Columbia Association

The House of Delegates has approved a bill that would impose a 10 percent cap on rising property assessments in Columbia. The bill, passed in a unanimous vote Friday, aims to offer financial relief to Columbia residents. It now heads to the Senate. "Whoopee!" exclaimed Del. Shane E. Pendergrass, a co-sponsor of the bill, after the House vote. " ... I'm feeling that a unanimous vote is a strong message. I'm really pleased." The proposed legislation would limit the impact of sharply rising state property tax assessments on the unique charge that the Columbia Association imposes on its property owners - which is based on property values.

Columbia Association board members will cull from criticism, praise and suggestions made at last week's public hearing as they work this week on a response to county officials on downtown revitalization. At a meeting Thursday, the board will begin to craft a position on the county's framework document "Downtown Columbia: A Community Vision," which was released in September. The work session is set for 6:30 p.m. in the Columbia Association Building, 10221 Wincopin Circle. The public is welcome, but no public comment time is planned.

"IT WAS THE BEST of times, it was the worst of times." That often quoted line from Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" seems to portray the different impressions one gets when comparing cuts in the proposed Howard County budget to increases in the Columbia Association spending plan. But some things aren't what they appear to be.County Executive Charles I. Ecker is proposing a 4.5 percent cut in the general fund next year and a 12 percent cut over the next 2 1/2 years. In contrast, the 28-year-old planned community is considering a 5.25 percent budget increase.

THOUGH THEY HAD little impact on the final vote, the objections of two Columbia Council members to plans for a $6 million health club in the Village of River Hill had merit. With Howard County officials scrambling for cash, talking about tax hikes or garbage collection fees, it sometimes seems incongruous that Columbia would be considering ways to get deeper into debt. Columbia Association members Roy T. Lyons of Long Reach and Norma Rose of Wilde Lake simply wanted to know if the proposed health club would really be in the best interest of the planned community's residents.

Those traveling the information superhighway now can find an exit leading to the Columbia Association.In an effort to improve communication with the new town's 82,000 residents -- of which thousands have home computers -- the giant homeowners group has set up shop in cyberspace, providing information on its mission, programs, facilities and services.Because CA's Web site is available to anyone with a computer, modem and Internet access, it also will be a quick way for curious out-of-town residents and businesses to learn about Columbia.

The Columbia Association has agreed to lease its troubled horse center to an experienced horseman who hopes to turn the old mare into a thoroughbred. Mike Smith, who has operated Woodland Horse Center in Silver Spring for 27 years, said yesterday that he will assume control of the Columbia facility Jan. 1. But he's not waiting until then to literally dig into the messy work of turning around the horse center. "He's been out there mucking the stalls himself," said Bob Bellamy, the association's director of operations for sport and fitness.

ANY DEAL between the Columbia Association and the Rouse Co. is bound to raise suspicion. The tangled history of the institutions has long struck some Columbia residents as too cozy, even though the association, which manages Columbia's recreational facilities, officially broke from the Rouse Co., developer of the new town, in the early 1980s.Given this backdrop, it's not surprising that questions dog an agreement the association appears ready to strike. It plans to purchase two parcels of Rouse Co. land -- some of which is contaminated -- in exchange for assessment rights on another lucrative parcel.

IT SHOULDN'T have taken so long for the Columbia Association to recognize deficiencies in the way it handles bids and purchases. Many problems noted in a yearlong review of the quasi-governmental homeowners group suggested it was being operated like a much smaller agency, not one representing 85,000 residents.But as the saying goes, "better late than never." CA has identified problems in its purchasing procedures and is making necessary changes. The Columbia Council will no longer accept late bids, won't alter bids and will solicit multiple written bids on any project or purchase above $3,000.

Barbara Russell, who is serving her eighth one-year term on the Columbia Association board of directors as the representative of Oakland Mills, has been elected by the board to serve as its chairwoman. Philip W. Kirsch, who represents Wilde Lake, was elected vice chairman at a meeting Wednesday night. The leadership of the 10-member board, which directs the Columbia Association in its management of recreational services, open space and other amenities for nearly 100,000 residents, is subject to a vote every year.

IN THE CONTROVERSY over whether to build a new health club in the exclusive River Hill village, the Columbia Association, to some residents, sounds like a debt-ridden consumer who needs another loan to pay his existing bills.The CA is asking for permission to borrow $6 million to build the facility, contending that revenue it generates would help reduce its projected $92 million debt. While residents have every reason to have a bank loan officer's skepticism, the club idea deserves support.