Hilltop Community Meeting
Minutes
July 4, 2015
Our biannual business meeting took place at Hilltop’s 4th
of July annual party. At the brunch/meeting twenty-nine adult residents
represented twenty of our households, plus children, former residents (see
below) and visiting family members – a great turnout!
President Bryan opened the meeting.
The rain was a novelty this 4th of July. No
one remembers our party ever having been rained out before! Bryan thanked
Lance and Donna for opening their home for the party on short-notice.
Special thanks were also given to Lynette, our Social Committee Chair, for
an amazing job in arranging the party and moving it so efficiently. The
flags placed along the street were also conceived by her. As usual, the food
was wonderful, so thanks to everyone who provided the food and drinks for
the party.
Bryan welcomed our newest neighbors, Caroline and
Christian, and Gustavo, Veronica and their 6-month-old infant, to the
neighborhood. Caroline and Christian moved into the home of Len Schreiber
and Judy Beltz last September. Gustavo and Veronica moved into the Richard’s
home YESTERDAY. They were miraculously willing and able to come to the party
today. The Richards have moved to Atlanta for business.
The Formans (Kenan, Virginia, Noah and Sasha) returned
from their year in Aspen, Colorado, in time to get to the party. Len and
Judy, Lillian Denicoff and Ramon Mayceras also joined us from their nearby
new homes.
After three successful years as our Hilltop President,
Bryan needs to step down to have more time with his children (now 3 and 6
years old). Thus, it is time for elections!
Nominations were opened for the positions of President, Treasurer,
and Landscape Committee Chair.
Ron Stern was unanimously elected our new President,
and Carol Simon was unanimously elected our new Treasurer. Congratulations
to them, and best wishes for a successful administration!
The position of Landscape Committee Chair will be
decided by the Hilltop Board which will
consider possible candidates. Carol S. will remain as Chair for now.
Everyone gave special thanks to Bryan, who was called
“a kind and gentle soul.”
Bryan relayed regards from Ian, who has just moved to
Atlanta. So far, the treasury seems to be in good shape, although some homes
have not yet paid their dues for this year. Carol Simon will remind them to
pay soon.
There were complaints that PEPCO has not mowed the
grass on their right of way. Gnats are a problem in the area. Larry will
send a contact number so that people can call PEPCO and complain. We will
also ask Glenn to draft a letter to PEPCO reminding them to cut their grass,
if the phone calls don’t work.
The issue of cutting the bushes around the gazebo was
also raised. When the bushes get too tall, they block the view of cars
turning left into Seven Hill Lane. We decided to ask our gardener (Oscar) to
remove or trim one large bush.
PEPCO is supposed to trim tree branches or remove trees
that encroach on a 12-foot radius around the power lines. Several trees in
the neighborhood have been marked for work, but nothing has happened because
the county has a moratorium on tree work until the rules by which PEPCO
chooses trees are clarified.
Ron Stern gave us an update on the new streetlight near
the entrance at the bottom of our hill. A request for a bid has gone to
PEPCO. The light may be installed as early as October.
It was noted that the white lines recently painted on
the street indicate places where the asphalt will be patched. The patching
on the hill may help with erosion. The County should send each resident a
letter with the work schedule. You may have to move your car, but presumably
you will be able to drive over the new asphalt in the evening.
Lance encouraged everyone to check our Hilltop website
at www.HilltopUpdater.net
Send him any pictures or notices you want to post for the group.
There will be several updates in the near future such as the minutes (under
the Business tab), info about the newest residents, and photos from today.
Carol Leahy (the chair), and Celia, Norma and Miriam
work to make life a bit easier for our neighbors. Recently, Barbara F.
needed heart surgery to replace a valve. She is recovering in a
rehabilitation center and is due home on Tuesday. We wish her well. The
Helping Hands can provide things like grocery shopping, picking up
prescriptions, or rides to the doctor, so let them know if there is a need.
Power Outages
Larry reminded everyone that they and the Freys have
whole-house electrical generators. If there is ever a major outage, they
have generously offered their homes as warming or cooling stations to any
neighbors who need it.
We tentatively scheduled our winter party and business
meeting sometime before Jan. 12. The Meers have volunteered their home for
the party.
(Minutes recorded by Lance and contributed to by Donna)
Addenda
1) The
date of the Winter Party has been set for Saturday, January 9th
at 7:00 PM at the home of Bibi and Ahmed (11008).
2)
We have placed a request with
PEPCO to have the grass cut and we now have a contact person and phone
number to call directly if we need it in the future:
Mr. Washington @
301-548-4336.
Larry, Ellery, and Donna are placing calls to Mr.
Washington. We’ll see if this effort is successful during the next week or
so and if not, we will ask for more people to call Mr. Washington. It is
unlikely that we will need a formal letter.
3) Donna
meant to formally thank Marcia Feinleib for taking the minutes of the
meeting last February in my absence. She did a terrific job!