Piney Orchard Elects New Board Members

The Piney Orchard Community Association filled three positions on its board of directors on Tuesday night, and also announced a change in its property management company. 

During the association's annual meeting at Piney Orchard Elementary School, property owners in the community re-elected Jeff Andrade to a three-year term, and also voted in residents Joy Zalaznick and Susan Swank.

Swank was added to the ballot after accepting a nomination just before voting began Tuesday night.

"I've lived here for 18 years and have attended the majority of these board meetings," Swank said. "They put in a lot of hard work and it's a lot of thankless hours but I thought it was time for the board to have a little bit of change."

Zalaznick, who is employed as an account executive with For Rent Media Solutions, said she sought to join the board because of the many changes coming to Odenton, including the influx of new jobs due to the expansion at Fort Meade. 

"I wanted to become more active," Zalaznick said. "I know of all the things that are happening in Odenton. It's very exciting, and I wanted to make sure that Piney Orchard is well-represented during all these changes." 

Andrade, who has most recently served as the board's treasurer, said he hoped to continue a recent trend of trimming expenses while cutting fees for homeowners. He said the board will have some key decisions moving forward, including the selection of a company to handle landscape maintenance. He also said the community must market itself to attract the highly-paid, stable workforce from Fort Meade.

"We want them to live here, not go to Howard County," he said. 

In addition to holding elections, the community held its annual meeting, and announced the approval of a new property management company. The association selected Associa Community Management Corporation, one of the largest property management firms in the country, to replace Property Management People. 

"It's a big contract and we hadn't re-bid in six years, so it was time," Andrade said. "We looked at cost, but also performance and capacity and what companies brought to the table."

The meeting Tuesday night also included an update on the association's financial state. The community reported an operating fund balance of $845,000, slightly down from the previous year, with more than $2.2 million in a reserve fund. The association's fees were lowered from 16 cents per $1,000 in assessed value to 14.75 cents per $1,000, while property values in the community dropped 15 percent from July 2009 to July 2010. 

Editor's note: A previous version of this article misstated the name of the new property management company for Piney Orchard. The company is Associa Community Management Corporation.