Membership

Letter from the 2010 NECA President Don Kleinhen

To Neeld Estate Residents

First of all, I want to wish all of you a joyful holiday season and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Most of you know me, but for those of you that don't, I have been coming to Neeld Estate all my life. My parents bought the cottage in 1944 for $2,500 and at that time Neeld Estate was strictly a summer retreat with no full time residents. My two sisters and I spent many fun filled summers at Neeld Estate when the Bay was clean and pristine. The fish, crabs and oysters were plentiful and schools of dolphins could be seen playing in the shallow waters. My parents retired in 1964 and became fulltime residents of Neeld Estate which lasted for over 30 years. During this time, my children and grandchildren came to know the wonders of Chesapeake Bay living as I did. Neeld Estate remains a wonderful place to live and for children to grow up.

Over the years I have seen many changes in our community; many cottages have been enlarged and winterized and there are many more full time residents. Some of the original cottages have been elevated or torn down and replaced with new structure, primarily due to devastating storms like hurricane lsabel. The beach is not as wide as it was when I played flashlight tag with friends on a warm summer night. Prince Fredrick is no longer just a little laid back country town. But through all of these changes the Neeld Estate Citizens Association has remained active, providing social events for all residents young and old and providing information to residents about state and county affairs and local activities. We try to have at least one social event each month and we periodically have guest speakers at our monthly meeting. We are always looking for new events and fresh ideas, so please join us the first Saturday of each month at the Hilltop clubhouse.

The biggest change that I have seen over the years is a steady decline in the quality of the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding wetlands. Some of this is due to natural environmental conditions, but a lot of this decline is due to the population growth in and around the tidewater area. lt is our responsibility to do our part to help restore the Bay to the way it once was. Neeld Estate is in the critical area and we have special responsibilities that affect what we can do to our property and the way we live in our community. To that end, NECA will be hosting a meeting with Calvert County planning officials to discuss critical area codes and to answer your questions. There will be more information on this later.

ln order for NECA to continue providing services to our community, we need your help. We need you to fill out and mail back your membership forms by December 31, 2009. Please include any suggestions for activities or guest speakers that you would like NECA to pursue. And, please indicate if you are willing to volunteer or participate in any of our committees. Volunteering can be fun and fulfilling, please give it a try, Check our website www.neeldestate.com for announcements and upcoming events.

Whether you are a full time or part time resident, Neeld Estate is a great place to live and spend quality time with family. We are looking forward to a full slate of activities in the corning year and we hope all of you will join us in the fun and spending time getting to know your neighbors.

Don Kleinhen

October 2009 Letter From the NECA President

Dear Neeld Estate Residents:

I wanted to give you all an update on some information that I sent in my previous note about the turtle race. After further clarification with our insurance agent, I have discovered that we can not purchase a liability policy of any type to protect NECA against any type of liability that might occur from handling of turtles or any other animals. Unfortunately this puts NECA in a precarious situation and it would be unwise and not prudent to host an event for which NECA could not cover itself from liability. I asked Patricia Press to check with her insurance company and she too was told that there would be no liability coverage should she host the turtle race on her property. So at our last monthly meeting (October 3^rd) I proposed that those wanting to have the race might want to use their property. Ricky Herrle volunteered the use of his family’s lot. He and Eric Gladhill will run the race and take responsibility to properly care for the animals during the race and return them to their natural environment. At our November meeting, Ms. Sandy Barnett who is a Herpetologist and was with the National Aquarium in Baltimore for 17 years will be speaking and will have information on the proper care of turtles and thoughts about turtle derbies.

At our November meeting we will be presenting a slate of candidates for next years Board of Directors. So far, Don Kleinhen will ruin for President, Don Nauser for Vice President, Sandy Geest for Secretary and Dorothy Oliver for 3^rd Vice President. We are still in need of a Treasurer and another 2^nd Vice President. Voting will be at the December meeting and officers take on their positions in January. I ask that you give support to these volunteers and kindly remember that when one takes on responsibility, that one’s opinion takes a back seat to that responsibility.

Last but not least, the NECA annual Christmas Party will be held on December 12^th and the focus on the year’s event is the “children”. Last year we went over the allotted capacity for Hilltop House and so we ask that those of you with children and grandchildren call Jean Gladhill to make a reservation. Jean’s number is 410-535-2269. There is no charge but of course, donations are always accepted. Once Jean knows that the children and their families are covered, she will open up the reservations for the other adults in our community.

I hoe to see you at our next meeting and if not, perhaps on the beach.

Sincerely,

Mary Osbourn-Reilly
received from Mary Osborn Reilly, NECA President, 10/10/09

September 2009 Letter From the NECA President

Dear NECA Residents:

I want to thank Charlotte Zajac and Patricia Press for hosting the Chicken and Fish Fry dinner and making it a success as well as all the other behind the scenes helpers. Many thanks also to Don Kleinhen and Don Nauser for the efforts with the Gentlemen’s Breakfast and it too was a success. Any time we make a little money or break even or most important every one has a good time, that’s a success in my book. .

I also want to bring the entire community up to date on what transpired at our September business meeting. When I saw so many people I thought it was because there were left over Bloody Mary’s from the Gentleman’s breakfast but little did I know that it was a turtle that was causing the uproar! As you know, from my last letter, a decision was made to not have the turtle race on July 4^th out of environmental concerns for the animal. Many residents were upset about this decision, especially Mrs. Esther Ritchie, who was very passionate about continuing the tradition and therefore personally called many of the residents in the community and asked them to participate at the September meeting in order to have the turtle race re-instated. Mrs. Ritchie made a motion to continue the race and the vote passed. Some of those called in advance brought proxy votes for members who could not attend. There were several people who did not feel they had enough information, were not informed in advance, were upset about the proxy votes, and therefore abstained from voting.

As someone who needed more information, I have done some research and contacted Sandy Burnett who is herpetologist and a subject matter expert on turtles. I have included in this note to be posted separately on the web a letter from her and the impact upon the turtle when it is taken from its natural habitat. I have invited Ms. Burnett to speak at our November meeting so that we can be more fully educated and she has agreed to speak.

As a result of my research into the turtle race subject, I have discovered that having this race or a race of any type involving animals is not covered under our liability policy for NECA but did find out that a one day policy can be purchased. The current cost of the one day policy is $356 but may go up by next year. Therefore, I am hoping that for next July 4^th event, any parent who wants their child to participate in the turtle race, a waiver of liability will have to be signed and the cost of the one day policy be absorbed by the race participants on an equal share basis. Please understand that just because you sign a waiver, it only releases liability for NECA, but any individual who might get sick could sue the race participants outside of the NECA insurance policy. Turtles are wild animals and this is really not a trivial thing.

As a general rule, the Board Of Directors of NECA does not post ahead of time what will be discussed at a meeting because any one can bring up anything at any time. Again, just to keep you all informed, I want you to know that we will be discussing the Holiday Party at the October meeting. Meetings are held on the first Saturday of every month at 10:00 am at Hill Top House. We are also looking for a slate of candidates to take over BOD positions for 2010 and this also will be discussed at the November meeting.

Also, at the September meeting, Mark Hammet who volunteered to do research on the topic and report back to the B.O.D., gave his report about dog poop. Folks, we have a leash law and it is illegal to not have your dog on a leash and you must "scoop the poop". The bacterium from the poop pollutes our bay, carries bacteria that can cause infection and no one wants your dog’s poop in their yard or on the beach. ONCE again, THIS IS A STATE LAW! We will be implementing a "Scoop the Poop" campaign in our community.

Wow! I am exhausted from writing this letter. The bottom line is if you want to know what is going on in Neeld Estate, go to our website and come to the meetings. If we do not have your email address email to neeldestate@yahoo.com.

Mary Osborn Reilly
NECA President

Letter from 2009 NECA President Mary Osbourn Reilly

May 15, 2009

Dear Fellow Neeld Estate Residents:

It’s hard for me to believe that summer is barely two weeks away. I took over as President of NECA in February and have to admit that time has flown fast as I had fully intended to write to the entire community much sooner. I am very fortunate to have grown up at NE, spending my summer days on the beach. Although not a full time resident, I still call NE home. I volunteered to take on the roll as President for two reasons, first, I felt I should take a turn, and second, no one else had come forward!

I was recently speaking with a relatively new resident who did not fully understand the role of NECA. We primarily are in existence to make NE a better place to live by representing our community in the county, participating in programs like neighborhood watch, talking to the county about our roads and drainage problems, what we need to do because we live in a critical area and provide for social events . We hold a meeting normally the first Saturday of the month at Hill Top house at 10:00 am so I urge you to come and meet some of your neighbors. We do not provide for dispute resolution between neighbors. Talk to your neighbor first! This solves a lot of problems and will go a long way in resolving disputes. We have no county governing authority. If you have issues like trash pick up, snow removal, or vandalism, please call the county. We can remind you that you have to cut your lawn, keep your dog on a leash, pick up your trash left on the beach and that fireworks are prohibited but we can not enforce the code, only the county can do that.

So what is it about volunteerism that sends us all running for the hills? Is it because we think it will be too much work? As a kid growing up at NE, I remember the July 4^th picnic, the Labor Day auction, the men’s breakfast, the bingo games on Friday night and even the “teen dances” at hill top house. Someone would bring a record player and everyone brought their 45’s. Try explaining that to today’s teenagers. Has the internet and technology changed our lives so much that we no longer have time to enjoy the company of our neighbors?

When I grew up there were very few full-time residents and most “cottages” were only inhabited during the summer months. Cottages have now become houses and there are more full time residents than summer. I think I knew more people then than now and mostly because houses have been sold, folks have moved and there are fewer community events.

What would it take for someone to volunteer to run the community yard sale? This year we have no one to do that. It’s just a few hours of one’s time. You have to cal l to put an add in the paper, put up a few signs the day of the event and collect money from the residents who choose to participate. You ask folks to volunteer to make baked goods, set up a table and if you have not tasted one of Virginia McGovern’s cakes you missed it. About four hours of one’s time? What would it take to resurrect the men’s breakfast? A few guy’s cooking bacon, mixing up some pancake batter, drinking some bloody Marys or Screwdrivers, someone to sell tickets by taking reservations in advance and collecting them at the door? For those of you who attended last year’s Christmas Party, I think you would admit that it was great. The Gladhill’s have been hosting this event for the past few yeas. The Plitt families have hosted Oktoberfest for the last few years but we do not have a host for Oktoberfest this year. The fish fry was a big success last year but again, we need volunteers to keep the social activities going.

As a member of NECA, the dues are $42 per year. That’s not a whole lot of money. ($3.50) per month, about the cost of a latte at Starbucks! Your dues are used to support Hill Top house expenses including the taxes and insurance, pay for mosquito spraying and sponsoring community events. A good number of you are members and we appreciate your support. As a member you can rent Hill Top house for your own personal events. Is your house too small to host a family get together or party? Solution, rent Hill Top House. The cost is nominal. What surprises me is the number of non-members who take advantage of NE activities, but don’t volunteer or object to having to pay anything to help support the community.

So let’s all pitch in get to know our neighbors, volunteer to help out and most of all have more fun!

Sincerely,

Mary Osbourn Reilly, President NECA

Letter from the 2008 NECA President - Joe Carta

Neeld Estate Citizens Association

Dear NECA Members and Neeld Estate Homeowners,

       My name is Joe Carta and I thank you for your vote of confidence by re-electing me
       as the President of NECA. I hope that 2007 was a great year for each of you and I hope
       to make 2008 an even better one. I will continue to work hard to ensure that my oversight
       will have a positive impact on our wonderful bayside community. I in turn would ask that
       each of you again consider becoming a member of your Neeld Estate’s Citizen Association.
       If you are presently a NECA member, please ensure that you renew your membership. As
       each of you already know, our community is truly a special place for each of us. It is filled
       with many fond and ever lasting memories.

       Our 2007 NECA officers truly deserve a big thank you.
       They are:
       Virginia McGovern - 1^st Vice President,
       Jay Geest – 2^nd Vice President,
       Mary Fragale – 3^rd Vice President,
       Sandy Geest - Secretary
       Janet Gean - Treasurer.
       Many of these board members have served on the board year after year. I thank each of
       them for their many years of service to both NECA and the community.

       Your 2008 NECA officers are:
       Virginia McGovern - 1^st Vice President,
       Jay Geest - 2^nd Vice President,
       Betsy Detwiler - 3^rd Vice President,
       Sandy Geest - Secretary
       Janet Gean - Treasurer.

Unfortunately, I am unable to include the NECA 2008 Calendar of Events at this time. We are
in need of both chairpersons and sponsors for the various events. Once we have this we will
post the events for 2008 on both the Neeld Estate web page (www.neeldestate.com) and the
bulletin board at the corner of Ridge Road and Bay Parkway . The NECA Activity sign-up sheet
and the NECA Membership form are enclosed. I ask that you please complete the forms and
return them no later then December 31, 2007 . I can not emphasize enough the importance of
being a NECA member. Your membership dues are utilized in support of many activities in this
wonderful community (the best on the Bay). Dues money pays for the NECA web site,
mosquito control, paper, stamps, advertising of events, donations, mowing at Hilltop House
as-well-as other behind the scenes costs that are incurred.

       I would also ask that each of you attend our monthly meetings. Mark your calendars for the first
       Saturday of each month at 10:00 am at Hilltop House. As this is your community, monthly
       meetings are a great forum to input concerns, suggestions and questions that you may have.
       Please feel free at any time to contact any of the new NECA Officers with your thoughts or
       concerns.

       Most importantly, I would ask you to volunteer your help to chair events or help out with an event
   in 2008. I and your elected NECA officers can not do it alone. I would really like to see an event
       take place each and every month of 2008. I have included on the activity sign-up sheet
       recommendations of events and a possible date for each. We just need you as members of
       this wonderful community to sign up as chairpersons and assistants. Thank you in advance for
       your time and support. Let’s make 2008 an eventful year for all and help create many fond
       memories.

       Please take a few moments now to complete and return your NECA membership and the
       Neeld Estate Activity Sign-Up Sheet/Form. I look forward to seeing each of you at a meeting
       and/or upcoming NECA events. Happy Holidays to you and yours and may 2008 be all that
        you wish it to be.

Sincerely,

Joe Carta

President, NECA