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riverridgewv.org Volume 30 Number 4January, 2016
Board of Directors
Janet Anderson, President(2013 –2016)(301) 758 [email protected]
Nancy Johns, Secretary(2015 –2018)(301)[email protected]
Tom Miller, Operations(2015 –2018)(304) [email protected]
Devon Hill, Vice President, Nominations(2015 –2018) (202) 406-0292(cell) [email protected]
Helen Herlocker, Communications(2013 –2016)(304) 947 [email protected]
Ron Skeans, Environment(2013 –2016)(703) 218 [email protected]
Tom McLaren, Vice President, Architecture(2014 –2017)(304)9477455 [email protected]
Larry Scriggins,Long Range Planning(2015 –2017)(304) 947 [email protected]
Ken Hohl, Treasurer(2015 –2017)[email protected]
THE NEXT MEETING OF THE RIVER RIDGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS WILL BE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016 AT 10 AM, 648 SIDELING MOUNTAIN TRAIL.All River Ridge owners are encouraged to attend. If you can’t attend, you can communicate your views to any Board member prior to the meeting. Your participation is essential for the Board to make informed decisions on your behalf.
From the PresidentJanet Anderson
Greetings River Ridge Neighbors, During this unseasonably warm holiday period (as I write, it is 67 degrees!), I miss the chance that cold weather provides to sit by the warmth of a wood stove, take the chill off with a cup of hot cocoa, and look out at trees blanketed in snow. It was cold before today and surely will be cold aplenty before spring arrives. Whatever the climate or location, I hope you all had happy holiday celebrations with your loved ones.
As we look to the New Year ahead, I have some sad news to report. The River Ridge community recently lost a long-time former member. Dr. Donald Straus, father of Richard and father-in-law of Susan, passed away on December 15 at age 88. Known as a brilliant pediatrician, Dr. Straus was also an active member of River Ridge, serving as President of the Board for many years. We extend our deepest condolences to the family.
On December 5, the Board met at the home of the McLarens. Several members from the community were in attendance and we had two presentations, by Frank Rodgers of the Cacapon Institute and Chuck Branch of Alpha Associates, that informed a lively discussion of many issues.
The Board has worked hard in recent months not only to respond to urgent situations but also to plan ahead. Examples include: responding to a rock fall on Constant Run Road that required its closing for some weeks; ordering and replacing a broken lower gate; instituting a managed deer hunt; identifying priorities for road maintenance and water runoff management; determining we could postpone the costs of gypsy moth spraying for yet another year; using the final draft of the Road Plan to inform planning and budgeting decisions; and investigating whether state and local grant opportunities for Chesapeake Bay watershed management can help us pay for needed improvements to River Ridge drainage systems. See other Officer and Committee reports for more detail.
In addition to these efforts, other recent Board actions include: - Posting permanent Caution Falling Rock signs on the river portion of Constant Run Road. As we know, rockslides are rare events, impossible to predict. Reducing the risk of rockslides, through rock barriers or other means is very, very, expensive. Rocks may fall on that road next month, ten years from now, or never again in our lifetimes. The Board has determined, for now, that the most prudent approach for using the river road is to proceed at our own risk, heed road signs, and use common sense.
- Updating the Community Directory for distribution at the Annual Meeting in 2016. Sandy Simm is collecting contact information until the cut-off date of February 25. The updated Directory will serve as a community resource, so that we can contact one another when needed. If a member chooses, there is a one-time opportunity to opt-out of inclusion in the Directory. See River Ridge Directory report below.
- Posting a Community Map on the Member’s page of the RR Website.
- Arranging with Morgan County to install, at no cost to River Ridge, collapsible road-sign posts. Our wooden posts do not comply with current County requirements that road-sign posts must collapse upon impact. This work will take place next spring.
- Developing a plan to preserve River Ridge archives and historical documents, either in electronic or physical files. See Helen Herlocker for more details.Next meeting of the Board is February 20, 2016, at Helen Herlocker’s home on Sideling Mountain Trail.
All the best,Janet Anderson, President, Board of Directors
River Ridge Directory
I’m excited that we will soon have a directory of River Ridge home owners thanks to the tireless efforts of Sandy Simm and Marsha Miller. They have been collecting updated information from each of us as well as asking our permission to share it. My husband and I have been thankful to meet so many warm, helpful and interesting neighbors here. I look forward to a directory to help me out when I can't remember a name or when I’d like to contact a new friend.
The directory will be shared among River Ridge home owners and on the Member’s section (not the public section) of the River Ridge website.
IMPORTANT: For owners who do not want personal information shared through the directory or who have not gotten back to Sandy or Marsha, the directory will contain only public information: the name and lot number of the owner. If you do NOT wish to have even your name and lot number included, let Sandy ([email protected] t ) know by sending her a brief note by or before February 25, 2015.
Many thanks to Sandy and Marsha for the enormous work they have invested in making this wonderful source of information available to us!
Nancy JohnsSecretary
Operations and MaintenanceTom Miller
WINTER WHERE ARE YOU? (Editor’s note: Tom wrote this in December! His question has been answered!)
BATHHOUSE UPDATES We have obtained a permit for the remodeling and are in the process of getting quotes for the needed plumbing upgrades. At this time, Due to permit restrictions, all planned work will be confined to the interior.
GENERAL A green canoe was left on the boat rack for several weeks beyond the Nov. 1 removal date. It has been removed by O&M. Please contact me at the below number to retrieve.Cleaning of the community drainage facilities generates a large volume of leaves. We are short on disposal areas. If you have an area of property that could be used for disposal please let me know.A new gate has been installed at the Constant Run Road entry. Useable parts from the old gate have been retained for repairs to the upper gate, when needed.
GARBAGE PICK UPIf any resident who has Thursday trash picked up by Apple Valley Waste would like to volunteer for a month of gate duties, please contact Marsha Miller for details at the number below.
If anyone sees maintenance issues or has a concern, I can be reached at 304-867-0205 or [email protected].
Please remember that the speed limit on all River Ridge roads is 20 mph. Please obey.
Treasurer ReportKen Hohl
All balances reflect transactions from July 1, 2015 through November 30, 2015
Income to date:
Expenses to date:AdministrativeCommunicationsFund ExpensesOperations & MaintenanceBad Debt Write-off
Net Income to date:
Balances in the following account are:Checking AccountMoney MarketBuilding FundEngineering Service Reserve
Environmental Fund
Equipment Replacement FundReserve AccountSpecial Road FundRip Rap ProjectRoad Renovation Fund
Cash on Hand
Assessments owed are $10,994.06. Three property owners owe a total of $9,476.30 and have Personal Judgements filed against them. Four other property owners have not yet paid their most recent assessment that was due on July 31, 2015 for a total of $1,550.51. We have collected $1,152.60 of previous past due amounts since the end of September, 2015. I will continue to follow-up to make sure that our accountant is sending out late payment notices to the delinquent owners.
The budget is holding steady and sufficient funds should be available going forward.
Please call or email me with any questions or concerns.
Long Range PlanningLarry Scriggins
At the December 5 meeting of the board of directors, Chuck Branch of Alpha Associates outlined the work of his firm in in developing a long range plan for the roads. Thereafter, a revised report was submitted. The road study working group (Janet Anderson, Larry Scriggins, Tom Miller, Susan Strauss and Merle Seville) as well as the entire board are in the process of reviewing the revised report. We expect to develop a long range strategy for implementation of the recommendations and to have a full presentation to the members at the next annual meeting in June.
EnvironmentRon Skeans
The Limited Deer Hunt
The first special urban limited deer management hunt that was held within River Ridge ended on Dec. 12, 2015. This hunt is part of an ongoing effort to reduce the deer herd within RR which should help with reforestation efforts. This hunt was under the direction of the WV Division of Natural Resources and supervised by the RR Board. In total, 12 deer were taken.
The hunters that participated in this hunt were very professional and adhered to the rules and guidelines set forth by the “Deer Management Committee” and the RR Board. There were no problems at all arising from hunters not being respectful of their assigned hunt zone areas.
As stated by our WV Division of Natural Resources representative Rich Rogers, this type of special urban limited hunt should be conducted for a few years before any benefit can be seen.
Since the vote that was taken last June 2015 by RR residents and property owners was to authorize this hunt for only 2015, another vote must be taken to authorize another limited hunt. This vote will take place around June 2016.
The hunt permit required from WV DNR must be processed by February 2016. I have been directed by the Board to request another “special urban limited deer hunt” permit from WV State authorities for 2016. If authorization is not given by a vote that will take place around June 2016 by the residents and property owners of RR, the permit will not be utilized.
I would like to thank the members of the “Deer Management Committee” for their time and effort in conducting this deer hunt. I would also like to thank you, the residents and property owners, for being understanding during this hunt.
Reforestation Plan
On other matters, Frank Rodgers with The Cacapon Institute addressed the Board and interested residents at the last Board meeting. He informed us of the myriad of programs to help with reforestation efforts, along with rain water run off control measures.
I have submitted an application form with The Cacapon Institute in order to receive free native trees for our community. I will coordinate with Tom Miller as to the best areas within the park for the new trees to be planted. You may remember that many trees in this area had to be removed due to disease.
Please let me know if you are interested in helping our community with tree planting programs. Any help offered will be much appreciated.
Finally, according to the WV Dept. of Agriculture, our community will not have to spray for Gypsy Moth infestation. Our community was deemed to not have sufficient egg mass counts to require spraying at this time.
I hope that everyone will have a happy and prosperous 2016.
ArchitectureTom McLaren
RIVER Ridge PROPERTIES 1 January 2016
Lot Status: ACTIVE (9)
List Price
Min. $24,000Max. $63,000Avg. $46,922
LOTS ACRES COMMENTS ASKING REALTOR
*A-4 5.50 Constant Run $63,000 Coldwell
*A-24 7.38 Pioneer Trl. $59,000 Coldwell
*A-31 5.50 Pioneer Trl. $33,900 Coldwell
*A-87 10.00 Sideling Mtn. Trl. $49,999 Coldwell
*A-92 7.96 Pioneer Trl. $59,000 Coldwell
*A-93 5.96 Sideling Mtn. Trl. $55,000 Kesecker
*A-101 5.61 Butterfly La. $43,400 Coldwell
*A-103 5.47 Sideling Mtn. Trl. $28,000 Coldwell
*B-18 3.13 Honey Locust La. $35,000 Century 21
*B-20 Honey Locast La. $30,000 (Private) 304 947-5188 410 215-9693
B-48 3.90 Moss La. $30,000 Kesecker
House Status : ACTIVE (6)
List Price
Min. $128,500Max. $275,000Avg. $209,667
HOUSES ACRES COMMENTS ASKING/SOLD REALTOR
*A-12 7.12 Constant Run $220,000 Coldwell
*A-94 5.78 Sideling Mtn. Trl. $249,500 Kesecker
*A-102 4.61 Butterfly La. $190,000 Coldwell
*B-22 3.11 Honey Locus La. $275,000 Coldwell
*B-34 5.45 Pioneer Trl. $195,000 Kesecker
*B-44 3.10 Moss La $128,500 Perry
NOTE: All boldface entries have been added or changed. Information provided by: TERESA “TESS” SEVILLE, ABR, GRI, RealtorCOLDWELL BANKER PREMIER HOMES, Berkeley Springs304 671-3515 (Cell) [email protected]
Mailboxes at the Upper Gate
There have been several inquiries regarding folks wanting to get a Mail Box. We maintain a list of those wanting a mail box. Currently we have six on the list.
A little Mail Box history: We put in the current structure (sixteen boxes) several years ago. We fronted the money to buy the boxes from the Post Office folks (around one thousand as I recall). We also constructed the foundation and installed the base. At that time we installed a second base to allow us to put another structure.I believe that we will be willing to purchase another structure if we can get twelve folks that want a box and are willing to pay the cost – I think about $60.Now you know all we know regarding Mail Boxes. Want one? Call Terry (my wife the War Department) and she will put you on the list. When we hit twelve, we will launch.T.M.
Nominating Committee ReportDevon Hill, Vice President
If you are like me, the start of the New Year brings optimistic thoughts of goals to achieve and projects to accomplish. One of the important tasks on my “to do” list is identifying talented members of the River Ridge Community who would be willing to serve on the Board of Directors. As I wrote in the last newsletters, we will have three open seats on the Board for the election to be held at the Annual Meeting on June 4, 2016. Our bylaws require that nominations are petitioned to the Committee 60 days prior to the election and that we post the list of candidates 45 days before June 4th. We intend to have a list of candidates by the beginning of March and that time is getting very close. Serving on the
Board is a great way to help River Ridge, it is also a great way to keep abreast of what is going on in our community and to meet your neighbors.
Help us to identify persons who are willing to serve. If you have an interest in standing for election or if would like to know more about what service on the board entails, please reach out to me or any of the board members. If you are not interested in standing for election yourself, but have suggestions of persons in River Ridge that might be interested, please contact me and I will be happy to contact them to discuss the benefits of serving on the Board. My contact information is on the front of this newsletter.
CommunicationsHelen Herlocker
The Board has decided to do a housekeeping chore, and we could use the help of community members—especially those of you who have been residents for a long time. We are going to sort and sift through boxes of old newsletters, meeting minutes, documents, correspondence, and pamphlets that have been accumulating in several basements and home offices over the years. If you have some things to contribute, please let me know. We would like to have a sorting party (helpers welcome!) sometime in the next couple of months. There, we will decide what is worth keeping, and what can be tossed. We’ll also investigate getting important papers scanned.
If anyone is interested in receiving the River Ridge Review electronically, please call or email me. I’ll forward a permission form for you to sign. Your email participation is appreciated. And the electronic newsletter often contains live links to information related to the topics.
First Fridays are Fun!
Plans are set for a year of neighborhood fun as River Ridge continues the First Friday tradition. These lively evening gatherings occur in a different home every month. Generally, the notice appears on the gate bulletin boards announcing the time and location as well as requesting us to bring an appetizer or dessert and a beverage. Put these dates on your calendar and plan to enjoy meeting with old and new friends in a relaxed atmosphere. (Special thanks to the Wheelers for organizing this popular program each year.) 2016 First Fridays:
January 1 - WheelerFebruary 5 - HerlockerMarch 4 - GodowgnApril 1 - JohnsMay 6 - WalkerJune 3 - Morris
July 1 - KlineAugust 5 - SkeansSeptember 2 - WeidermanOctober 7 - IppolitoNovember 4 - McConnellDecember 2 - Breen
First Friday December 2015 at the Breen’s
Once again, hosts Bob and Dianne Breen delighted their neighbors with Christmas decorations, inside and out!
Good friends!
Good food!
And a lively game of Cornhole!Photos by Howard Caulfield
Please remember that the speed limit on all River Ridge roads is 20 mph. Please observe.
By driving at a safe speed, you are avoiding collisions with walkers, wildlife, and vehicles. You are
keeping the dust levels down. And you are reducing road maintenance expenses.
Thanks!
P.O. Box 119Berkeley Springs, WV 25411
