NEXT MEETING: Date: Monday, October 16, 2006. Location: Paradise Assisted Living, 6348 Frederick Road. Time: 7:30 p.m. Topic: Election of Officers and Board of Directors, a vote to accept or reject the By Law changes, and general topic discussions. Bring your concerns to the meeting. This is your chance to be heard.

PLEASE NOTE THE ADDRESS FOR THIS MONTH’S PCA MEETING: It will be held at the Paradise Assisted Living at 6348 Frederick Road.

CHANGING OF THE GUARD AT THE PCA: Every October, the Paradise Community Association holds the annual election of Officers and Board of Directors. This fine group of people will lead the community for the next 12 months. They will work with politicians, developers, government agencies, and residents of Paradise and surrounding communities to direct the growth and re-development of Paradise. This is an exciting time to be on the Board of the PCA. The new homes at Paradise Village will be going up soon, Streetscape planning is underway, and the County is reaching out to improve our streets, sidewalks and alleys. Next Spring we will hold the first PCA Flea Market. If you want to be a part of this leadership, come to the meeting. We still need a candidate for Vice President, and are accepting nominations for all other posts as well. Here is the slate of candidates so far: President – Judy Hess Boitz, Secretary: Diane LaVoie, Treasurer: Susan Yates, Board of Directors: Pat Pallozzi, Matt Kominars, Mary Roney, Bette Taube, Dave Horch, Bill Appold, Norville Bishop, Dave Sinclair, Patricia Einstein, and Carol High. Past President will be Michelle Clark. Even if you don’t want to run for office, we still need you at the meeting to cast a vote for your candidates.

MEMBERSHIP DUES: One of the things addressed in October is renewal of dues for membership in the Paradise Community Association. This is an all-volunteer association, and membership is not a requirement to live here. There are approximately 1200 homes in Paradise, and membership in the PCA usually hovers around 100 households. While this may seem like a tiny percentage, our elected officials tell us that it is huge compared to other similar neighborhoods. These same officials also tell us that we are one of the most active community associations, with 9 meetings each year. We keep our residents informed of local events affecting Paradise, and we keep our elected officials informed of our wants and needs. Your $15.00 membership fee does all this and more. In addition to funding the newsletter, your dues get distributed back into the community through donations to Catonsville After Prom, Luhrmann Theatre, and other organizations. You need to be a member to vote in the PCA elections, and right now we are having a “two for one” sale. Join as a new or renewing member for the 2006 membership year in order to vote, and your dues will roll over into the 2007 membership year. Refer to the membership application on the back of this newsletter for the dues amount, and consider adding an extra donation just for good measure.

P.O. BOX CHANGES: Recently our P.O. Box number changed. We apologize to anyone whose mail was returned due to the change at the Post Office. If your membership dues were returned to you, please try again using the P.O. Box shown on this newsletter.

FALL CLEAN UP DAY is here! For the uninitiated, this is the time of year that the Paradise Community Association takes advantage of a special program offered by Baltimore County. The County pays to have roll-off dumpsters available to communities for neighborhood clean up events. This year’s Clean Up Day is Saturday, October 21, from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. It is held in the large parking lot behind Pet Peddlers on Frederick Road. Bring miscellaneous household items, yard waste, and scrap metal. Tires 16” diameter or smaller and off the rims are accepted. Certain items will NOT be accepted. They are: hazardous materials, paint, chemicals, liquids and liquid waste, large stumps, refrigerators, air conditioners, and anything else containing Freon coolant. This event is only for residents of Paradise, and is only for household waste. No commercial waste (Whalen Properties Paradise tenants excepted) or contractor waste will be accepted. Our thanks to Mary Roney for organizing this event again, and thanks in advance to the volunteers who will be staffing the Clean Up Day.

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN by Michelle Clark. This is my last President's Column.  We are having elections at this month's PCA meeting and I will be stepping down as President.  My thanks to all who have pitched in and supported the PCA and me during these last six months.  I also ask that all members turn out for this meeting and support your new officers and board members.  We are always looking for new members as well as new ideas for guest speakers.  I would also like to say welcome to our newest business member, ReThreads at 6416 Frederick Road. Don't forget that we have the community clean up this month on Saturday, October 21. Finally I hope that those who attended the last PCA meeting enjoyed our new meeting place, Paradise Assisted Living.  Thanks to Charlotte Watchinski for hosting our meetings at the Paradise Assisted Living.   

ATTENTION RESIDENTS OF NUNNERY LANE AND SOUTH SYMINGTON AVENUE: At the September PCA meeting, a representative of the Baltimore County Department of Public Works spoke about plans to rework Nunnery Lane to correct the “recessed” sidewalk, and to rebuild crumbling sidewalks on South Symington Avenue. Unfortunately, there were no residents of either of these streets at the meeting. The first step in getting these projects off the ground will be a few letters directed at Public Works. Residents living on these two streets need to write to Public Works requesting the projects. If you live on Nunnery Lane or South Symington Avenue and you are tired of the dangerous sidewalk situation, write a letter to Mr. Rahee Famili, Project Engineer, Highway Design Section, Baltimore County Department of Public Works Bureau of Engineering and Construction, 111 W. Chesapeake Avenue, Room 200, Towson MD 21204. Please be nice to Mr. Famili. He is on our side on this issue. He just needs the paperwork (your request letters) in his files to get these things moving.

NEWSLETTER EDITOR NEEDED: Your Oasis editor needs a break. More specifically, the current editor is running for President of the PCA, and cannot continue on as editor of the Oasis. Would you like to be the voice of the Oasis? You need a computer, some decent software (this is created in MS Word), a creative mind, and some time on your hands. The editor produces nine issues per year, and takes it to the printer (Staples), then distributes the finished copies to two Distribution Coordinators, who take over the distribution at that point. There is Board oversight of the content and appearance of each issue, and you will have some direction on what topics to cover. Join a distinguished list of editors, including Gene Baldwin, Cathy Fu, Melodie Hagner-Salava, Kelly Cardall, Carol High, Judy Boitz, and others who brought news, humor (remember SPAMku?), and a personal touch to this publication. Call Judy at 410-744-0559 to volunteer for editor.

BY LAW CHANGES: In case you missed it, there is an overhaul of the PCA Constitution and By Laws. The By Laws Committee spent several months reviewing major and minor issues and are required, according to the by laws, to post all changes three times before voting to accept the changes. The first two posting were at the July and September general meetings. The final posting will be at the October meeting, and we will vote to accept or reject the changes recommended by the Board of Directors. Stop in on October 16 and pick up your copy of the proposed changes.

NEWSLETTER CARRIERS NEEDED FOR THE FOLLOWING STREETS: NONE! At this time all newsletter routes are covered. Bette Taube thanks everyone who volunteered last month to take on a new route. And, of course, the PCA thanks the entire group of newsletter carriers that toil away 9 times a year bringing these issues to your homes. PCA delivers over 1200 newsletters each month by way of an all-volunteer army of carriers. Thanks, folks! And thanks to Bette and Diane, the Distribution Coordinators who orchestrate the delivery process.