MAY 2014 RRR - River Ridge

riverridgewv.org
Volume 28 Number 6
May 2014
Board of Directors
Chrissy Koth, President
(410) 661-7917
[email protected]
Mike Ippolito, Vice President
(304)947-5936
[email protected]
John Sharky, Treasurer
(304)947-7955
[email protected]
Helen Herlocker, Secretary
(304)947-5914
[email protected]
Buddy Palmer, Communications
(301)916-4649
[email protected]
Tom McLaren, Architecture
(304)947-7455
[email protected]
Berry Buckingham, Operations
(304)947-5220
[email protected]
Janet Anderson, Long range planning
(301)439-8986
[email protected]
Ron Skeans, Environment
(703)218-2093
[email protected]
Annual Picnic & Meeting June 7, 2014
Picnic begins at 11:30 am and the meeting will start at 12:30 pm
The Annual Meeting of the members of River Ridge Association, Inc.
will be held at 12:30 pm in the Park and Recreation area at River
Ridge, Great Cacapon, WV, on June 7, 2014. The purpose of the Annual
Meeting is to elect directors and conduct such other business as shall
properly come before the meeting.
If you do not expect to attend the meeting in person, please sign and
return the enclosed proxy giving your voting instructions.
By order of the Board of Directors
Helen Herlocker, Secretary
It’s that time of year again for us to come together as friendly neighbors and enjoy a
delicious picnic in our lovely park. As a community, we also need to establish a quorum
to conduct the annual meeting as stated in the bylaws so we can keep our association
performing its duties to the residents of River Ridge.
The Picnic begins at 11:30 am.
Hamburgers & Hot Dogs will be provided with all the trimmings.
* Please bring your own drink of choice.
We ask that you bring a side dish to share. Appetizers, salads, covered hot or cold side dishes,
and desserts are all welcome! Everyone come hungry.
You may also want to bring a chair, sunscreen, bug spray, or anything else for your comfort.
The Business Meeting will begin approximately an hour later around 12:30 pm.
Updates on issues facing the community will be given by Board members. The ballots will be
counted and results announced.
To add to the festivities, we will again do the White Elephant Raffle. Everyone should bring an
unwrapped item(s) to the raffle. We know you can find something in your cupboard, basement,
closet, or garage that qualifies. Remember it’s all done for fun! Tickets will be distributed free at
the picnic.
See everyone on June 7, 2014 in the Park. Rain or Shine.
We do have cover in the maintenance garage should Mother Nature rain on the event.
From the President
Chrissy Koth
Greetings,
The Board held its last scheduled meeting before the Annual Association Meeting. At our
meeting, the Board voted to approve the budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year. Despite anticipated
increases in some administrative costs (such as legal, insurance and taxes) we were able to cut
costs elsewhere, and the annual assessment for next year will only increase $10. Details of the
budget are included within this publication.
Also included in this year’s assessment is the second $50 installment for the building and
infrastructure fund. As you remember at last year’s annual meeting, the community voted to
approve a three year special assessment. The additional funds will be used to expand the garage
and infrastructure improvements to the bathhouse. We have received a building permit for the
planned garage expansion, and hope to start construction this Summer.
The Environmental Committee is working hard to develop a plan to address the impact of the
deer on our forest. We are still at the information gathering stage, and the Board has not yet
decided upon any course of action. Information will be posted on our web page and also
provided at the annual meeting.
I know this is an emotional topic for many, but I believe it can be discussed in an appropriate
manner; so at the annual meeting we are planning to have a civil and respectful discussion
regarding the deer population. I invite you to come listen to the information that Environmental
Committee has gathered, and for you to ask any questions regarding specifics of a potential deer
hunt. This is an informational session only, and we will NOT be voting to approve any plan. If at
a later date action is decided upon, a limited deer hunt would not take place until Fall 2015.
Before any action can take place, the Board will have to promulgate rules and regulations to
govern the hunt that would have to be voted upon and approved by the association. We are not at
that stage. For now, we want to share some specifics of what a limited hunt would entail
including requirements of WV law.
I look forward to seeing everyone again in June. As always, please contact me if you have any
questions or concerns.
River Ridge Operations and Maintenance
Berry Buckingham
Daffodils are blooming and the trees are revealing a hint of green, so I guess it is safe to say that
Spring has arrived. I think we are all ready to welcome Spring with open arms.
The bath house is open for the season. Please remember to leave it the way you would like to
find it on your next visit. Do not leave your trash in the bath house. All residents must make
arrangements for the disposal of their trash by arranging trash pick-up or taking their trash home
for disposal.
We have updated our lower gate and upper gate SOS sensors to facilitate emergency vehicle
access to the community. This was tested and worked on April 26 when we had to call upon
multiple community volunteer fire departments to extinguish a serious house fire and to control
and extinguish the fire that spread into the woods. We should all be very grateful for their
volunteer service and I hope we will all remember to recognize their service with our thanks in
both word and deed. Remember to be generous with your donations to our local fire departments.
These volunteers were there when we needed them. Please report any gate malfunctions to me at
304 947 5220 as we are tracking gate functionality.
We have applied crusher run to most of Pioneer Trail. Observing the speed limit will help keep
the crusher run in place and save us all money in the long run. We plan to continue to apply
crusher run to the other community roads as needed in the coming weeks.
Remember that lot owners are responsible for keeping their driveway drains and gutters open.
Heavy spring rains can quickly lead to flooding when the drains are not maintained. Dale will be
working on cleaning the community gutters as time permits.
Please feel free to contact me if you identify any community problems.
Community Event
FOXGLOVE GARDEN CLUB WOODMONT SOCIAL TO BENEFIT THE GARDENS OF BERKELEY SPRINGS MAY 24, 2014 TWO ENTRY TIMES: 1 – 3 OR 4 – 6 PM WOODMONT ROD & GUN CLUB 11761 WOODMONT ROAD, HANCOCK, MD Donation per ticket is $30 Enjoy light refreshment and a tour of this Historic Site. Silent Auction of treasures, brimming baskets, and local art TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM VICTORIA SCRIGGINS 304 947 7272 OR HELEN HERLOCKER 304 947 5914 IN RIVER RIDGE Architecture Report
Tom McLaren
RIVER RIDGE PROPERTIES
27 April, 2014
Lot Status: ACTIVE (12)
List Price
Original Price
Min.
$19,500
$19,500
Max. $95,000
$95,000
Avg.
$47,936
$54,018
LOTS
ACRES
COMMENTS
A-4
5.50
Constant Run
A-24
7.38
Pioneer Trl.
.
A-44
5.68
Bench La.
A-47
5.37
Bench La
A-74
5.46
Sideling Mtn Trl
B-81
6.26
Virage La
A-87
10.00
Sideling Mtn. Trl.
A-103
5.47
Sideling Mtn. Trl.
B-20
3.0
Honey Locast La.
B-45
3.67
Moss La
B-72
8.06
Moss La.
B-86
4.96
Constant Run
ASKING/SOLD
$75,000
$65,000
$37,900
$39,000
$45,900
$36,000
$59,000
$32,000
$30,000
$30,000
$95,000
$19500
REALTOR
Coldwell
RE/MAX
Kesecker
Coldwell
Coldwell
Coldwell
Coldwell
Coldwell
(Private)
Coldwell
Coldwell
Coldwell
ASKING / SOLD
$249,900
$224,500
$169,000
$315,000/$315,000
$104,900
$145,000
$158,000
$199,900
$192,500
Coldwell
Coldwell
Coldwell
Mountain Home
Kesecker
Coldwell
Perry
Long & Foster
Perry
House Status : ACTIVE (9)
List Price
Min.
$104,900
Max. $249,900
Avg.
$180,463
HOUSES
A-8
6.69
A-12
7.12
A-85
8.08
B-21
3.07
B-28
3.45
B-31
3.35
B-44
3.10
B-53
3.45
B-75
6.19
Constant Run
Constant Run
Sideling Mtn Trl
Honey Locust
Honey Locust
Chipmunk Way
Moss La
Moss La
Sundown Trl
TERESA “TESS” SEVILLE, ABR, GRI Realtor
COLDWELL BANKER PREMIER HOMES
Berkeley Springs
304 671-3515 (Cell)
[email protected]
FIRE DESTROYS HOME!
A serious fire occurred in River Ridge on Saturday, April 26. The house at 232 Bench
Lane burned down along with some of the surrounding woods. Thankfully, nobody was
injured. There were multiple fire trucks called in from every surrounding area of Great
Cacapon. It seems the fire started from a grill close to the house. This was a very windy
day which can be a severe fire hazard for quickly spreading wild fires. As we head into
grilling season, please use caution when cooking on your grills outside. Make sure you
have a fire extinguisher and never leave the flames unattended.
Treasurer Report
John Sharkey
SUBJECT:
Finance Report: For the Period Ending March 31, 2014
We are nine months through our budget year and under budget for this point in the year.
1. Total Revenue was $102,354.70. The total revenue amount includes $86,165.00 for current year
assessments, $3,291.97 for Prior Year Assessments, $140.00 for Amended Assessment (Gypsy
Moth), $2,248.79 for Rip-Rap Fund, $439.13 for Special Road Paving Fund, $1,629.80 for
Driveway Snow Plowing, $75.59 Interest , $9,200.00 for Special Building Fund and $1,927.92
Misc. income. As reported earlier, we gave $2,763.50 in prompt payment discounts this year.
2. Total expenses were $58,095.44. Expenses are broken down as follows:
a. Administrative Expenses were $6,841.44 and slightly over budget by $104.77.
Administrative expenses are as follows: Accounting $2,850.00, Insurance $2,109.83,
Property Taxes $ 677.66, Legal $ 665.11 and Miscellaneous Expenses $538.84.
b. Communications Expenses were $770.71 and under budget by $504.29; $541.95 for the
newsletter and $228.76 for the web site.
c. Fund Payments were $19,766.68 and on budget.
c. Operations and Maintenance Expenses were $21,482.43 and under budget by $12,069.04.
Expenses were as follows: Payroll Cost $9,344.38, Equipment Maintenance/Fuel $3,452.64,
Gravel and Common Area Maintenance $3,085.41.
3. Our cash in the bank is $207,719.06 and is allocated as follows:
a. Current Year Operations
$ 43,001.05
b. Equipment Replacement Reserve
$ 1,000.00
c. Environmental Reserve
$ 35,424.39
d. Road Renovation Reserve
$ 55,999.47
e. Special Road Paving Fund
$ 44,138.61
f. Building Fund
$ 9,200.00
f. Reserve Fund
$ 22,055.54
g. Rip-Rap Fund (outstanding delinq. assessments)
$ - 3,000.00
Assessments that are past due total $15,112.98. A total of 12 lots / 11 owners are delinquent. Four lot
owners owe more than the current 1/2 year assessments. All of these severely delinquent owners already
have had liens filed against their property and a Personal Judgment has been filed with the court.
If you have any questions regarding this report, I would be pleased to address them.
THE RIVER RIDGE ASSOCIATION BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2014/2015
EXPENSES
Administrative
Accounting
Legal
Insurance
Property Tax
Miscellaneous
SUB-TOTAL
Budget Plan
Budget Plan
% Change
Percent of
2013/2014
2014/2015
from Prior
Year
2014/2015
Budget
$2,850.00
$1,000.00
$3,400.00
$750.00
$600.00
$8,600.00
$3,000.00
$1,500.00
$3,800.00
$1,100.00
$600.00
$10,000.00
$150.00
$500.00
$400.00
$350.00
$0.00
$1,400.00
3.330%
1.665%
4.218%
1.221%
0.666%
11.099%
Fund Payments
Equipment
New Truck/Tractor Payments
Road Renovation
Environmental
Building Maintenance
Reserve
SUB-TOTAL
$3,000.00
$10,400.00
$9,000.00
$7,500.00
$0.00
$4,220.00
$34,120.00
$5,000.00
$9,801.82
$9,000.00
$8,000.00
$500.00
4492.85
$36,794.67
$2,000.00
($598.18)
$0.00
$500.00
$500.00
$272.85
$2,674.67
5.550%
10.879%
9.989%
8.880%
0.555%
4.987%
40.840%
Communications
Newsletter Expenses
Website Expenses
Community Services & Outreach
Community Donations
SUB-TOTAL
$1,050.00
$400.00
$100.00
$300.00
$1,850.00
$900.00
$300.00
$0.00
$300.00
$1,500.00
($150.00)
($100.00)
($100.00)
$0.00
($350.00)
0.999%
0.333%
0.000%
0.333%
1.665%
Operations & Main.
Common Area
Gravel
Equip. Maint./Fuel
Payroll
Bonus
SUB-TOTAL
$5,000.00
$9,000.00
$9,000.00
$18,500.00
$550.00
$42,050.00
$4,000.00
$9,000.00
$7,000.00
$18,500.00
$500.00
$39,000.00
($1,000.00)
$0.00
($2,000.00)
$0.00
($50.00)
($3,050.00)
4.440%
9.989%
7.770%
20.534%
0.555%
43.288%
REGULAR OPERATING
EXPENSES
$86,620.00
$87,294.67
$674.67
Discounts for early Payments
TOTAL REG. OPERATIONAL
COSTS
$2,000.00
$2,800.00
$88,620.00
$90,094.67
$1,474.67
TOTAL LOT ASSESSMENT
$470.00
$480.00
$10.00
$50.00
$50.00
$520.00
$530.00
Special Building Fund
3.108%
100.000%
Long Range Planning
Janet Anderson
Since the last meeting, Berry Buckingham and I conducted a survey of the roads in River
Ridge to measure their length, identify location of culverts, and assess the general
condition of road surfaces. I presented to the Board a draft plan for monitoring and
collecting data for the long-range maintenance needs of River Ridge Roads—a chart that
identifies each road and spaces for noting the condition of road surfaces, culverts, and
ditches. This chart will help us track maintenance history and anticipate and estimate costs
for upcoming road maintenance tasks over time.
We also discussed surface paving options for the highest traffic roads in the communityRiver Road, Constant Run, and Pioneer. As we know, around 2001, a Special Road
Paving Fund was initiated for the purpose of paying for new road surfacing needs. The
community voted to end annual collections into this fund sometime around 2012. The
available funds will be applied to paving or resurfacing as much road as is feasible and
desirable, pending our review and recommendations. In the coming months, the LRP
committee will collect data on road usage and conditions, paving options, and comparative
costs in order to better inform our recommendations to the Board. We will present our
findings and recommendations at the next regular Board meeting in July.
Environmental Committee
Ron Skeans
The main focus of the Environmental Committee for the last 10 months has been in regards
to the deer population and management options available to our community.
As stated in the previous newsletter, there has been much debate for the last several years
pertaining to the deer population and the health of our forest.
The Environmental Committee has been gathering information in this regard. We will
inform you, the residents, of the information that has been gathered at the annual picnic in
June. Any questions you may have will be addressed and your viewpoints and comments
will be welcomed. I hope to see you all there.
Regarding the gypsy moths suppression program, it was determined by the WV Dept. of
Agriculture that no eradication measures will be required within River Ridge for this year.
Please remember that all boats stored on the River Ridge boat racks MUST be
identified with the Lot number of the owner. Only 2 boats per lot owner may be
stored on the River Ridge boat racks. Boats without lot numbers are subject to
removal from the rack.
Nominations Committee
Mike Ippolito
Nominations for the three vacancies on the Board of Directors have officially closed.
Ballots will be issued to all qualified voters through the River Ridge Review. Once again,
the nominees are Chrissy Koth, Tom McLaren, and John Sharkey.
Our appreciation is extended to all three nominees for their willingness to continue service
to the community. Directors on the Board do more than just attend meetings. The quality
of life and benefits enjoyed by River Ridge residents are due to the time, energy, and work
of the individual members of the Board of Directors. Come to a Board meeting and see the
work being done for you and the community.
CANDIDATES
Chrissy Koth
I have been a part-time resident of River Ridge since 2008 and have been a board member
since 2011. River Ridge is a fantastic community and has become a place to get away from
the stressors of everyday life. Currently I reside in the Parkville area of Baltimore County.
I have a PhD in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and a MS in Clinical
Psychology from Loyola College. I’m employed with the Baltimore County Public School
system.
As a board member, I strive to balance the needs and wishes of all stakeholders whether
permanent residents, part-timers, or lot owners. I believe in fiscal responsibility and
accountability, fostering a sense of independence and self-reliance, maintaining an ecofriendly community, while preserving the rustic nature of our surroundings.
John Sharkey
I am a candidate for the River Ridge Board and have been a property owner since 1989. I
have served on the board as Treasurer, Communications Chair, and President. I am
interested in preserving the tranquil rural atmosphere that we all came here to enjoy. Since
I came to RR the number of homes has increased dramatically and so have the financial
pressures to maintain our infrastructure while trying to meet the expectations of the lot
owners. A well run and financially sound homeowners association is critical to
maintaining the value of all our properties.
Tom McLaren
Currently serving on the Board of Directors as the Architecture chairperson.
River Ridge Association, Inc.
Proxy – 2013 Annual Meeting
THE UNDERSIGNED Owner(s) of a Lot or Lots in River Ridge, Great
Cacapon, West Virginia, hereby appoint Board Members Mike Ippolito
and Helen Herlocker, and each of them, with full power of substitution,
to act as proxy for the undersigned to vote as members of River Ridge
Association, Inc. (the Association) at the annual meeting of the members
of the Association to be held on June 8, 2013, or any adjournments
thereof, and authorizes and directs them to vote as specified below and in
their discretion on (1) any matters where no choice is specified below,
and (2) any other matters that come before the meeting.
This proxy is to be voted as follows:
Election of Directors (You may vote for up to 3 candidates):
____Chrissy Koth
____Tom McLaren
____John Sharkey
Lot Owner’s
Name(s)_________________________________________________________________
(Please Print)
Owner’s Lot Number(s)__________________
Lot Owner(s)
Signature(s)______________________________________________Date____________
Please sign and date this proxy and mail to River Ridge Association, Inc. PO Box 119,
Berkeley Springs, WV 25411 or deliver it to one of the named proxy holders. Proxies must be
received if mailed not later than June 7, 2013, or if otherwise delivered, not later than the
time the meeting begins.
ANNUAL MEETING & PICNIC JUNE 7 IN THE PARK
THIS NEWSLETTER CONTAINS YOUR VOTING BALLOT
PLEASE VOTE AND RETURN BY JUNE 6 OR BRING IT TO
THE ANNUAL MEETING JUNE 7.
P.O. Box 119
Berkeley Springs, WV 25411