Pay Dues

You may pay your 2025 Wardour Improvement Association membership dues by check or online.

1) Pay online.

You can make an online payment at Cheddar Up (with a possible transaction fee):

https://2025-wardour-improvement-assn-dues.cheddarup.com

2) Pay by check.

Make checks payable to Wardour Improvement Association, Inc. and mail to WIA, P.O. Box 6325, Annapolis, MD 21401

Include the following information:

WIA Annual Membership Dues $350 _________________

Boat Stickers $25 for each boat/space on rack ______________________

Additional Contribution _______________________________

Total Enclosed ________________________________________

Name ______________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________

Phone ______________________________________________

Email_______________________________________________

Annual Membership Letter
2025
(a print version of this letter was delivered to all households in February)

Dear Wardour neighbors,

The Wardour Improvement Association (WIA) invites you to join or renew your membership for 2025. In this letter we share some updates about recent and upcoming projects in the neighborhood and an overview of what the WIA is and how we use dues. Our neighborhood newsletter, The Wardour Whistler, delivered 3-4 times a year, contains more information on new projects and stories about residents.

Membership dues remain $350 per household.

Boat stickers remain $25 annually, but see below for an update on assigning kayak racks.

Updates

LIVING SHORELINE AT CRESCENT BEACH

Wardour has partnered with the Severn River Association to address erosion and runoff pollution at Gudger, Wardour, and Crescent Beaches. A grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust allowed us to commission designs for a stormwater management system running from Wardour Reserve to Gudger Beach and a living shoreline between Wardour and Crescent Beaches. We have secured grant funding to go ahead with the shoreline part of the project this summer, which will involve introducing sand and native marsh plants to the stone revetment between the beaches. The shoreline will protect our beaches from erosion, sea level rise, and storms, filter runoff before it gets to the Bay, and improve habitat for river wildlife. Plans can be seen on the SRA’s website: https://severnriver.org/restoration-projects/wardour/

NEW KAYAK RACK

A kayak rack has been installed at Essex Beach. We now have three beaches with boat storage, including Gudger and Crescent.

CHANGES TO BOAT STICKER PROGRAM

Boat storage at the neighborhood’s kayak racks will remain $25 a year. But we are switching from issuing new stickers for boats each year to assigning storage spots on the kayak racks. To keep things simple, the spot where your boat is currently located will become your assigned spot. If you purchase boat storage this year, Chris Carpita ( carpita@yahoo.com ) will follow up to confirm your assigned rack. Requests for lower locations (for ease of use) will be accommodated by request.  Of note, all watercraft on the racks must be registered. Any watercraft on the racks without registration will be considered abandoned.  There will be a generous grace period, and every effort will be made to find the rightful owner.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ELECTIONS

A new executive committee for the WIA will be chosen at this spring’s community meeting. The executive committee typically meets once a month to discuss matters affecting the neighborhood and our common properties. Are you interested in serving? If so, please contact John Johannes, the chair of the nominating committee at johnjohannes@verizon.net.  A list of positions and current officers can be seen on our website: http://wardour.org/about/

What is the Wardour Improvement Association?

The WIA’s constitution charges it with the “development and improvement of Wardour as a residential community.” Membership in the WIA is voluntary, but member dues are the neighborhood’s sole source of revenue for maintenance of our common properties. Only member households can vote at annual meetings on how we use our properties and our funds. All property owners in Wardour enjoy the use of, and own in common, the following community properties (shaded in gray on the map below): Scott Beach, Westwood Beach, Westwood Reserve, Wardour Reserve, Gudger Beach, Wardour Beach, Crescent Beach, Norwood Beach, Essex Beach, the Ridge Road right of way, and the railroad right of way that extends, with one interruption, from Crescent Beach to Annapolis Street.

How are dues used?

These are our major recurring expenses.

  1. Property Upkeep.
    • COMMUNITY PROPERTIES (mowing, weeding, mulching, pruning, invasive ivy removal, removing fallen trees, maintenance and replacement of picnic tables and benches)
    • WARDOUR CIRCLE (landscaping, lighting, irrigation, and sign)
    • WESTWOOD TRIANGLE (landscaping)
    • WARDOUR WOODEN FOOT BRIDGE at Kent Road
    • SIGNS identifying WIA community properties
    • KAYAK RACKS
  2. Insurance premiums, including director and officer liability insurance as well as general liability insurance.
  3. Meetings and Social Events. WIA holds two general membership meetings each year and hosts regular social events either for Wardour residents or in cooperation with the West Annapolis Civic Association.
  4. Storage. WIA rents a secure storage space for the preservation of community documents, including the original plat of Wardour laid out by the Olmsted firm./li>
  5. Tax Return Preparation.
    6. To comply with tax laws, WIA must file tax returns annually.
  6. Website.WIA maintains a website, wardour.org, where we post occasional stories about neighborhood news, events, and history, and where you can find:

Whether you are joining the WIA this year or not, please make sure we have your current contact information (name, address, email, phone #) so that we can include you in the directory and the neighborhood email list. Email is the primary way we share the neighborhood newsletter (the Wardour Whistler) and inform neighbors about annual WIA membership meetings, social events, volunteer opportunities, decisions facing the community, or the occasional lost dog.