Spring Ridge Online - Newsletter



Past Issues April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004		Spring Ridge Review Newsletter May 2006 Message From Board President Greetings Friends and Neighbors, Well, here we are on the brink of another spring and summer season in our own beautiful Spring Ridge Community. The trees and flowers are blooming, the leaves are unfurling, and some of the natives are getting restless. Unfortunately, in the midst of these lengthening days and beautiful scenery, a great deal of vandalism has taken place in the community, and the police and management company are certain it is the work of local teens. For example: Many mailboxes have been smashed off their posts, some residents had their screen door hinges removed, several cherry blossom trees on the Parkway had mature branches viciously twisted and ripped off the trunks, and glue cans used for sniffing/huffing have been found. A police officer gave chase on one recent occasion and apprehended a boy with beer. These things go beyond the usual “pranks,” and constitute serious property damage and/or drug use. Sniffing glue, or “huffing” can result in immediate death at worst, a degree of irreversible brain damage at best. Anyone caught vandalizing property here will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We ask that parents PLEASE enforce sensible curfews, know where your kids are, and be prepared to be financially responsible for any vandalism committed by your underage children. If anyone knows who is responsible for these acts, please call the Visitor Center - there will be no questions asked and your anonymity assured. The matter will be turned over to the police. Rest assured - they are watching! On another note, the Pool Season begins soon, and we have several items to report. One, Century Pool’s Management has imposed an age change from 11 to 12 for children unescorted by adults. This was a requirement in order to continue our contract with them. Based on industry standards and trends, the majority of the Board felt this was appropriate and reasonable, particularly in the interest of safety. Secondly, extended Pool Hours will be available to all adult residents prior to schools being out for the summer, and after school goes back in session at the end of the season, provided attendance is good. This will allow adults to relax and enjoy the pool without the noise and crowding of children, a little genuine R & R hopefully. Please note the times elsewhere in this newsletter. Thirdly, please make note: This year, a VERY strict and no-nonsense policy of checking passes will be in place. Apparently, these rules were relaxed in the past, and occasions of anyone coming and going freely were noted. Well, not any more. The pool is reserved for residents only, and guests with legitimate guest passes; Century reserves the right to turn unauthorized people away in the interest of the comfort and SAFETY of our residents. Finally, a flag system will be in place in addition to the current whistle system of warning, to accommodate our hearing impaired residents. Finally, a Real Estate note: While the market has indeed softened, and selling times are longer and negotiations more brisk, Spring Ridge continues to be a better-than-average-market thanks to the beauty, safety, and desirability of our amenity-rich community. It is the ongoing intention of PMP and the Board of Directors to continue to protect our quality level of living in Spring Ridge, and to protect our property values. Please help us by being vigilant, reporting ANY suspicious activities, and obeying all rules and regulations put forth in the HOA documents, as well as the pool rules, this summer. Here's to a fun, healthy, and SAFE Summer Season! Sincerely, Susan Gargon-Centineo President *Board of Director’s Corner* Meeting: May 16th at 7pm in VC Mr. Beshers and his representatives presented to the Board and homeowners, a proposed plot plan for the 21 home sites to be built on his property off of Dresden Lane. This was a detailed presentation showing the location of the storm water maintenance pond and the proposed tree buffer. These plans must be presented to the County for approval. Once the property is re-zoned, it will take approximately two years before any site preparation will take place. The long awaited Fire Station is tentatively scheduled to begin construction this summer. Look for announcements about the ground breaking ceremony in future newsletters and the Spring Ridge website. Proposed changes to the pool rules for the 2006 season will be mailed to Spring Ridge residents for review. One of the rule changes being considered is a change in the minimum age for unaccompanied children at the pool, from 11 to 12 years of age. Consideration of this rule change is due to a change in our pool management company’s policy. The Board will vote on this and other pool rule changes at the May meeting. Due to recent acts of vandalism, we ask that residents report suspicious activity to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office using the 301-694-1046 non-emergency dispatch number. The Board has approved playground improvements for four of the older playgrounds. The Board thanks the Recreation Committee for a successful Easter Egg Hunt. Due to the inclement weather, this event was held on the Sunday rain date. The Board has approved Hospitality Group to establish a portable trailered-in food concession stand pool-side for the 2006 season. *Happy Memorial Day* PMP, Inc. and the Visitor Center will be closed on Monday, May 29th in observance of Memorial Day. PMP, Inc. and the Spring Ridge Conservancy Board of Director’s wish you a safe and fun Memorial Day Weekend. *Classifieds* For Rent: Time Share Rentals. One or Two bedroom, Puerto Vallarta or Los Cabos, Mexico, From May 1st thru mid December, Located at the Westin Regina, Just lovely! Depending on what size, rent is from $1,000.00 - $1,300.00 for the week. Call Nancy Kessler at 301-293-0146 or email Nancy at nancyrn@scbmalaw.com. For Rent: Ocean City, MD-Coconut Malorie Resort. Located on 59th Street, 4 nights in a studio, Sleeps 4, May 15th to May 19th, $450.00 OBO and 4 nights in a one bedroom, Sleeps 4, Aug. 28th to Sept. 1st $750.00 OBO. Call 301 694-7658. For Sale: Bread Machine. 2 loaf Bread Classic bread machine; Makes white, herb, grain, and specialty breads, as well as dough for cinnamon rolls, pizza, stromboli, bread sticks, bagels, and rolls; Includes instruction book with numerous recipes. $35.00. Call Karen at 301-620-4332. *Calendar of Events* May 5 ~ 4pm - ACC Application Submission Deadline May 7 ~ 2pm to 5pm - Sharks Registration at VC May 8 ~ 7pm - Recreation Committee Meeting at VC May 9 ~ 7pm - Pool Committee Meeting at VC May 10 ~ 7pm - ACC Meeting at VC May 11 ~ 7pm - Hampton Court II Annual Meeting at VC May 13 ~ 9am to 11:30am - Residents may pick up/sign for 2006 Pool Guest Pass at VC May 14 ~ Mother’s Day May 16 ~ 7pm - Conservancy BOD Meeting at VC May 23 ~ 5pm to 7pm - Residents may pick up/sign for 2006 Pool Guest Pass at VC May 24 ~ 5pm to 7pm - Residents may pick up/sign for 2006 Pool Guest Pass at VC May 27 ~ 10:30am - Pools Open For Season May 29 ~ Memorial Day - Visitor Center Closed *Guest Passes - New Procedure!* The Spring Ridge Conservancy Board of Directors approved a new method for distributing Pool Guest Passes. Guest Passes will no longer be mailed to residents. Beginning this year, 2006, Residents will have to sign for their Guest Passes. Each residence will still receive a Free Guest Pass for the first 10 visits to the pool, but as stated above, you will have to sign for it. The following is information that residents should be aware of before obtaining a Guest Pass: Only one (1) Free Guest Pass good for ten (10) visits will be distributed to residents. Only persons 18 years of age or older will be allowed to obtain/sign for a Guest Pass. If you use up your first 10 visits or lose your Guest Pass, you may purchase additional Guest Passes good for 10 visits each, at the amount of $20.00 per Guest Pass. You may also pay $2.50 for each Guest at the Pool Gate. A maximum of 8 guests per day is allowed. Management will verify that residents obtaining their Guest Pass actually live in Spring Ridge before allowing the residents to get a Pool Pass and sign for the Guest Pass. For New Owners: Please bring a copy of your settlement sheet as proof that you own property in Spring Ridge before obtaining a Pool Pass or Guest Pass. For Renters: You must have a letter addressed to the Spring Ridge Conservancy Board of Directors, from the owner of your unit, stating that they, the owner, relinquishes their pool privileges for the 2006 pool season to you, the renter. 2005's letter will not be accepted. The letter must list all renters living at the address, including children (with dates of birth). If you or the owner of your unit cannot provide the pool privilege relinquishment letter, you will not receive Pool Passes or the Pool Guest Pass. Residents may pick up 2006 Guest Passes on the following days and times at the Visitor Center: Monday-Friday, 11am-5pm Additional Times To Pick Up Guest Passes: Saturday, May 13th, 9am-11:30am Tuesday, May 23rd, 5pm-7pm Wednesday, May 24th, 5pm-7pm Look For Swim Lesson Information In June’s Newsletter! Sheriff’s Advice In speaking with Lt. Winebrenner of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, because of a few problems that Spring Ridge has experienced lately, we wan the parents to be aware of a few concerns. We now know that some of the teens within the community have been gathering in designated spots on the property. Under age drinking and possibly even worse, are some of the activities that the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office are watching out for. Empty glue containers, whipping cream containers, and other unmentionables have been found and are a sure sign that some of these gatherings have gone too far. Please contact the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office at the Non-Emergency Number, 301-694-1046 regarding any suspicious activity. Looking For A Car Pool Looking for a Car Pool from Spring Ridge to Rt. 124 - Quince Orchard Road exit off of I-270 (Exit 11A). Monday through Friday, Work hours 8am to 5-5:30pm. Please contact Steve via cell phone at 301-461-5555. We wish all of the Spring Ridge Mothers, A Very Happy Mother’s Day! Street Lights The street lights in the community are maintained by Allegheny Power. If you see a light out, please get the pole number (located near the top of the lamp) and notify the Visitor Center at 301-620-0782. Management will contact Allegheny Power to have the light fixed. Please keep in mind that Allegheny Power makes the repairs at their leisure. Neighborhood Watch News Hello neighbors. Our Sheriffs Department Liaison attended a Crime Prevention Task Force meeting earlier in April. In that meeting, some trends of recent crimes occurring in the County were discussed. I felt it was important to get this out to everyone in the community for awareness. A crime that has become popular with a number of kids and adults is “runnin cars”. The criminals who are committing the crime or looking to commit the crime use the term “runnin cars”. Runnin cars is when criminals will target a neighborhood traveling by foot, usually at night, to check car doors to see it they are locked or if windows are down. If a car is unlocked or they can unlock the car through an open window, they burglarize everything in the car not nailed down. Arrests have been made in some of these cases and this crime has slowed down a bit for now, but the threat of this criminal activity on our community still threatens. These crimes have primarily taken place in the eastern part of Frederick County, New Market, Mt. Airy and Spring Ridge areas. In the same areas and in the western part of the County, primarily Myersville, there were a reported number of daytime burglaries. Theses criminals would operate in groups. The group committing the burglaries would have one member of the group knock on the front door. If no one answered the door, other members of the group would break in around the back of the house, make entry and burglarize the home. The Detective describing this activity stated this has slowed down and arrests have been made in SOME of these cases. Since this information has been passed along, here are some recommendations from the Sheriffs Department for how to be defensive against some of these crimes as well as be proactive to deter being a victim of these crimes. Lock all vehicles, roll up all windows and put down garage doors deter becoming a victim of crime. The weather is getting nice but we just need to do the little things overnight to keep from helping the criminals out. If someone you do not know knocks on your door, do not talk face to face to them, talk through the door. If you hear or see someone in the rear of your house call the Police IMMEDIATELY, tell the person at the door to leave and let them know you have called the Police. Remember to try and get good descriptions and the direction of travel when they depart. NEVER confront someone. It could only get you unnecessarily hurt. Gather as much information about an incident as you can and let the Police do their job. As a community, it is extremely important to first, report all suspicious activity to the Sheriff's Office. Second, make sure you obtain a Police Report Number for your call and third, notify the Neighborhood Watch to let the community know what’s going on. My number and email address is below. Thanks to everyone who has been active in building up the Neighborhood Watch and anyone wishing to join our Neighborhood Watch email notifications, drop me an email at the address below and I will insure you are placed on the notification list. Thank you. Clay Townshend 301-620-2880 and/or scout1412@yahoo.com *Pool Committee News* At our April 11th meeting, the Pool Committee discussed these items which were on the agenda: Possible revisions for a few pool rules. Procedure for residents to pick up guest passes. Summer event calendar. State of Water Aerobics Program. Outdoor furniture. To reiterate - The very FIRST item on every Pool Committee Meeting is the Residents Discussion. This time slot is reserved for any resident of Spring Ridge to bring up any matter relating to our pools. You are welcome to come and are guaranteed to be heard. The pools officially open on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, which is May 27th. Regarding Item No. 4 above, the Water Aerobics, we are losing our popular and certified Instructor, Amy Weinstein, who will be moving out-of-state. The search is on for her replacement. If you are a certified Water Aerobics Instructor, or know of one who would like to work at Spring Ridge Pools this summer, email us at springridgepool@adelphia.net. It was a fun and profitable experience last year for both instructor and participants. Dates to Remember: June 24th - Community Pool Party June 25th - Rain date for Community Pool Party July 30th - Lifeguard Appreciation Day August 18th - Teen Party August 19th - Rain date for Teen Party It’s wonderful that a few people are interested in becoming members of the Pool Committee, and their names will be announced in the next newsletter. Meanwhile, we still are urging residents to attend our next meeting on Tuesday, May 9th at 7pm in the Visitor Center. You are needed to help us keep Spring Ridge Pools the enviable and exciting attraction that it is. Sharkey’s Tip: Please follow the rules of the pools. They are posted at the main pool near my picture. *FAN Club News* The official FAN season ended with the April 19th social at the Visitor Center at 7pm. Three representatives from Frederick’s Thomas Scott Salon were the very generous speakers who gave ALL of our members in attendance a door prize. Spring Ridge is even more beautiful as a result of this. Our thanks are extended to: Kay Hammel, Salon Director, Laura Charuhas, Esthetician, and Janie Felton, Make-Up Artist. They taught us about procedures done at their Thomas Scott Salon and Spa, such as Salt Glow (a body polish), eyelash tints, reflexology, and massage. Those attending had a great evening out. Although the FAN Club has no more activities at the Visitor Center this season, those who still want to join can do so now and be signed up for next season (end of August) and yet participate in the fun-filled informal events held over the summer. Our Interest Groups include, but are not limited to: Book Group, Game Nights, FANfare (themed dinners), Ladies Night Out, Lunch Bunch, Chick Flicks, Morning Mugs, Wine Tasters, and Beer FANatics. Contact Membership Chair, Lynne Warburton at 301-662-8610 for further information. Have a safe and wonderful summer! *Recreation Committee News* Thanks to all who came out for our annual Easter Egg Hunt. Due to rain, the hunt was postponed until Sunday, but we still had a wonderful turnout. A great big thank you to Melinda Yuhas, Dawn Strayton, Jen Albers, Wendy Goss, Megan Goss, Emily Muma, Kim Shull, Stacey Pisarski, and Girl Scout Troop #1646. Without the help of everyone who volunteered their time, this event could not have taken place. We especially want to thank Heidi Hambrecht who has done an outstanding job organizing this event for the past two years. Please remember to re-check your newsletter for the times and dates of Recreation Committee events. Spring Ridge Pee-Wee Sluggers took to the Soccer Field for the first morning of T-Ball instruction on Saturday, April 29th. Registered 3-5 year olds will receive instruction on Saturday mornings, beginning at 9:30am. The last Saturday in May (May 27th) will be reserved as a make-up day, or for an end of season party. Thanks for your participation! The Recreation Committee is bringing back Monday Morning Playgroup at the Soccer Field Park for children ages newborn-6 years old. Beginning on Monday, May 8th, bring your children to the park at 10am. Let them run, climb, and slide with new and old neighbors. If you are interested in meeting other neighborhood families with children of similar ages, this is the way to do it. We will meet every Monday morning at 10am unless the weather does not cooperate. If you have any questions, please call or email Melinda Yuhas at 301-228-3831 or melinyuhas@aol.com. ATTENTION ALL INCOMING SPRING RIDGE ELEMENTARY (SRES) AND OAKDALE ELEMENTARY (OES) KINDERGARTNERS: Pack a lunch, bring a blanket, grab your favorite ball, and join us at the Spring Ridge Park for a picnic meet and greet on Friday, June 2nd at 12pm. All kindergartners who will be attending private school are also welcome. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet some of your potentially new classmates. Please contact Jen Mills at 301-631-8327 for more information. Join us for the next Recreation Committee Meeting on Monday, May 8th at 7pm in the Visitor Center. ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND! Any questions, call Melinda Yuhas at 301-228-3831 or Dawn Strayton at 301-631-5631. The Community Yard Sale is Saturday, June 3rd from 8am-1pm. When you drop off your registration slip along with $1.00 at the Visitor Center, please pick up a blue and white balloon to display on your mailbox. Townhomes can tie them to their sale table. The maps are going to be available for pick up at the Visitor Center the day before the yard sale during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 11am-5pm). You can still pick up a map on the day of the yard sale. The $1.00 fee is to cover the cost of advertising in the Gazette and The Frederick News Post. The registration form is below. Any questions, please call Christine Clark at 301-624-5489 or Tina Gamble at 301-228-3676. *Shark’s News* “Swimmer’s step up - take your mark...get set...swim! It’s time to register swimmers for the 2006 Spring Ridge Sharks swim season! Registration begins Sunday, May 7th at the Visitor Center from 2pm-5pm. We will have all the forms, information, and the new team suits to try on and purchase! All swimmers must have an adult signature to join! And while you’re registering, please take a moment to meet the 2006 Sharks coaching staff. Co-Head Coaches, Audrey Wells and Roni Nasuti are back this year, along with our Assistant Coaches Ryan Murphy, Karen Younkins, Lisa Carr, and new this year, Kendall Klosky and Jennifer Dickson. They are all anxious and ready to work with past and new swimmers! New for 2006: This year, practice will start May 30th in the afternoons until school lets out on June 12th. After June 12th, the Sharks main/primary practice will be the morning practices from8am-10am, broken up into two age group sessions from 8am-9am and 9am-10am. Swimmers will be assigned which practice they need to show up for. We have only limited pool time and lanes in the evenings. Evening practices will primarily be reserved for stroke technique; swimmers will be provided a schedule on when to show up for the stroke clinics. This change in practices has come about for the growing needs of our community. Our swim season starts on June 17th at home with Braddock Heights, June 24th at Lake Linganore, July 1st (bye week), July 8th at home with YMCA, July 15th at Robin Meadows, and July 22nd at home for Divisionals. All Stars will be held at Lake Linganore July 29th. As always, the rain date for each meet is the next day (Sunday). A copy of the 2006 Registration Form can be found further in this newsletter, on the Sharks website at www.springridgesharks.org, and will also be available at the Visitor Center if you cannot attend Registration on May 7th. You may also drop off completed forms to the Visitor Center. The LAST DAY TO REGISTER FOR THE SHARKS SWIM TEAM IS JUNE 9TH BY 5PM. Please include your current email address to insure your swimmer’s registration. Place the forms and check in an envelope marked “Sharks” and drop it off through the Visitor Center mail slot through the main entrance door or the drop box in the Visitor Center foyer. We expect another exciting season this year and as always, we need the support of each and every family to help run the season smoothly. It takes teamwork to have a successful season and the swimmers depend on us to make that happen...and it’s fun to see how much they get of their summer, building friendships, self esteem, and having a good time! For more details contact SCARRGO2@aol.com. Thank you. Johannes Gross & Gary Roeder Co-Chairs of the Sharks
	Committees/Clubs \| Direct Debit \| PMP, Inc. \| Builders \| Hampton Court Condominium Spring Ridge Condominium \| Newsletter \| Conservancy Board \| Frederick County copyright 1999 - 2000. Spring Ridge Conservancy.