CA Monthly March 2015

By Tripp Laino

M arch 20 marksthe first day ofspring, and ColumbiaAssociation (CA) has

myriad wonderful events coming in thenext few months to help you get out andenjoy the world in bloom.

Whether you want to help serve and clean upyour community, line up the perfect bunker shot,hang out with the family dog or jump in the pool, CA hasan event to help you plan the perfect spring day. Of course, there’salso great year-round options that get even more fun when theweather’s nice, like CA’s SportsPark and SkatePark that offersminigolf, batting cages, a playground and of course, a15,000 square foot area for skating.

Inside this issue, we’ll take you through some highlightsof what’s to come, but for more information, be sure to check the CA Monthly Calendar each month, or visitColumbiaAssocation.org/Events.

CA MON TH LY 1

MonthlyA PUBLICATION OF COLUMBIA ASSOCIATION MAR 2015CA Excite Columbia to

Host Spring Session

Get a Behind-the-ScenesGlimpse at theColumbia Ice Rink

World Food PassportLaunches

6

7

3

(See Spring, page 4)

ColumbiaAssociation.org • Facebook.com/ColumbiaAssociation • Instagram.com/ColumbiaAssn • Twitter.com/ColumbiaAssn • YouTube.com/CATVchannel • Pinterest.com/ColumbiaAssnJoin theConversation!

withCABreeze IntoSpringWhether you wantto help serve andclean up yourcommunity, line upthe perfect bunkershot, hang out withthe family dog orjump in the pool,CA has an event tohelp you plan theperfect spring day.

2 CA MON TH LY

Dear Friends,Columbia’s annual elections will be held at the

end of April. There will be seven seats open onColumbia Association’s (CA) Board ofDirectors, and seats also will be available on thevarious village community association boards.

Even before Columbia was officially founded,James Rouse did a lot of community outreach.To this day, resident participation remains acornerstone of Columbia. I encourage you to become involved.

CA’s Board develops a strategic plan forColumbia Association, approves the biannualbudget, and is involved in governance and policysetting. Ten of the members are elected fromtheir respective villages. I sit as the 11th memberin a non-voting capacity, serving in essence as theBoard’s chief adviser. In the end, my job is to get things done. Whatever theBoard votes for or requests from the staff, it is my responsibility to make surethat it gets done on behalf of the organization and the community.

When the new Board is seated this May, its priorities will include CA’scontinuing involvement in the redevelopment of the Downtown Columbia area.CA’s Board is very involved with the work at Merriweather Park at SymphonyWoods. I expect work to begin toward the end of the calendar year in theCrescent. And Howard Hughes Corporation has received approval forimprovements at Merriweather Post Pavilion. The final months of 2015 will alsosee the Board working on the budgets for the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years.

Board members should arrive with the understanding of their role in anorganization such as CA, keeping in mind that the Board is made up of 10voters, requiring a deliberative process. Bring your ideas. Do your homework.Attend meetings, of course. And understand that while you may reside in onevillage, you will represent the entire community. CA is a large organization thatdoes a lot in the community and for all of Columbia. We also have partnershipsthat extend beyond our boundaries.

I am offering to meet with anyone considering becoming a candidate for CA’s Board. I can be available during the workday, on evenings and even onweekends. If you’re interested, please contact my executive assistant, JanetLoughran, at [email protected] or 410-715-3111.

Sincerely,Milton W. Matthews, Columbia Association President/CEO

FILE PhotoMilton W. Matthews

Board Elections: a GreatVenue for Involvement

President’sUpdate

At the Columbia Association (CA) Board ofDirectors meeting held Feb. 12, the CA Boardapproved the draft conditional fiscal year 2016 Capital Budget (as amended), approved

the annual charge rate of $0.68 per $100, with a 2.5% capfor fiscal year 2016 and approved the operating budget for fiscal year 2016 (as amended).

The staff will also send comments to recommendationsoffered by the Columbia Downtown Housing Corp.

The board’s Feb. 26 meeting took place after CAMonthly went to press.

The next scheduled Board of Directors meetings areMarch 12 and 26. Meetings typically begin at 7:30pm and are held at CA Headquarters, 10221 Wincopin Circle.

For current CA Board of Directors meeting minutes and agendas, visit ColumbiaAssociation.org/Agendas.Podcasts from board meetings are available atColumbiaAssociation.org/Podcasts.

BoardRecapCA

CA BOARD OF DIRECTORS2014-2015Reginald AveryOakland [email protected]

Michael CornellRiver [email protected]

Brian DunnKings [email protected]

Jeanne KetleyTown [email protected]

Alan KleinHarper’s [email protected]

Nancy McCordWilde [email protected]

Tom O’ConnorDorsey’s [email protected]

Gregg SchwindHickory [email protected]

Andrew StackOwen [email protected]

Russell SwatekLong [email protected]

CA MON TH LY 3

T he deadline to apply for the 2015 Maggie J. Brown Spirit of ColumbiaScholarship Award is March 15. Up to six graduating seniors from local highschools will receive $2,500 scholarships for showing a history of providingcommunity service that benefits Columbia residents and those in the Columbia

area. To apply, go to ColumbiaAssociation.org/Scholarship. For more information, call410-715-3161 or email [email protected].

ExciteColumbiaColumbia Association’s (CA) citizens

academy, Excite Columbia, returns soon for its spring session, andregistration is now open.

The six-week program will be held on Tuesdaysbeginning on March 24 and concluding on April 28.Classes are held from 6:30 to 8:30pm at CAHeadquarters, 10221 Wincopin Circle and includestopics such as a history of CA and Columbia; abreakdown of what CA’s departments do and how CA’s annual charge is calculated and used each year, among many others.

Erin McPhail, communications & eventsmanager for CA, runs Excite Columbia and saidwhile the main goal of the class is to educate

residents on how CAoperates and serves thecommunity, it also allows forCA staff and communitymembers to meetface-to-face.

“It's great to meet all thedifferent people we have in class and, moreimportantly, create a one-on-one relationship withour community members,” she said.

Valerie Montague, a Columbia resident andrecording secretary for CA Board of Directors, saidshe enjoyed the class and its insight into CA. Shesaid she’s lived in Columbia for a long time, butappreciated the opportunity to hear about differentdepartments at CA.

“Because Columbia is so uniquely designed, notjust physically but the way it’s [governed], you canlearn more about how things work,” she said. “It’s really useful to know as a resident.”

Excite Columbia is open to anyone 18 or olderinterested in learning more about CA. Registrationis required. For more information or to register,visit ColumbiaAssociation.org/Excite.

Registration Opens for

ExciteColumbia

Columbia Scholarship Award

Columbia Association (CA) is seeking South American musicians,bands, exhibitors, performers and food vendors for theupcoming “South American Culture Fest” hosted this April byCA and the Howard County Library System.

This free family event will be held Sunday, April 26, from 1:30 to 4:30pmat Howard County Library System’s Miller Branch, 9421 Frederick Roadin Ellicott City. The Culture Fest is a great place for individuals, bands,organizations and dance groups to participate in an afternoon of music —from Colombian Cumbia to Brazilian Samba — as well as danceperformances and educational displays. Representatives from all of theSpanish-, Portuguese-, English-, French- and Dutch-speaking countriesthat make up South America are needed to participate. The highlightedcountries include: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador,Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.

At this free event, people are invited to show the Howard Countycommunity what makes their countries and cultures unique. Exhibitors maynot sell items or services unless they are food vendors selling food. Therewill be no payment for performances.

Photos of the exhibitors, performers and audience members will be takenat the event. Families attending the event will be able to pick up a “CultureFest Passport” and complete it for door prizes by visiting exhibitors’ tables.

Interested parties should contact Laura Smit, program manager for CA’sInternational Exchange and Multicultural Programs, by calling 410-715-3162or sending an email to [email protected].

South American Culture Fest Coming in AprilMusicians, Exhibitors and Performers Needed

4 CA MON TH LY

SpringColumbia Cleanup DaySaturday, March 21Looking to volunteer in your

community? Help keepColumbia’s acres of beautiful openspace in pristine condition onColumbia Cleanup Day! Thisannual event runs from 9am tonoon and has been held for sixyears, inviting communitymembers to help clean Columbia.CA provides gloves, bags, trucksand crews to haul away the trash. Check with your villagecommunity associations or visitColumbiaAssociation.org/ColumbiaCleans to find your nearest cleanup site.

Hobbit’s Glen Clubhousereopening in AprilFore! The new Hobbit’s Glen

Golf Club clubhouse is expectedto reopen in April. The newclubhouse will have a betterlayout and updated amenities,with significant upgrades to theold facility, which was more than 40 years old and had undergoneseveral renovations over theyears. The reopened clubhousewill include locker rooms and a pro shop and will also mark the return of its award-winningrestaurant, The Coho Grill. For more information visitHobbitsGlenGolfClub.org.

Searching for Spring Saturday, April 11This free event at Columbia

SportsPark, 5453 Harpers Farm Road, runs from 10am to 11:30am and includes crafts and balloons, an egg hunt (whilesupplies last), and a magic showfor children ages two througheight. No admittance after10:45am. Bring your own basket for the egg hunt!Advance tickets are required, and are available at your village community associationsbeginning March 9.

Village Elections Saturday, April 25Village Board Elections are

being held in all 10 villages, aswell as CA Board elections inDorsey's Search, Hickory Ridge,Kings Contrivance, Long Reach,Oakland Mills, River Hill and

Wilde Lake. Find out moreinformation about candidates and voting at your local villagecommunity associations.

Dog Day Afternoon Saturday, May 2Woof! There it is! CA’s 9th

annual Dog Day Afternoonpromises to be the biggest oneyet. Bring your family dog out to a day of fun, games, treats andactivities, including the annualCutest Canine Competition. Area vendors will be on hand to supply information aboutkeeping your dog healthy andhappy. For more information, visit ColumbiaAssociation.org/DogDay. Interested vendors can contact Erin McPhail at 410-423-1891 [email protected].

(continued from page 1)

CA MON TH LY 5

CA Pools Open Saturday, May 9 and 23What better way to enjoy

warm spring days than one of CA’s 23 outdoor pools and WaterParks? The StevensForest pool opens May 9, and all the other pools openMay 23. Whether you wantto learn to swim, improveyour skills, or simply relax and cool off, Columbia’spools offer the perfect respite for the summer. For moreinformation, including poollocations and hours, visitColumbiaPools.orgor call 410-312-6332.

Columbia Ice Rink has been servingfigure skaters, recreational skaters andhockey players for more than 45 years,with thousands of people coming

through the doors each year to use the facility.You might already know about the Zamboni you

see driving between hockey games or skate sessions,but there’s a lot more maintenance happeningbehind the scenes to keep things running smoothly,and the ice, which only measures about aninch-and-a-half deep, in skating shape.

Matt Moorefield, maintenance facilities manager,is in charge of ice maintenance and equipmentoperations, and helps maintain a smooth, evenskating surface.

Some of that work is done with the help of acomputerized temperature maintenance system.Two small sensors mounted near the roof track theice temperature, which can fluctuate during gamesand skate sessions.

But even the simple act of smoothing the ice witha Zamboni requires planning. Moorefield keepstrack of the route the Zamboni takes on each trip

around the ice, as mixing up routes is important toan even surface. Even the location where the driveractivates the Zamboni’s resurfacing pad has to benoted, as repeatedly starting in the same place cancreate a dip in the ice, Moorefield said.

A single Zamboni trip uses about 180 gallons ofwater, with a combination of warm and cold water

used for proper resurfacing.Moorefield isn’t alone in maintaining the ice —

he’s part of a crew that’s on call 24/7.“You have to babysit the ice, even when you go

home,” said Susan Cope, assistant manager. “We’reall on call. You’re always on call.”

In addition to being on call for ice-relatedemergencies, part of Cope’s job is to help runcamps at the ice rink. But even camps are notimmune to snafus with the ice — Cope recalled oneparticularly memorable late-summer camp whenthe combination of quickly rising temperatures anda malfunctioning dehumidifier enveloped the ice ina thick haze of fog.

“The kids had to wear lights,” she said, laughing.The ice rink closes annually in June and July for

regular maintenance, including allowing theconcrete slab under the sheet of ice to warm up andprevent permafrost, repainting the lines and ads byhand, and bringing the ice surface back.

For more information about the rink, includinghockey, open skate sessions and the upcomingColumbia Figure Skating Club Movies & Minionson Ice show, visitColumbiaIceRink.net.

Staff Works Hard to Keep Ice NiceColumbia Ice rink

Photo BY DavID WrIght

Matt Moorefield, maintenance facilities manager atColumbia Ice Rink, resurfaces the ice with a Zamboni.

By Tripp Laino

M usicians are invited to applyby posting a video of a liveperformance on YouTubeor Vimeo, and emailing

the link to [email protected]. The deadlinefor submissions is Friday, March 20.

Artists can be from any genre of music,and all applicants must be 18 years of age or older. Any video submissionsthat do not meet the criteria, or which

contain inappropriate or explicit content, will not be reviewed by CA.

This year’s Lakefront Wednesdaysconcert series will premiere onWednesday, June 17, and continue for a total of eight weeks ofperformances.

For more information, please [email protected] visitColumbiaAssociation.org/LFW.

Lakefront WednesdaysConcert Series

6 CA MON TH LY

The range of restaurants in this area includes a variety of options from all over the globe,and Columbia Association’s (CA) new World Food Passport program is a great

way to sample those cuisines.“You can get to know a culture in large measure

through food,” said Laura Smit, manager of CA’sinternational exchange and multicultural programs.

“The World Food Passport allowspeople to explore the

amazing spectrum of foodoptions and culturesrepresented aroundHoward County.”

People can pick uptheir free World FoodPassports from CAHeadquarters, any of

Columbia’s 10 villagecommunity associations,

or the Howard CountyTourism office in Historic Ellicott

City. There is a limit of one passport per family.Diners can then eat at participating restaurants and

get their passports stamped. Once a passport holder has stamps in each of six categories — Asia; Europe;Mediterranean and Africa; South Asia andAfghanistan; Latin America and the Caribbean; andNorth America — they can enter a quarterly raffle for $25 restaurant gift certificates.

Those who achieve two, three and four stamps in all six categories move up in prize levels, with each level qualifying the diner to be entered from one to four times in the quarterly drawings: VisitColumbiaAssociation.org/FoodPassport for moreinformation. If you are a restaurant interested in participating, contact Laura Smit at 410-715-3162or [email protected].

CA MON TH LY 7

CA Headquarters .........................................410-715-3000

CA Membership Service Center .................410-730-1801

Aquatics Office ............................................410-312-6332

Columbia Art Center....................................410-730-0075

Columbia Association Camps ....................410-715-3165

Columbia Athletic Club ...............................410-730-6744

Columbia Gym.............................................410-531-0800

Columbia Horse Center...............................301-776-5850

Columbia Ice Rink.......................................410-730-0322

Columbia SportsPark/SkatePark................410-715-3054

Columbia Swim Center ...............................410-730-7000

Columbia Teen Center ................................410-992-3726

Fairway Hills Golf Club ...............................410-730-1112

Haven on the Lake ......................................410-715-3020

Hobbit’s Glen Golf Club...............................410-730-5980

Inclement Weather Hotline ........................410-715-3154

Indoor Tennis, Columbia Athletic Club........410-720-0149

Owen Brown Tennis Bubble........................410-381-7255

The Racquet Club at Hobbit’s Glen ............410-715-3080

School Age Services ...................................410-715-3165

Supreme Sports Club ..................................410-381-5355

Wilde Lake Tennis Club .............................410-730-3767

CA PHONE NUMBERS ExploretheWorld,One Biteat aTime

8 CA MON TH LY8 CA MON TH LY

MarchCommunity Events Visit ColumbiaAssociation.org/Events to learnmore about great events happening in Columbia!

Bernice Kish GalleryThrough March 28Andrei Trach: “Relentless Spirit”Gallery Hours: Monday-Thursday9am-9pm; Friday: 9am-5pm; Saturday 9am-2pm.Carole Black, gallery [email protected] exhibit by Andrei Trach: oil on wood.

Art in the Afternoon with John Milton WesleySun. March 1 • 3-5pmHistoric Oakland Manor • 410-730-4744Wrap up Black History Month with the reminiscences and eclectic musicalofferings of longtime Columbia residentJohn Milton Wesley.

Lifetime Transitions:Seminars for Older Adults Tuesdays, March 3, April 7 and May 5 • 5-7pmThe Hawthorn Center A trio of seminars designed to help you make sound decisions as youtransition to senior life. March 3 • Aging in Place April 7 • Legal and FinancialConsiderationsMay 5 • Senior Housing Options

Family Night Bingo Fri. March 6 • 7:30-9pm The Hawthorn Center • 410-730-7327Cards are 5/$1; Drinks $.075 Snacks are free.

Baby ExpoSat. March 7 • 10am-2pmOwen Brown Community Center [email protected] of vendors, presentations, raffle prizes and more! Visitcolumbiababyexpo.com for more information.

Creating a Rain GardenSat. March 7 • 10amClaret Hall • 410-531-1749 [email protected] what a rain garden is and how to create one. This is a MasterGardener presentation.

Perennial Gardening with Paul BearesThurs. March 12 • 7:30-9pmAmherst House • 410-381-9600Dawn Linthicum, Events andInformation Coordinator • Plan forflowers and plants that return to brightenyour garden every year! Snacks will beserved; call Amherst House to register.

Workshop: Estate Planningand Elder Law EssentialsThu. March 12 • 7-8:30pmHistoric Oakland Manor • 410-730-4744Explore topics such as wills, trusts,incapacity, asset protection, etc. Presentedby the law firm Elville & Associates.

Family BingoFri. March 13 • 6:30-8:30pmHistoric Oakland • 410-730-4744Free for Town Center residents; $5 for non-residents. Tickets required.

Columbia Clean Up DaySat. March 21 • 9am to noonHelp clean up Columbia’s Open Space areas.

Appraisal Roadshow and Vendor FairSat. March 21 • 9:30am and 11:30amKahler Hall • 410-730-0770 • Call Susanor visit [email protected] are limited for each show. $12 for one item, $5 for one additionalitem. Advanced registration is required.Visit Antiques2015HCCA.EventBrite.comfor more information and to register.Spectator tickets also available.

Afternoon TeaSun. March 22 • 3:30-5pmOakland Manor • 410-730-4744Cost $28.00 plus tax per person.Reservations and payment requiredthree days in advance.

Creating ColumbiaMini-CourseMon. March 23 • 2 to 3:30pm Slayton House • The mini-coursesession originally scheduled forMonday, Feb. 16, was postponed. The free session, “Columbia Gets

the Go-Ahead,” illustrates the pace at which James Rouse worked to meet the opportunities and challenges of building Columbia. Please call 410-715-3103 for moreinformation or email [email protected]

Pruning — by Master GardenersTues. March 24 • 7pmStonehouse • 410-730-8113Master Gardeners will present a session on pruning. Learn the rightway to prune and what tools to use.Free, but registration is required.

Cupcake Decorating FunFri. March 27 • 1:30-3:30pmStonehouse • 410-730-8113Grades 4-8 are welcome to join and discover different techniques to decorate cupcakes. $5/person.Registration is limited and required.

C A M P S

CA Summer Camps Open HouseSat. March 21 • 12-3pm Columbia Athletic Club Come meet your camp counselors!There will be drawings, entertainmentand giveaways. For more informationvisit ColumbiaCamps.org.

Documents

CA Monthly March 2015