start on March 29.
B. Staff began interviewing for the open Recreation Specialist position on March 15.
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