General Info

Dues–Worth Every Penny!!!

Community dues are to be paid each year in January. You are able to pay your dues, penalty free, up to the Annual Meeting usually held in April of each year, after which you will be charged a $15 late fee. Your $25 check should be made payable to: Westerlee, Inc. Please mail checks to: Rizwan Mahmoodi, Treasurer, 2126 Fernglen Way, Baltimore, Maryland 21228. Late fees in 2020 have been waved due to the pandemic and the canceled Annual Meeting.

Where do your dues go? Yearly events such as Dumpster Day, Community Picnic, and our Community Yard Sale. Newsletters and program signage. Lawyers needed to fight the urban sprawl from businesses along Route 40 and developers trying to get their foot in the area. Our Board is very active in keeping up with whats going on in Catonsville, how it will affect us, and taking action if necessary. You would be hard pressed to find a community association that does as much as ours does.

We Are Seeking More Block Captains
If you are interested in being a block captain, contact the block captain coordinators, Karen Straughn or Wanda Richardson. Block captains serve as an important liaison between their section of the community and the Board of Directors to ensure that the Board is aware of the concerns specific to you and your closest neighbors. As a block captain, you would help distribute newsletters, notify the board of new neighbors in your area so the Welcoming Committee can schedule to meet with them, assist in email or phone call notifications when necessary, and have the opportunity to get to know some of your closest neighbors better. We need your help. The commitments are few, but the rewards can be great. We hope you will join us!!

Making Changes to the Outside of Your Home or Yard?
Remember — you own a property that is governed by covenants (see under “Documents” on this website). The covenants stipulate that any changes to the property including driveways, sheds, fences, etc. must be submitted to our Architectural Review Committee for their review and recommendations. When they’ve had a chance to study your plans, they will then submit them to the entire Board of Directors for approval (or, if disapproval, usually with recommendations on how to make them compatible with our beautiful Westerlee community). On the Covenants and Bylaws page you’ll find the links to e-mail your requests to the team members. On that page also, you’ll find the Bylaws which spell out this obligation.

Trash and Recycling Schedules are Now Online
As of February 2010, you can now recycle paper and bottles and glass on the same day and no longer need to separate them. If you’ve lost your trash and recycling schedule you can get a copy at the Baltimore County website: http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/publicworks/solid_waste/collectionconnection.html

Starting April 1, 2022, paper bags will be required for yard material collection on separate yard material (“Y”) days. To assist with this transition, the County is providing paper yard material bags to residents (limit five per person) at no cost, on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last at all Baltimore County trash and recycling drop-off centers, Baltimore County Public Library branches and senior centers.

Information about Recycling can be found below. Westerlee Inc. strongly encourages recycling and provides from time to time blue wheeled recycle bins for about 30% of the retail cost. Recycling materials can not be set out in plastic bags. Containers should be covered or packed such that the items can’t blow through the neighborhood. https://resources.baltimorecountymd.gov/Documents/Public_Works/solidwastemanagement/regulations/regcollection21.pdf

Good news for bulk trash collection: Baltimore County will institute a residential collection program for bulk items starting January 1, 2022. Further information about this program will become available as the starting date approaches.

Snow Removal Information
Please be advised that Baltimore County has pre-designed routes for snow removal on secondary and tertiary streets along with estimated times to reach neighborhoods. During recent snow difficulties, there were some streets in our neighborhood that were missed. We thank residents for making the board aware of this problem. As a result, we were able assist in ensuring that these streets were cleaned. If you find that a street is not being plowed, you can also contact the Bureau of Highways at highways@baltimorecountymd.gov or call 410-887-3560. In addition, please remember and share with your neighbors that it is against the law to place the snow from the driveway into the street. However, it IS the law to clean the sidewalks where those are present. In addition, remember to park as many vehicles in driveways as possible so that snow plow trucks can pass, clear the roads as well as possible and turn around where necessary.

Need to dispose of compact fluorescent bulbs? Home Depot has a depository.

Local Catonsville News: Take a look at the Catonsville Patch: www.catonsville.patch.com

News from Baltimore County Police
Crime incident data for Baltimore County can now be viewed geographically on the Web. Crime incidents shown on the Google style map are based on information obtained from the County’s Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System. The CAD data is sent to the Web site every week. Crime types displayed on the web site are derived from “Situation Found” codes provided by officers. Information attached to each incident location is limited to cc number (Note: the “cc number” is a 9-digit number: the first two digits represent the year; the next three digits represent the actual numerical day of the year, e.g., February 2 would be represented by the digits 033 [31 days in January + 2 in February]; the final four digits represent the numerical code assigned by the Baltimore County Police Department.), address (by 100 block), date, time, and the literal SF code description. The web application has a number of features including aerial photographs and a terrain map. Incidents can be queried by address, crime, date, or distance around a given address. The web site also includes an “analytics” feature that shows bar graphs and pie charts. Maps and charts can also be printed. http://www.crimereports.com/map/index/?search=+21228

Nextdoor.com Private Social Network

We’re participating in a private social network on Nextdoor.com. What is Nextdoor? Here is a bit of info from the Nextdoor.com website: Nextdoor is the private social network for you, your neighbors and your community. Nextdoor’s mission is to use the power of technology to build stronger and safer neighborhoods. And it’s free.Once you’re registered you can post recommendations for local services, add a classified ad, let everyone know you’ve lost or found something, or notify the neighborhood of suspicious activity. All of these things contribute to a safer and more cohesive neighborhood. There is even a mobile app for your Android or iPhone, so you can keep up on the latest info wherever you roam. I hope you’ll give Nextdoor a try… here’s the invite link:http://www.nextdoor.com/join/JMYJSM

E-Mail Addresses Requested

Want to be included on emails providing notification of important information to our neighborhood? Please notify your block captain and or board members of your email address and we can ensure that you receive up to the minute information concerning board meetings, upcoming event reminders, and other important information. We want you to be as informed as possible. You may also notify us of your email address by going to the section entitled comments and notifying us there of your email address and your desire to be included on this information. Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you!!