Newsletter: 3rd Quarter 2015

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National Night Out 2015: A Huge Success

On Tuesday evening, August 4th, the Country Lakes Homeowner’s Association (CLHA) was proud to host its annual National Night Out event at the common area pavilion located at the corner of Asher Road & Cox Drive. This event was in conjunction with other National Night Out events across the country.

Approximately 120 Country Lakes residents and their guests were in attendance. While the weather was a little on the warm side, the drinks were cold, the grilled hot dogs & hamburgers were delicious, and fun was had by all.

Special guests for this event were invited emergency responders and representatives from the community. Specifically the following were in attendance: The Mechanicsville Volunteer Rescue Squad, the Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department, Stanley Williams, the former St. Mary’s County Emergency Services Recruitment & Retention Coordinator, Pat Myers and others from St. Mary’s County Crime Solvers, Lt. Eva Jones of  the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, Trooper 1st Class Ed Mersman of the Maryland State Police- Leonardtown Barrack, and SMECO personnel with one of their service trucks.  Thank you to all of groups for talking to guests, handing out literature, and doing demonstrations featuring their vehicles and/or equipment.

CLHA board member Jim Loveless acted as DJ and organized games for attendees such as musical chairs & water-balloon tosses. Thank you to the CLHA board members & others who volunteered their time & efforts to bring food, drinks, deserts, snacks, condiments, supplies, games, and prizes. A special  thank you to our grill-masters who cooked hamburgers & hotdogs for all to enjoy.

This is the CLHA’s biggest and most popular event of the year – all made possible by Association dues paid by CLHA members. We look forward to seeing you at the nextCountry Lakes National Night Out event in 2016!

View pictures from the event here

Upcoming Events for 4th Quarter 2015

Our Board Meetings are held every four weeks on Tuesdays at either the park pavilion (during warm months) or the Christ Church Parish Hall on Zack Fowler Rd. in Chaptico (during cold months). Please bring your ideas/suggestions/complaints and we’ll try our best to address them appropriately. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend these meetings!  Want to Volunteer? Call 301-884-7297 or go online at CLHA.org

SEPTEMBER 12th – Fall Community Yard Sale – 7am

Set up at your house or the CLHA common area on a first-come, first-served bases. Once again we’ll be advertising a community-wide yard sale for the benefit of all residents. This is your chance to sell those unused, excess, or outgrown items you have around the house.

15th – HOA Board Meeting – Park pavilion, 7pm

View our Complete Event Calendar & Details here

What’s Happening Online: Facebook Update

Have you seen the CLHA Facebook page? It’s an easy and quick way to communicate with your neighbors and board members directly. We currently have 339 followers (up 56% from last quarter) and our posts often go viral, extending to “friends” of those followers as well. Our most popular post in the 3rd quarter of 2015 reached more than 400 people on Facebook! It was a Sheriff’s department post that we shared with our neighbors!  Join us today.

New HOA President Assigned!

Due to personal reasons, our friend and long time HOA President Elaine Green resigned in late August. We would like to thank her for the many years of volunteer time she contributed to Country Lakes. She will be missed at board meetings, but we hope to continue to see her at community events.  With that said, the acting CLHA President for the remainder of 2015 will be our VP, Cesar Afanador. Welcome Cesar!

REMINDER : Yearly Dues Statements

If you have yet to pay your 2015 HOA dues statements you are now past due and may incur a late fee.  Remember the total is now $44.51, which is 5% higher than last years dues. This amount equates to just $2.12 more over the course of the year. We appreciate all of our homeowners and must occasionally raise the dues to ensure we can continue to maintain the common grounds to your standards.  Many of these funds go to the yearly events and new projects to improve the park.  Thanks to everyone who has already paid their dues. Questions? Submit a request form or Email: propertymanagement@clha.org

Neighborhood Safety

We just wanted to remind you all to be mindful of your surroundings. Get to know your neighbors. Look out for one another. There is safety in numbers! If you are interested in joining our Neighborhood Watch Program, please contact Donald “Pud” Graham at 301-884-5236 or 301-717-6474.

Reserve the Pavilion or Lighted SIgn

The CLHA pavilion is a great place to hold a gathering of family or friends and it’s FREE. The common area playground and ball fields are located nearby. An electrical output is available and two fixed charcoal grills near the pavilion can be used for outdoor cooking. The CLHA pavilion can only be reserved for private, personal get-togethers such as birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, family reunions, and picnics. It’s not available for organizational meetings or fundraisers. Personal, non-commercial messages (for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, etc.,) can be posted on the CLHA lighted sign. The charge is $5 per day for a maximum of 5 days, payable in advance.  You can call our voicemail line for reservations or reserve them here, Lighted Sign; Pavilion. We require a 2 week advanced notice. Only members in good standing (dues are current) can reserve either option.

Want to Volunteer? Call 301-884-7297 or submit this form

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