David Hall, President, called the meeting to order.

Guest Speaker: Officer Denise Gill, Montgomery County Police

There has been very little reported crime in Rock Creek Hills.  Officer Hall discussed several ways to avoid being the victim of a criminal or scam artist.

• Do not hire people that come to you door offering roof repairs, home improvement, etcetera.  While not everyone is a bad guy, but you should be careful.
• There are often burglaries at the same time as door‑to‑door sales of magazines occur.  Again, not everyone is a bad guy, but you should be careful.
• You should have a way to see who is at your door, before opening it.  You don’t have to open your door to solicitors, and you can ask them to leave without opening the door.  If they don’t leave when asked, call the police.
• Lighting your home at night is a good crime deterrent.
• Don’t dismiss suspicious activity.  Call the police at 301‑279‑8000.
• The police department will perform a home check, if requested.

The following issues based on questions from the audience.

• Is there a difference in the burglary rate with and without alarms? – No, 99.5% of alarms are false.  Most of the time people don’t use alarms.  A burglar may break a window and wait to see if there is a reaction.  If the police do show up, the burglar may just wait for them to leave.
• Homeless population in the neighborhood – Giving cash doesn’t help.  You can give to a homeless shelter, and distribute their card to those in need.

Upcoming Events:

September ??:                          Annual Concert in the Park          

October 13:                              Association Meeting

October 31:                              Halloween Parade and Potluck

Old Business:

1. Minutes of the January 31, 2004 meeting.

Motion:                       To approve the minutes of the January 31^st 2004 meeting.

Vote:                           Approved

2. Treasurer’s report, by Deanna Marcum

There was a brief discussion of the Bank fees RCHCA is being charged.  This is being discussed with the bank.

Motion:                       To approve the Treasurer’s Report

Vote:                           Approved

3. Beltway Noise Study update by David Hall – RCHCA requested the State Highway Administration re‑evaluate the appropriateness of a sound barrier on the beltway adjacent to RCH.  The State Highway Administration denied the request.

4. Train noise update by Joe Rosenberg - Councilmember Silverman requested that DPWT work with FRA to determine which supplemental safety measures might be implemented, and at what cost, in order to create a Quiet Zone at Forest Glen railroad crossing.  A request was made for a response from the Director of DPWT by June 30.

5. Community Improvement Committee report presented by Jane Godfrey – The committee studied various neighborhood improvement projects that could be funded via RCHCA.  The committee provided an extensive report complete with handouts and drawings.  The projects included erecting Rock Creek Hills signs at several “entrances to the community, enhancing Rock Creek Hills Park and landscaping the traffic triangles scattered in the neighborhood.  The signs and park improvements were dropped from the plans due steps required to comply with government regulations and potential jurisdictional issues.

The committee presented a plan to hardscape, landscape and maintain four traffic triangles (Haverhill and Littledale, Haverhill and Saul, Elrod and Hawick, and Elrod and Old Spring).  The total estimated initial costs for all four traffic triangles was $7,650.  The estimated yearly maintenance cost for all four triangles was $650, with an additional $100 in alternate years.

The committee identified the following potential means of reducing the need for full funding via RCHCA.

· Contributions of plants

· Volunteers performing maintenance of the traffic triangles

· Students and/or scouts performing community service

· Keep Montgomery County Beautiful grants

The committee presented a phased approach to beautifying the traffic triangles.

Extensive discussion followed the committee’s presentation.  The topics discussed included:

· Soliciting firm commitments of plant contributions

· Soliciting firm commitments of volunteer maintenance

· The amount of money available for community improvement

· Discussion of hardscaping and the potential cost difference if the triangles were not all hardscaped at once.

Motion:                       To approve RCHCA funding the cost of hardscaping, landscaping, and maintenance of two of the traffic triangles in Rock Creek Hills.

Counter Motion:        Table the issue until the next meeting.

Vote:                           Motion to table the issue was defeated.

Following discussion the following revised motion was presented:

Revised Motion:        RCHCA shall fund the cost of hardscaping, landscaping, and maintenance of the triangle at Littledale and Havershill up to $1,500.

Vote:                           Approved

New Business

Due to the length of discussion on the previous topics, new business was not discussed, however the need for additional volunteers for committees was raised.

Motion to Adjourn:

Motion:           Motion to adjourn

Vote:               Approved.