Olney Mill Community Association

The Olney Mill Swim Club (OMSC, “Pool”), located at 3611 Briars Road, is an organization independent from the Olney Mill Community Association (OMCA). According to the Pool By-laws, Olney Mill residents are to be given preference for membership openings. Over the years, however, many Olney Mill residents have applied for pool membership, only to have their names remain on a “waiting list” for several years. There have, evidently, been a number of problems in tracking and approving applications, as well as verifying whether or not applicants are officially residents of Olney Mill.

The OMCA Board of Directors does not participate in the Pool membership process and has no way of keeping track of applications. However, they are interested in helping to identify and address some of the issues involved. If you have experienced problems in applying for pool membership, or if you believe you are presently on the waiting list for membership, please contact both OMCA and the OMSC to provide details of your situation. Please send your input via email with the following information: name, address, phone, email, date of application for membership, date of receipt of membership (or “pending”), and any other membership problems you would like to bring to their attention. The email contacts are listed below. Both of our organizations are eager to assure that the membership procedures are efficient and fair! Again, please send your input to both addresses:

• OMCA (Dennis Twombly, President):
dtwombly@mail.nih.gov

• Olney Swim Club (Steve Ornstein, President):
plantdoctor1@verizon.net

The annual Holiday Tree Lighting will be held Sunday, December 7. Gather with your neighbors at the newly renovated Mill House for songs, cocoa and Holiday Cheer!

Calling all Olney Mill ghosts, goblins, mummies, pirates and witches (any child in costume) to join in the Olney Mill Halloween Parade! Come march around with us and show everyone how scary Olney Mill kids can really be! We will meet at the Olney Mill Park on Charline Manor Road on Sunday, October 26th at 3 p.m. We will parade around the block and then play some games and eat some special ghostly treats. There will be prizes for the prettiest, scariest, and funniest costumes, compliments of Good Earth and Cold Stone Creamery!

Be sure to bring all of the ghouls, ghosts and goblins at your house. All ages welcome. We are looking for volunteers to help out with the event. Community service hours are available! For more information about the event or to volunteer, call the Hotline at (301) 231-3739. There is no rain date for this event.

Montgomery County Council President Mike Knapp will be attending our OMCA Board meeting on Wednesday, September 10, 7:00 pm (Community Room, Buffington/ReMax Building, Olney). For many years, Mr. Knapp has assisted Olney Mill with a variety of problems and issues, including Verizon’s installation of fiber-optic cables, flooding from leaking or ruptured WSSC supply lines, and maintenance of M-NCPPC administered park areas. He has also been a big supporter of our OMCA clean-up activities.

Mr. Knapp will be on-hand to discuss any issues of concern to our Olney Mill residents. Reserve the date! This is your opportunity to meet and voice your opinions with one of the County’s most influential leaders. If possible, please let us know by e-mail if you will be attending. This will allow us to plan the evening’s schedule.

The following information has been extracted from a Montgomery County advisory on Hurricane Hanna, which arrives late Friday night (9/5) and reaches a peak mid-day Saturday (9/6). For more information, see http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgtmpl.asp?url=/content/PIO/news/preparedness.asp

With Hurricane Hanna threatening areas along the East Coast, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett has placed emergency workers on standby and is urging residents to prepare for the possibility of flooding and power outages. The County will communicate with the public through the news media, the County home page, and emails.

The effects of a hurricane or tropical storm can be far-reaching. Areas impacted directly by a hurricane or tropical storm can be affected by high winds and flooding, especially along waterways and in low-lying areas. Fringe areas of these storms are vulnerable to tornadoes and in-land flooding caused by heavy rain.

Hurricane Preparedness Tips

• Keep flashlights and battery-powered radios with extra batteries on hand, along with a basic first aid kit, emergency food and water, and a non-electric can opener.
• Listen to the radio or television for hurricane progress reports.
• Remove outdoor objects such as lawn furniture, toys and garden tools; or anchor objects that cannot be brought inside but that could be wind-tossed.
• Clean out gutters.
• Turn the refrigerator and freezer to the coldest setting in anticipation of a power outage. Open the door only when necessary and close quickly.
• Refrain from putting out trash cans the night before the regular pickup.

During Power Outages

• Avoid using candles for lighting. Use a battery-powered flashlight.
• Never use a candle when fueling equipment such as a kerosene heater or lantern, since the candle flame can ignite fumes from the fuel.

Flooding

• Store valuables and personal papers in a waterproof container; and avoid areas subject to flooding, including low spots, canals and streams. Do not attempt to drive over a flooded road – you can be stranded or trapped.

High Winds

• For downed trees on public property, residents should call the County’s Department of Transportation at 240-777-6000 during work hours (7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday–Friday). After hours calls should be directed to the Police non-emergency number at 301-279-8000. To report trees that have fallen on utility lines, contact the local utility companies. “Hot” wires or sparking wires, especially those across roadways, may be reported by calling 9-1-1.
• Trees that have fallen on private property are the responsibility of the property owner. The County’s Office of Consumer Protection advises homeowners to deal with established businesses only, and to call Consumer Protection first to check on a business complaint record. Consumer Protection can be reached at 240-777-3636.

The Olney Mill Picnic will be held at the Family Park again this year (the park with the ponds and baseball diamonds). Food, music, games, magic and the opportunity to get to know your neighbors! The Family Park entrance is on Willow Grove Road, and there is easy pedestrian access from Treadway, Mount Olney Lane, and Olney Mill road. Come join the fun from Noon to 3 pm. Residents are encouraged to walk to the park, since nearby parking is very limited (non-existent, actually). It’s an Olney Mill tradition and our Nation’s Birthday!

Yes, there is a little rain as of 8:30 am Saturday morning. Nevertheless, we will hold the Yard Sale as scheduled. Larry Van Druff is already handing out red balloons at the Mill House. So plan to get just a little wet and we’ll hope for a good turnout today.

Urgent Notice for Olney Mill Residents: Sometime from April 28 to May 10, Montgomery County will be spraying insecticide to control gypsy moth caterpillars. The gypsy moth is the most serious pest of hardwood trees in Montgomery County and state wide. The caterpillars feed on the leaves, often causing defoliation that damages trees and sometimes causes trees to die. Only areas with high numbers of gypsy moths are being treated. The date of the application will depend on weather conditions. M-NCPPC plans to have staff in the Family Park to keep residents off the trails and out of the park during the spraying.

The insecticide B.t. will be applied by a helicopter flying approximately 50 feet above tree top level. Applications will begin at dawn and continue as long as weather conditions are favorable for spraying. Application to a specific area is usually completed in 15-30 minutes. The spray dries on leaves in approximately 30 minutes. The spray contains the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.). To be effective, B.t. must be eaten as the caterpillar feeds on leaves. There is no evidence that the use of B.t. poses any risk to humans, domestic animals, or the environment. A good source of information about the insecticide is available on the internet at http://ace.orst.edu/info/extoxnet.

Please avoid touching the wet leaves
Be aware of & avoid the helicopters

For more information about the Gypsy Moth Suppression Program, please see the website: Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, Gypsy Moth Suppression Program: Daytime phone (240) 777-7700; 24-hour hotline (240) 777-7788. E-mail: AskDEP@montgomerycountymd.gov

On Saturday, May 3, from 8:30 am until noon, OMCA and the Greater Olney Civic Association (GOCA) are sponsoring an Olney area litter clean-up as part of the extended Earth Day activities. Although OMCA and other homeowner associations and service organizations already host their own clean-up efforts, many of the main roads in the Olney area continue to have a great deal of trash and other debris. We invite all of you who care for the quality of our environment to dedicate a few hours to help cleaning up some of these worst areas. Student Service Learning (SSL) hours will be credited to students who participate. Some of the areas we are targeting are safe for younger family members. Others are along very busy highways such as Georgia (97), Olney-Laytonsville Road (108), Bowie Mill or Brookeville Road. We are particularly in need of dedicated adult volunteers who can work along these more dangerous sections of roads.

In order to coordinate this event, it is essential for volunteers to sign up in advance so that we can arrange for distribution of materials (bags, gloves) and assign specific areas to clean. Please email Dennis Twombly (Parks & Common Areas Liaison) to sign up, or call (301) 443-9334. In case of significant rain, we will re-schedule the event for the following day, Sunday, May 4. Any last-minute announcements will be posted on this OMCA web site.

If you cannot participate this time, but want to sign up for our general volunteer list, send your name and email address to Dennis. We will notify you of any upcoming OMCA cleanup activities or other projects.

OMCA, GOCA, and everyone in our community will be most grateful for your help!

Dennis Twombly (OMCA) & Bob Beard (GOCA)

Olney Mill Volunteers,

The weather services are predicting rain starting at 5:00 pm on Friday evening and continuing throughout the day Saturday. We are therefore postponing the OMCA Spring Cleanup to the following day, SUNDAY, April 6, from 8:30 until noon. Other than the change in date, all of the activities will be as described below, including the pizza lunch at Oakley Cabin. Sunday is expected to be clear all day, but be sure to wear boots because the fields will probably be muddy!

Hope to see you all Sunday,

Dennis Twombly