news-and-announcements

Community Announcements

Posting signs on Woodbridge Crossing properties:  Maryland HOA Act, Section 11B-111.2. Candidate or proposition signs: 

Candidate sign defined

    (a) In this section, “candidate sign” means a sign on behalf of a candidate for public office or a slate of candidates for public office. 

Display of candidate signs or signs relating to propositions

    (b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, a recorded covenant or restriction, a provision in a declaration, or a provision in the bylaws or rules of a homeowners association may not restrict or prohibit the display of:

    (1) A candidate sign; or

    (2) A sign that advertises the support or defeat of any question submitted to the voters in accordance with the Election Law Article. 

Restrictions to display of candidate signs or signs relating to propositions

    (c) A recorded covenant or restriction, a provision in a declaration, or a provision in the bylaws or rules of a homeowners association may restrict the display of a candidate sign or a sign that advertises the support or defeat of any proposition:

    (1) In the common areas;

    (2) In accordance with provisions of federal, State, and local law; or

    (3) If a limitation to the time period during which signs may be displayed is not specified by a law of the jurisdiction in which the homeowners association is located, to a time period not less than:

        (i) 30 days before the primary election, general election, or vote on the proposition; and

        (ii) 7 days after the primary election, general election, or vote on the proposition.

The Woodbridge Crossing Homeowners Association published guidance on posting signs is contained in the Woodbridge Crossing Architectural Guidelines, Procedures and Standards, , Paragraph III.P, "No advertising signs are permitted with the exception of real estate signs" a standard not intended to conflict with the special case of the allowances approved by the Maryland HOA Act, Section 11B-111.2. Candidate or proposition signs.

Safety and Security:  Homeowners who object to door-to-door solicitation by sales personnel are reminded that two signs at the entrance to Woodbridge Crossing announce that such solicitation activities are prohibited.  Those who ignore these signs are in fact trespassing as well as being quite annoying.  And, since all who make these approaches may not actually represent legitimate businesses (as has occurred in nearby neighborhoods), homeowners need to be cautious about these approaches.  If you feel uneasy call the Police Non-Emergency Number (301-352-1200, Extension 5); if you are frightened by the approach made, Call 911 and seek a quick response from the Police.

Police Advisory: Local police have repeatedly advised that for our collective security, if you see something odd; say something, report that activity to the police at the telephone numbers listed immediately above.

Speeding vehicles is a growing concern in our community, where the posted speed limit is 25 MPH.  Parents obviously have concern about the safety of their children.  Please slow down during your drives in our small neighborhood.  A related concern is the growing practice of vehicles driving through posted STOP signs, some drivers not even slowing the speed of their vehicles.  Please respect the safety of others and bring your vehicles to a full stop at those signs.

Information Sharing:  The Board of Directors supports the issuing of Email “Blasts” on topics of high interest to HOA homeowners.  Deliberately kept to a minimum, issues such as suspicious activities in our or nearby neighborhoods, Board-sponsored Social activities, snow removal progress reports are the majority of topics issued to the Email Blast distribution.  If you wish to receive these occasional informational emails, send your email and street address to:   WoodbridgeCrossingHOA@gmail.com

www.nextdoor.com  is a wider Community (Laurel/Beltsville) bulletin board that addresses a list of offerings, alerts, and similar entries which inform subscribers.

www.spotcrime.com  is a daily opportunity to maintain awareness of crime reporting in the Laurel/Beltsville communities.

County assistance can be obtained at:  https://princegeorges-csrprodcwi.motorolasolutions.com/Home.mvc/Index 

Trash and Recycling pick-ups occur on Fridays; Yard Waste occurs on Mondays.   Bulk Trash pick-ups are accomplished by appointment, by accessing the County at: http://bulkytrash.princegeorgescountymd.gov/

Dog Walking: The County and HOA have established rules that dog owners need to follow.  For health and consideration of others reasons, it is mandatory for dog owners to pick up dog fecal matter and dispose of it in the weekly trash collection. For additional details, facts and myths see: http://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/91

Newsletters:  Residents have commented to Board members that they would appreciate receiving an occasional Newsletter about activities pertinent to our community.  If you have interest in volunteering to create a newsletter, Board members will assist by providing articles deemed worthy of publication.  Please contact the Board at:  WoodbridgeCrossingHOA@gmail.com

Board of Directors initiatives: Your Board has over the past year worked with County officials to seek actions to benefit members of our community. 

In response to efforts by the Landscaping Committee, the County recently replanted a number of trees along the road way, trees which have died for various reasons.  In addition, the County also planted more than 20 trees elsewhere in our community, adding to the “curb appeal” which eventually could improve the value of our homes.

The Landscaping Committee currently is working with Councilwoman Mary Lehman’s staff to obtain County agreement to replace defective sidewalks, driveway aprons, and curbside water drains.  If there are such issues in front of your property, please advise the Landscaping Committee at: WoodbridgeCrossingHOA@gmail.com

The Landscaping Committee also has worked with County officials to obtain clearance of the stormwater ponds on either side of Ashcroft Drive.  County officials recently notified the Board that this project, costing approximately $274,642.00 is scheduled in “the next group” for implementation, the specific date to be announced shortly.

General Community affairs: This is your community.  The Board of Directors and a small number of residents invest their personal time to maintain the beauty and eye appeal of our neighborhood.  Each occupant can assist in this effort by alerting the Board of your availability to help, and if applicable, the interest areas in which you could participate.  Attend our Board meetings; send in your suggestions for changes and improvements.

The very active Landscaping Committee members are: Rico DiCamillo, Harold Newman and Phil Raup.  When you see them, please thank them for their accomplishments.

 Respectfully,  Your Board of Directors

Community Alert: Are You Prepared for Winter Storm?

If the National Weather Service issues a Winter Storm Watch for our area, please keep in mind the following recommendations:

Prepare now for two important service concerns for our community during a snow event: passable streets and electricity.

Streets. Our community streets are maintained by Prince Georges County. When a snow emergency is declared, the Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW&T) is responsible for providing “passable” conditions on roadways.

To assist crews, citizens and residents are requested to:

• Move and keep vehicles off snow emergency routes 

• Park in driveways or other off-road locations wherever possible 

• Park only on the EVEN NUMBERED sides of roads/streets

It also is important for Homeowners and Residents to remember that you are responsible for removal of snow and ice from sidewalks in front of your home.

During a snow and ice event, residents and citizens may contact the Snow Information Center at 301-350-0500 to report emergencies or concerns about roadway conditions.

Electricity. Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) is a primary provider of electrical service to our community.  BGE normally issues a press release encouraging customers to prepare for the possibility of power outages due to heavy, and/or wet snowfall and high wind expected in our service area.

BGE customers may report power outages from mobile phones and devices through the company’s new mobile website at bge.com, or by calling 877-778-2222.  A power outage map is also available through the mobile and full websites, and provides the general location and status of current electric power outages.

BGE provides the following suggestions during a power outage:

• If your power goes out, REPORT IT immediately.  Don’t assume that the power company already has that information, or that a neighbor has reported an outage in your neighborhood.   

• If you lose power, use flashlights or battery-operated lanterns.  Do not use candles or kerosene lamps - they can create a fatal safety hazard.

• To protect your food, keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.  Food will stay frozen for 36 hours or more in a fully-loaded freezer if you keep the door closed. A half-full freezer will generally keep food frozen for 24 hours.

Be prepared, and be safe!

Community Alert: Is Someone Searching Curbside for Your Personal Information?

Residents in a neighboring community were recently informed that contents of mailboxes had been removed and opened, and trash bags had been opened or taken away before the arrival of the trash collection truck.  

These residents did the right thing and reported the incidents to the police.  We are asking you to be aware and act immediately if you see similar suspicious activity in our community by calling 911 (or 301-352-1200 for non-emergencies). 

In addition, please consider taking the following steps to safeguard your personal information:

• Shred documents before they leave your house with the trash.  That includes anything with            your name, address, phone, social security and account information, such as receipts, credit offers or applications, insurance forms, physician statements, checks, bank and credit card statements, expired charge cards, solicitations and junk mail. 

• Wait to put out your trash and recyclables until morning, before the scheduled pickup time.  Trash pickup usually occurs in our neighborhood between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m.; recyclables later in the morning.

• Destroy the labels on prescription bottles, magazines, boxes and envelopes before you throw them out.

• Take outgoing mail to post office collection boxes or the post office.   

• Promptly remove mail that arrives in your mailbox.  If you won’t be home for several days, have a neighbor monitor and collect your mail delivery, or request a vacation hold from the post office.

• When you order new checks, don’t have them mailed to your home, unless you have a secure mailbox with a lock.

For more information and tips on keeping your information safe, read How to Keep Your Personal Information Secure, provided by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on their website at http://www.ftc.gov/.

Board of Directors

Woodbridge Crossing Homeowners Association, Inc.

Email: woodbridgecrossinghoa@gmail.com

Your home. Our community. Together we can make it a great place to live! 

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