Published January 9, 2025
By Sarah Sabatke
Howard Courier

Wilde Lake Board Votes to Dismiss Board Member

At the first Wilde Lake Board Meeting of the new year, proceedings got off to a tense start with a vote to remove board member Katharine Rathbun on the grounds of what Chair Kevin McAliley called “fiscal malfeasance.” McAliley cited Rathbun’s inclusion of the board’s attorney on emails regarding a previously closed matter, despite the board members being advised not to incur any additional legal fees in the fiscal year, as the board’s legal budget had been overrun.

“I do understand that you feel very, very passionate about what you’re doing but so far you’ve generated $7,000 in billings for legal fees with all of your passion,” McAliley stated in response to Rathbun. “And our residents and non-profits that we usually donate to at the end of the year are missing the opportunities for funding because of your passion.”

Rathbun argued that she only copied the attorney on the emails and that they were not “sent directly to the attorney.”

Read more here.

Published February 7, 2025
By Sarah Sabatke
Howard Courier

Wilde Lake Highlights Security Camera Concerns, Community Police Liaison

The Feb. 3 Wilde Lake Village Board meeting covered a variety of community topics and events, focusing heavily on the discussion surrounding high-definition security cameras in some village center buildings.

Residents speak out on security camera concerns

Erika Chavarria, longtime Wilde Lake resident and executive director of Columbia Community Care, expressed concerns about the installation of high-definition security cameras “in the village center and Slayton House.”

“I have multiple concerns with high-level surveillance on community members, especially my young students and families in the community, and in these times we are living in where we are seeing heightened data collection, said Chavarria. “Surveillance in general is very concerning to me as a former educator of black and brown students who are typically targets of that type of surveillance.”

Read more here.

Published February 14, 2025
By Sarah Sabatke
Howard Courier

Volunteers Keep Wilde Lake Beautiful and Sustainable

Drivers in Wilde Lake may notice green ivy covering many of the trees lining Governor Warfield Parkway. While it may look harmless at first glance, the plant — English Ivy — is actually damaging the trees.The invasive English Ivy vines “quickly spread along the ground and vertically up walls, trees, and cliffs—sometimes as high as 90 feet,” according to Potomac Conservancy.

Bess Caplan, chair of Wilde Lake CARES (Community Action and Resources for Environmental Stewardship), said the vine eventually “chokes out” the trees. English Ivy can also survive through colder temperatures.

“The ivy will prevent leaves from sprouting in spring, which is how trees get their nutrients (through their leaves). It will also weigh down limbs, so trees that are covered in English Ivy tend to lose limbs,” said Caplan. “Eventually, the tree will die because it’s lost its limbs. It doesn’t have enough leaves that are producing energy food for the tree through photosynthesis.”

Caplan said the lack of natural consumers of English Ivy is one of the biggest issues, allowing the vine to grow out of control.

Read more here.

Published March 7, 2025
By Sarah Sabatke
Howard Courier

Kyshona Brings Legacy to Columbia, Gives Local Students the Stage

What is your legacy? How do you leave people feeling when you leave a room?While these may seem like big, existential questions, they are at the core of singer-songwriter Kyshona’s latest album, Legacy. During the last week of February, she brought those questions — and some songwriting guidance — to Columbia.

Kyshona performed to a full crowd at Columbia’s Slayton House on Feb. 28, organized by the Merriweather Arts and Culture Center. Along with the Friday night performance, she also engaged with local students during a week-long residency in Wilde Lake and Long Reach high schools.

Her focus with the students was songwriting, acting as a coach to help them tell their stories through music.

Read more here.

Published on March 10, 2025
By Sarah Sabatke
Howard Courier

Wilde Lake Board Funds Local Groups, Answers Public Safety Questions

Donations, community engagement and public safety took center stage during the March 3 Wilde Lake Village Board meeting. With no community members participating in the meeting’s Resident Speakout section, the Board jumped in to discuss spring donation requests from local organizations.

The Board heard donation requests one at a time, holding discussion and a vote after all requests had been presented.

Read more here.

Published on March 20, 2025
By Sarah Sabatke
Howard Courier

Spring Weather Reveals Completed Stream Restoration at Wilde Lake

Restoration work on the Wilde Lake Dam Outfall Channel Repair Project, adjacent to Wilde Lake, wrapped up in January 2025. Now that the snow has melted, community members walking the trail are able to see the full scale of the work.

Jason Heath, Columbia Association (CA) Capital Improvements Manager, oversees capital projects in open space, pathways, bridges and play areas, as well as some of the watershed projects.

Heath said the Wilde Lake stream repair was needed to protect the channel, as the existing metal baskets were failing.

“When it was originally built, they used what’s called a gabion basket, essentially like a wire mesh, almost like a chain link fence that holds rock together, smaller rock inside the basket,” he said. The baskets lined the outfall channel from the dam to Little Patuxent Parkway.

Read more here.

Published on January 29, 2025
By Sarah Sabatke
Howard Courier

Dominican Republic to Maryland, Artist LUSMERLIN Shines at Slayton

Chemical engineering and painting are both art forms, in a way. Both require creativity, a level of technical skill and a dose of experimentation. Local artist LUSMERLIN knows the two worlds well — she was working as a chemical engineer in textile and cement manufacturing in 2019 when she began to explore art.

Her first medium of exploration was pastels tapping into her memories of childhood art class.

“I love making lines and pastels,” she said. “Working directly with the pastel stick is so raw, and working with my hands connected right away.”

A chance encounter with a kid’s watercolor set led her to painting.“I didn’t think I was going to make abstract work,” she said. “However, when I saw a painting of Ed Ramsburg, he had so much force and I realized I wanted that force. I wanted to understand the use of color and the use of texture and the use of pattern.”

Read more here.

Published on
By Sarah Sabatke
Howard Courier

CA Board: Transparency in Village Contract Negotiations, W.R. Grace

Resident concerns and village property management took center stage at the Feb. 13 Columbia Association (CA) Board of Directors meeting. The meeting lasted just over three hours, with a significant amount of time spent hearing concerns from eight Columbia residents.

The meeting also featured discussion on the village property management negotiations — an issue of contention among Board members and residents alike.

Read more here.