The Extra Mile Award 2010 to 2019

Immediately after arriving in Mallard Bay in 2010, Jim took an active interest in community affairs.  He began by attending meetings of the Board of Directors, at the time, a rarely seen event.  In 2011, he became a member of the Board where he served until 2018.  For four of those years he served as President and for three he was Facilities Maintenance Committee Chair.  In fact, his continual service on the Board made him ineligible to receive this award until this year.  Although no longer a Board member, Jim continues to attend and participate in Board meetings and this year, alone, has been a driving force in projects to design and expand the clubhouse parking area, replace a deteriorating water screen in Highland Pond, provide intelligence reporting and photos of repair progress on roads damaged by Hurricane Michael, replace a hatch to a water pump for Flyway Lake and expand one of the community’s kayak racks.

 A partial list of other projects Jim has either supervised or provided labor for include:  the rebuilding of the community boat dock and launch ramp, repair of plumbing at the boat dock, construction of a new canoe/kayak rack, supervision of projects that allow the community to turn over maintenance responsibility of remaining Mallard Bay streets to the State, and identification of ownership of abandoned items at the R/V lot.  There are very few projects in the last nine years that didn’t include Jim’s involvement.

 Jim Hanline has gone several “extra miles” for our community and his contributions are greatly appreciated.  Pennsylvania’s gain is our loss.

Whenever volunteers are sought to lend a hand with projects involving Mallard Bay's maintenance or improvements, Paul is at the top of the list of those called. An enthusiastic self starter, he, with no fanfare, volunteers whenever the call goes out. A natural self-starter, Paul typically "takes the bull by the horns" and sets out to accomplish the task at hand plus any additional problems he might discover along the way. He's equally comfortable helping repair a piece of equipment, assisting with landscaping, or providing expert advice. Paul, along with another unpaid volunteer, has been instrumental in maintenance of our swimming pool. His experience has made him invaluable in insuring that our pool is kept clean from debris on the bottom as well as bacteria in the water. When the pool was not maintaining its necessary delicate chemical balance, Paul's input led to success in getting it under control.

Paul's quiet and effective contributions to our community have truly made him a valuable asset who has, indeed, gone the "extra mile".

Routinely, Ted is depended upon to volunteer his time for the good of Mallard Bay.  Not only does this result in community betterment, it also allows him to learn the functioning of complex machinery and systems that, one day, might need back-up expertise.  For example, he specifically asked to be included in recent maintenance of the clubhouse wheelchair lift and wanted to be included in the intricacies of properly shutting down the fresh water supply to the community dock prior to winter. As Chairman of the Architectural Review Committee, Ted knows the job can bring grief along with it.  He enforces Mallard Bay covenants for the good of all property owners and in so doing, often has to turn down or amend requests for changes to private property.  This, he invariably does with compassion and understanding.  Finally, Ted takes immediate action when noticing something wrong as evidenced when he was first with a chainsaw on the scene of a tree blocking access to the clubhouse.  The community, understandably, relies on Ted to go the “extra mile” for Mallard Bay. 

Ron Horton began our Neighborhood Watch Program when he served on the Mallard Bay Board of Directors, and he continues to organize, manage and coordinate it.  He welcomes new neighbors and helps no-longer-new neighbors with many troublesome problems.  He regularly checks and adjusts mooring lines on boats at the marina.  He saved one boat from sinking when its bilge pump failed.  He has repeatedly and single-handedly repaired the old crabbing pier and the stop sign at the exit from Mallard Bay.  He sprayed the weeds on the tennis courts and has cleared many driveways of snow.  Ron is continuously active clearing, fixing, or improving things but never with any fanfare or recognition. He is a true extra miler! 

Ken Brooks' expertise in utilities management has been a major benefit to Mallard Bay.  Over the years, he has counseled the Owners Association in environmental matters, monitored the quality of the Great Wicomico River water, chaired the committee for a new pier, and held a seminar on new environmental regulations.  In 2012, and again in 2014-15, Mr. Brooks actively opposed proposed increases in water rates, attended a public hearing at the State corporation Commission, made phone calls and visits to members of the State Legislature and the County government and participated in a lawsuit filed on behalf of five Virginia counties.  Mr. Brooks' leadership not only saved us from some of the proposed increases in water rates but has also polished the image of Mallard Bay in the eyes of the County and State Governments. 

While serving as Property Manager for the community, Dolf went far beyond the expectations of the job by donating countless hours tending to maintenance issues ranging from keeping the swimming pool clean and warm to repairing the boat dock, from trimming trees along the roadside to notifying property owners of the status of their possessions in times of weather emergencies.

Since leaving the Property Manager position, Dolf has remained an active volunteer pitching in wherever needed. Dolf's knowledge of the community's vulnerabilities, his encyclopedic understanding of the procedures of proper maintenance and repair and his willingness to donate his time and expertise have made him a highly valued neighbor and friend.

Jane was on the Board of Directors for six years, during most of which she served as secretary. She was on the Social Committee for 3 years and is always willing to volunteer. She is always doing the extra jobs that nobody does like washing the windows at the clubhouse, helping Dolf clean the pool chairs and weeding around the clubhouse.  Jane is the consummate volunteer.

Jane has dedicated much time and service to Mallard Bay. She is a very dependable and organized person. She is always there with a smile to lend a helping hand. Jane is a valuable asset to Mallard Bay and we are very appreciative of her contributions to make Mallard Bay a better place.

Scott is best known and appreciated as the Mallard Bay Web Master, where his extraordinary wit, writing skills and solid understanding of the community is always on display.  He served on the Board of Directors in 2007-8 and was Vice President for 2009-10.

That would have been enough for most people, but Scott was just warming up.  He is a perennial volunteer - hardly a project escapes his special touch.  He has donned scuba gear to work on the pool, cleaned the outdoor furniture, helped with closing and opening the pool, and has maintained the pool in the absence of the Property Manager.

He was the co-founder of the Mallard Bay Severe Weather Action Plan and is a mainstay in the association's security and emergency planning efforts.

There is a party side to Scott, manifest in his roles in the Wild West Casino Night and playing guitar and singing for the March Cocktail party.  We are thankful he is one of us.

Bill learned carpentry growing up in his father's boat yard on City Island. At Mallard Bay he has long been the carpenter of choice for difficult jobs, known for precision seen only on expensive yachts, even on doors and wheelchair ramps. He not only teaches and helps, but he loans tools.

Bill has freely contributed his leadership and skills on numerous projects which are usually important to the community due to the considerable cost savings. Bill has also been generous with his time and talents teaching sailing and boating skills.

Finally, the Bracker's sailboat has introduced many in Mallard Bay to the art and science of sailing and enjoying adventure on the water. The best kind of neighbor to have.

Marianne Stackpole has maintained the property owners' database since 1997, working with the current Treasurer and other officers each year.  While President of the Association in 1998, she attended several conferences on managing POA's in Virginia.  This education led her to a realization that Mallard Bay documentation and procedures needed serious corrections.

She then spearheaded several initiatives, instituting budgeting to include planned amounts for capital reserves, working with a lawyer and the board to rewrite the covenants and bylaws to make us compatible with Virginia law, changing references to the original developer and making other changes needed for the community. The changes were all adopted at the next annual meeting.

In subsequent years she continued to support the Association in various ways, including working on methods to enforce the covenants.  Mrs. Stackpole is one of those reliable pillars of the Mallard Bay structure that quietly keep the essential services running even years after their visible contributions, and is still going that extra mile today.