HOA Association uses expertise and collective knowledge

The association meets once every couple of months, and is comprised of 11 Eldersburg-area homeowners associations.

Since its first meeting, the association has worked on forming coalitions for common needs, such as waste disposal and landscaping, according to Renate Buttrum, a resident of Edgewood in Eldersburg.

Looking ahead to the next several months, Michelle Carroll, a resident of Harvest Farms, said the association wants to work on safety and security issues, involve more residents in the organization, and communicate with county officials on important issues.

The group is hoping that the results of an informal survey that they conducted among six homeowners associations will help them narrow and define their goals. The survey measured the needs and concerns of the homeowners associations and compared services.

At the group’s meeting on Tuesday in a member’s home in Harvest Farms, nearly eight representatives from homeowners associations, including Harvest Farms, Stone Manor and Edgewood, gathered to discuss the issue of speeding and to share training and educational resources.

As part of the association’s knowledge sharing, Buttrum informed the group on strategies to work with county officials to solve the problem of speeding in neighborhoods.

‘‘This situation is not unique to my neighborhood,” Buttrum said. ‘‘I’m sure it’s relevant in all neighborhoods.”

Edgewood, which is off of Liberty Road, has had speeding problems for many years on its wide and straight roads, Buttrum said, and the neighborhood had to be retrofitted for speeding.

After a lengthy process of petitioning the county and shoring up resident support, Edgewood will get 22-feet speed humps to calm traffic, Buttrum said.

Aside from relying on their collective knowledge, the association also welcomes the expertise of guest speakers who can educate the organization on different topics.

During the group’s Tuesday meeting, Eric Tiso, a Baltimore City planner, informed members about proposed legislation to grant community organizations and homeowner associations’ legal standing. This would mean that community organizations could bring lawsuits in their own name, Tiso said.

Sherwood said the association does not have a position on this issue, and that the group would most likely conduct more research into the matter and focus on making their goal list.

For information on the HOA Association, call Dave Sherwood at 410-795-1919.