ROAD REPAVING

Due to the effort of our Treasurer, Neil Pedersen, the county has agreed to pave some of our bad roads. The county will complete the work sometime between 7/1/24 and 6/30/25. Some of the pavements on our roads are in very bad shape. The county did some limited patching last year, but the patches are degrading. Please see the map below to see which roads will get repaired. We will continue to work with the county to get our other roads paved in the future.

CRIME UPDATE

We are lucky to live in a relatively safe neighborhood with crime all around us. Since our last newsletter there has been a car theft and items stolen from cars. Please do you best to secure your car every time you leave it. Please don’t leave anything visible in your car. Also, be aware of your surroundings. Be aware of your surroundings. If you see strangers hanging around your neighborhood, please call the police. They don’t mind coming out to check things out. Safety First!!

2024 HOA ASSESSMENT

Almost everything costs more today than it did a year ago due to the high levels of inflation in our country. Likewise, your HOA’s expenses have increased over the past 12 months. Our 2024 contracts have increased for our management contract as well as insurance, tree removal, and county fees. Our fixed-cost landscaping contract is up for renewal in December 2024, and its cost is expected to increase.  The SMHOA BOD is dedicated to keeping assessments as low as possible, and we currently have one of the lowest HOA assessments in Montgomery County. The SMHOA Board of Directors will take all reasonable steps to keep costs in check.  

The annual assessment for 2024 will increase to $275.00, with a $40.00 discount for payments made before February 1, 2024. If you pay your assessment by January 31, 2024, you can take advantage of the discount, which will make the 2024 assessment less expensive than the 2023 assessment. We are hoping to incentivize people to pay their assessment on time so that they don’t have to pay legal fees for the collection of assessment.  

PLEASE PAY YOUR HOA DUES

If you have paid your 2024 assessment, thank you! If not, we will continue to send you reminders until the unpaid account is turned over to the HOA attorney for collection. If you are having trouble paying your assessment, please contact the BOD, we would be happy to set up a payment plan for you. But you need to let us know. If you fail to pay your assessment and the past due account is turned over to the HOA attorney for collection, the initial assessment can increase quickly with added attorney fees that the individual homeowner is responsible for. Gratefully, our yearly non-payment rate is very low. Thank you!

COMMUNITY WEBSITE IS A VALUABLE INFORMATION SOURCE

The Snowdens Mill HOA website at http://www.snowdensmill.org/ is a great resource for your HOA needs/questions.

• HOA contact information
• Property Improvement Request (PIR) application
• Newsletter Archive
• Covenant documents
• and much more

RECYCLING REMINDERS

The items we most often see inappropriately placed in blue recycling bins or mixed paper recycling carts, and that we want to remind residents NOT to put in their recycling bin/cart are:



• Plastic Bags, Plastic Film or Shrink Wrap
• Hazardous or Toxic Product Containers (such as containers for herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, and automotive fluids)
• Electronics (including computers, keyboards, TV’s, etc.)
• Styrofoam® or Polystyrene (packing peanuts or foam blocks used to protect items in shipments, or other items marked #6 PS)
• Home Health Care/Medical Supplies (including needles/syringes, plastic intravenous (IV) fluid bags, plastic respirator and medical equipment tubing, CPAP masks, gloves, etc.)

TOWN HOME ROUNDUP

Helpful Information for the townhome owners

Snowden's Mill Townhome Association #1

(Tufa Terr and Tourmaline Terr)

Introducing the new members of the 2024 Townhome #1 Association Board:

• Anna Douglas, President
• Wes Wolgemuth, Vice President
• Marc Chasen, Secretary/Treasurer
• Ermiyas Mengesha, Member

Please remember to check that your quarterly assessments are being properly applied to your account. We welcome all residents to attend our Board Meetings on the first Wednesday of every month. Email us your contact information today. New volunteers are always needed.  

For any questions, please contact Charles Laskey at 301-924-7356 or email snowdensmillhoa1@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you!

EMAIL ADDRESSES

Snowdens Mill HOA Board of Directors

smhoa.bod@comsource.com

Snowdens Mill HOA Covenant Enforcement Committee

smhoa.ce@comsource.com

Snowdens Mill HOA Managing Agent (Charles Laskey)

clasky@comsource.com

TURKEY TROT AND OTHER SOCIAL EVENTS

The HOA is working to create opportunities for the community to gather and talk with their neighbors. There were two events during the last quarter. BOD members Nikki Milcetich and Dave Golden arranged what has become known as the Turkey Trot, a community walk on Thanksgiving morning. But it was more than that. The HOA provided coffee and donuts which preceded a walk around our neighborhood where neighbors got to meet each other and chat. We also arranged an Earth Day event which was well attended and where 41 bags of trash were collected around our community. We will try to do it again next year, as well as organize other gatherings.  If you have any ideas for a community gathering, please let us know.

BIENNIAL COVENANT INSPECTION

The biennial covenant inspection is complete except for the legal actions to compel those homeowners who haven’t addressed covenant violations yet. In addition to the cost of addressing the violations, they will now be responsible for covering all legal fees incurred by the HOA to compel them to address the violations. Luckily after starting with over 160 violations in March of 2023, we are now down to 9. Your neighbors thank everyone who worked to keep their homes looking great.  

PLANNING A MODIFICATION TO YOUR PROPERTY?

Are you about to paint your house a different color, replace the roof with a different color shingle, or build a shed or tall playground structure in the backyard or any other type of exterior modification?

Before you break out the power tools or call the contractor, be sure to submit your plans to the HOA Architectural Control Committee.

The committee’s job is to ensure that the size and style of a project, the building materials and the overall appearance fit the association’s design requirements. The architectural control committee looks out for the entire community – including you.

If the Architectural Committee finds issues with your proposed project, we’ll try to work with you to come up with acceptable alternatives. Also, if an approved design changes, let the committee know: submit revised plans as soon as possible. If you are replacing a door for another door that looks just like the original, no approval is required. Replacing anything that looks like what is currently there doesn’t need approval.

If you undertake a building project without the association’s approval, you may have to remove the structure at your own expense. The association has the legal authority to enforce the architectural requirements, so save money and headaches by getting approval before building. You can obtain the property improvement request form on our website. If you have any questions, about an exterior modification, please let us know.  Thank you for partnering with the Architectural Committee to keep your home and our community looking great.  

WINTER FOOD

We hope that you enjoy the recipe section of our newsletter. We have received many positive comments. If you have a recipe that you would like to share with your neighbors, please send it. For fall food we have:

FEIJOADA OR BRAZILIAN BEAN STEW

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dry black beans (soaked overnight)* 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 4 ounces diced bacon 
• 1 pound individually cut pork ribs
• 2 chorizo sliced sausages (~11 oz each)
• 1 smoked sliced kielbasa 
• 1 large chopped onion
• 5 cloves minced garlic
• 4 diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 4 bay leaves 
• water 

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl soak beans in chicken broth overnight. 
2. In a large heavy-bottom soup pot, over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. 
3. Brown ribs and sausages in batches. (Cook the sliced Mexican chorizo on its own. Set each aside as cooked. 
4. On medium-high, sauté onion, and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. 
5. Drain and rinse the beans. Add them to the pot along with the ribs, bacon, sausages, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Cover with water (about 8 cups). 
6. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover and let it cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. 
7. Serve with cooked white rice.

(These recipes are contributed by your neighbors.  If there is a recipe that you would like to share with your neighbors, please send it to us.)