Columbia Association

Of all the recreational facilities that make Columbia one of the region's most attractive communities, the 88-acre Horse Center stands out -- for the wrong reasons.Few residents use it. Few think it's important. And, year after year, it loses money -- their money -- with losses totaling an estimated $1.5 million since 1986 and $250,000 more projected over the next six years.The center's supporters say it epitomizes the best of the planned community because riding lessons, horse shows and boarding stables are benefits that help distinguish Columbia.

When developer James W. Rouse revealed plans in 1963 to build a "new city" in Howard County, he predicted that it would have more than 100,000 residents by 1980. Nearly five decades later, Rouse's planned community - named Columbia in 1964 - still hasn't officially crossed that numerical threshold, federal and local planners say. But it appears poised to do so within the next few years. According to both the U. S. Census Bureau and Howard County's Department of Planning and Zoning, Columbia had between 99,000 and 100,000 residents as of December 2011, and that number has essentially held steady for the past several years because of a lack of housing construction.

Members of the Columbia Association's three gyms can wave their free towels goodbye starting Nov. 1, the result of an austere budget proposed for the next two years that would also reduce employee pay raises but leave residents' property lien fees unchanged. The towel move would save up to $5 million over a decade and also help the environment, officials said. But some of the few residents who've heard about the idea aren't buying it. "I no way agree it's environmental," said Cynthia Coyle of Harper's Choice, the elected CA board member who heads the committee examining the budget.

For nearly half a century, Columbia residents have looked to the "People Tree" sculpture as a symbol of founder James Rouse's vision of an inclusive, connected community. Now, the organization that runs the planned town says it will drop images of the tree — a cluster of 66 interconnected human figures — from its signs, uniforms, stationery and business cards at a cost of as much as $200,000. The Columbia Association's People Tree logo is partly a victim of changing times — officials say it doesn't work well for social media or mobile devices.

Maggie J. Brown, president of the Columbia Association for eight years before her retirement May 1, died Thursday of a brain tumor. She was 70. Ms. Brown had worked for the large homeowners association for more than two decades before taking over as president in 2001. Ms. Brown was an early Columbia resident who became active in governance after selling crafts in the community. - Larry Carson div.talkforum #creditfooter { display: none; } div.talkforum .feedItemAuthor { display: none; }

For nearly half a century, Columbia residents have looked to the "People Tree" sculpture as a symbol of founder James Rouse's vision of an inclusive, connected community. Now, the organization that runs the planned town says it will drop images of the tree — a cluster of 66 interconnected human figures — from its signs, uniforms, stationery and business cards at a cost of as much as $200,000. The Columbia Association's People Tree logo is partly a victim of changing times — officials say it doesn't work well for social media or mobile devices.

The Columbia Association has agreed to pay a local consultant $150,000 to determine whether the troubled accounting and customer service software system, under development for much of the past decade, should be saved or scrapped. KPMG, with offices in Baltimore and Washington, has eight weeks to make recommendations on what to do with the Customer Services System computer software, said Rob Goldman, CA's chief operating officer. "They're going to provide CA options," he said.

The Columbia Association is a bit like TV's "Energizer Bunny." No matter how many obstacles are thrown in its path, it just seems to keep going and going and going.This is a pattern that will be tested again as the Columbia Council, which directs the non-profit association, considers the organization's proposed $33.4 million budget for fiscal 1996. The association oversees recreation facilities and open space in Columbia. A panel of independent financial experts has warned the council about a host of potential problems should it proceed with the budget as proposed by the association's staff.

Do Columbia Association workers earn too much? More than a few residents are asking that about employees of the agency which oversees parks and recreational facilities in the planned city. At first glance, the evidence says "yes." Over the past six years, personnel costs at CA have doubled, to $10 million a year, for a staff of about 180. CA's top eight officials earn an average of $77,580 annually. The agency's president, Padraic Kennedy, earns in excess of $100,000 a year.Looks can be deceiving -- or so CA officials would like everyone to believe.

Since your readers' first reaction will probably be to discount this letter because of our relationship to the Columbia Association, I would first like to remind them of the long-standing and well-earned reputation of Long Reach Community Association for independence.Although CA underwrites about one-third of our budget, funded by our residents' lien payments, Long Reach is, like every Columbia village, a separate, incorporated organization headed by a board elected by our residents. Our employees are not CA employees and our opinions are our own, as the CA well knows.

Columbia Association board members heard requests from residents and village board members, ranging from security improvements to upgrades to aging infrastructure, at a public hearing on how to spend the homeowner group's nearly $60 million annual budget for the next two years. Many of the representatives of the 10 villages that make up Columbia expressed interest in additional security at village offices, while others want funding for upgrades to facilities. Many asked for lake dredging to remain a top priority.

Columbia will develop by June a vision for a network of interconnected pathways that will allow residents to ditch their vehicles and use nearly 100 miles of trails to walk, bike or run to their destinations. Some 130 community members turned out this week to a couple of public meetings to provide feedback to the Toole Design Group as the Hyattsville-based engineering firm drafts the "Active Transportation Action Agenda" to coincide with Howard County's forthcoming bicycle master plan.

As the director of community planning for the Columbia Association and the lead on CA's Aquatics Master Plan project, I was concerned by Richard Blank's perspective ("CA staff still trying to kill the neighborhood pool concept") on what is a complex topic. The Columbia Associaiton, a private not-for-profit service organization, has 23 outdoor pools, five indoor pools and an impressive set of statistics for community pool use, staff safety records and customer satisfaction. I think we all agree that swimming and pools are an important part of the Columbia culture.

Several years ago I led a grassroots effort with hundreds of others to establish a much-needed high school swim program in Howard County. Because the Columbia Association operates like a municipal facility, Howard County has no indoor pools other than Howard Community College's. So we appealed to CA to allow the Howard County Public School System to purchase some lap lane time during a low-volume period for the three months of the swim season. Had CA helped us, other facilities would have as well.

In the Nov. 18 issue, Jean Daniello expressed a number of concerns regarding the aquatics master plan undertaken by the Columbia Association. In particular, she was concerned about factors impacting Faulkner Ridge Pool use, including some lower-income demographics in the neighborhood. The aquatics master plan process is a long-view assessment of CA's aquatics facilities and programs plus a look at our community's changing demographics, best practices and industry trends, and community input on what's wanted and needed.

John Burke of Towson took issue with the policy of instituting women only swim times at pools in Columbia ("Female-only swim sessions go too far to accommodate Muslims," Nov. 17). Unfortunately Mr. Burke is not familiar with Columbia and the role of the Columbia Association. Pools in Columbia are not public pools. They are owned and maintained by the Columbia Association, which operates recreational and community facilities in Columbia. Homeowners and residents of Columbia pay annual fees to be members of the Columbia Association and entitled to use the facilities maintained by CA. It is wholly within the authority of the association to set rules setting aside times and areas of those facilities to be used only by certain groups.

When Shehlla Khan's husband became ill, it fell on her to take their three children to the pool. But for Khan, who is Muslim, the task was difficult. The Columbia resident said she was concerned about people watching her swim in the conservative, cover-all dress required by Islamic dress codes, and thinking: "What's wrong? Why can't you take it off?" So Khan, 39, brought the issue up with members of her Dar Al-Taqwa mosque in Ellicott City. The mosque, along with members of a faith-based county group, People Acting Together in Howard, met with the Columbia Association to create a twice-weekly, women-only swim time, a trial that is scheduled to be announced Tuesday.