The Ridings at Brookside Review Volume 9, Issue 66

The Ridings at Brookside Review
Volume 9, Issue 66
www.ridingsatbrookside.com
August 2015
Who wants to participate in another yard sale? Yes … due to the
overwhelming success of last year’s yard sale, The Ridings will be having
another yard sale on Saturday, August 1st.. This happens to be during Das
Awkscht Fest … so we will certainly have potential buyers coming through
the neighborhood. Start gathering your unwanted treasures… We will also
be cooking out down at the pool on Saturday! Plan on coming down to the
pool for some hotdogs and hamburgers. The sale will be from 8:00 AM to
2:00 PM.
A Silver Lining
The Ridings at Brookside had scheduled a hot dog and ice cream social at
the pool on July 4th. As luck would have it, the weather didn’t cooperate!
68 degrees and rain does not make for a good pool day, so we moved the
event to Sunday the 5th. 82 degrees and sunny skies made all the
difference. A Board member cooked up close to 60 hot dogs for the pool
going crowd. Ice cold soft drinks and bottles of water were on hand. The
crowd enjoyed listening to a selection of music spanning from the 60’s to
today…. and at around 1:30 PM we were visited by an ice cream truck. I
know what you are thinking… Who brings a wallet or purse to the pool!
Yeah… the Board of Directors was thinking the same! We picked up the tab
for everyone in the pool who wanted ice cream. All in all… about 70
residents and guests came down to enjoy a dog, ice cold refreshments and
some ice cream… not a bad way to celebrate a holiday weekend! Will we
see you next time? We hope so… This event was deemed successful, but
more importantly, it was fun for those that attended. With that said, we will
be cooking out once a month down at the pool on the occasional Saturday
However, the next cookout will occur on the first weekend of August will be
on Sunday, August 3, 2015, instead of Saturday. Keep a watchful eye out for
the announcements on the community bulletin board.
Hey! Where did my shrubs go?
Right after the 4th of July, you may have noticed that Turf Pro was in the
neighborhood, pulling up old stumps left behind from previous tree, shrub
removals, and shrubs that were either dead, dying or so overgrown that
they infringed upon a sidewalk. This method was substantially faster, and
resulted in little to no mess. Plus, by pulling the entire root out vs stump
grinding, we will have an easier time re-planting a shrub back into the space
in the fall or next spring.
Trash
One of our residents noticed that many of us place our trash cans on the
lawn for pick up. In the hot summer months, the trash cans will start to kill
the grass that they are sitting on. This resident suggested that we all place
our trash cans on the driveway aprons or the street. We agree! Thanks for
the great suggestion!
Board of Directors:
Todd Rutledge, President
Eileen Kolmar, Vice President
Tina Rauch, Treasurer
David Gordon, At- Large
Charlie Bruno, At-Large
Contact the Board at:
[email protected]
Mail All Correspondence to:
Danella Realty & Management
P.O. Box 1017
Blue Bell, PA 19422
Rebecca Mason, Manager
[email protected]
Board or Legal Concerns
Bylaw/Declaration Questions
Contractor Concerns
Delinquent Accounts
Sherry Tepper, Asst. Manger
[email protected]
Maintenance Requests
Clubhouse Rentals
Pool & Car Tags
Exterior Alterations
Forms & General Questions
The Classifieds
Need Your Deck Stained?
Contact Derrick at 610-739-9361
to schedule a free estimate.
Handyman:
Joseph Kurasz
484 560-4186
Thank You from Village Walk
Fire Victims:
"Whatever it was you did for us
during our fire recovery, we truly
appreciate it!
Thank you for your thoughtful
ways and generous outpouring."
The Millers
No Solicitation
Proper disposal of the U.S. Flag
You may or may not know this, but The Ridings does post
a sign saying “No Solicitation Allowed”. With that said,
the Board of Directors interprets solicitation as door to
door activity. Ice Cream trucks driving through the
neighborhood on the other hand are not door to door.
The Board of Directors have unanimously agreed to grant
permission to the two ice cream trucks that occasionally
pass through our community. We have asked both
vehicles to always drive at or below our posted speed
limits and never block the street. I bet that most of us
have fond memories of “The Ice Cream Truck” that passed
through our own neighborhoods in the summer time
where we grew up as children. This Board wants our
children in our community to have those same fond
memories, and I am sure that the majority of our
residents would want the same… BTW: we never grow too
old to enjoy an ice cream treat from the ice cream man…
Have fun and enjoy your summer!
It was a stirring sight seeing so many American Flags
being flown in our community for the 4th of July.
Hopefully many of those flags will remain flying
throughout the summer. But, with constant flying,
your flag will eventually wear out or become
damaged. It is disrespectful to fly a worn or
damaged flag. Worn-out or damaged flags must be
disposed of properly.
Lions & Tigers and Bears… Oh My!
Well we don’t live in OZ and we don’t have lions, tigers
and bears… Hey, it’s the Ridings at Brookside in Macungie,
and we sure have our fair share of chipmunks, rabbits and
groundhogs! In fact one of our residents had a family of
groundhogs living under the front steps. The Board
decided to purchase a live animal trap to capture these
critters. I am happy to say that we have already captured
a groundhog and relocated the little guy in a really nice
park several miles away. The hunt continues… stay tuned!
My garage door seems to have a hard time closing
properly...
Our homes are getting older and things like our garage
doors need occasional maintenance. We all have garage
door openers. The actual hoist is only capable of doing so
much work. Our garage doors go up and down in a track
via 10 rollers. The door is heavy, so there are two very
large springs on both sides that help counter balance the
weight of the garage door through a braided steel cable
that travels over a pulley and then attaches to the bottom
corner of the garage door. Over time, these rollers and
pulleys wear out! The bearings that allow them to spin
wear, causing them to not turn so well. All of this adds up
to extra work for the poor garage door hoist. My garage
door was having a difficult time closing reliably, so I
replaced my rollers and pulleys. $30 worth of parts from
Amazon and an hour of my time, and viola’, my garage
door opens and closes just like it’s brand new and quieter
than ever! Perhaps this is one of the things that the handy
men might take on!
Do you know the proper method for disposal of our
flag?
The flag must NEVER be thrown away. The proper
and respectful method of disposal is a short
ceremony followed by burning of the flag, then burial
of the ashes. For those that are interested here is
the correct and ONLY acceptable method of
disposing of a worn or damaged flag.
1. The flag must be folded in the customary threepointed shape with the field of stars facing out.
2. The fire must be of size to insure complete burning
of the flag.
3. The individuals performing the disposal will come
to attention, salute the flag, place the flag in the fire,
recite The Pledge of Allegiance, then have a moment
of silent reflection.
4. When the fire is completely out and cooled, the
ashes will be collected and buried.
While we want flags disposed of in the proper
manner, we DO NOT want flag burning ceremonies
being held in The Ridings. In order to assist you in
disposing of a worn or damaged flag, The Board will
place a "Flag disposal box" outside of the clubhouse.
Please place your worn or damaged flags in the box
and a Board member will take the box to the
Macungie VFW for proper and respectful disposal.
It is wonderful to honor our country by proudly flying
our flag, but once the flag has finished its service, it is
important to honor our flag with a respectful ending.
The Ridings will be hiring "handy men” to begin
simple yet important repairs/tasks in the
neighborhood. They will be focusing their efforts on
projects like: damaged siding, missing or damaged
down spouts, painting the mail boxes, repairing our
light standards, etc… We will also publish their
contact information in the event that any of our
residents need to hire a handy “man” to fix
something inside their homes.
Dear Ridings Residents:
In the last three general meetings and as your Board members walk the neighborhood, the subject of parking keeps
rearing its ugly head. At times, the discussions have not been as pleasant as they should have been. Hopefully this
note can “calm the waters” and turn down the heat on this subject.
Keep in mind the word “neighborhood”…
We have 213 units in The Ridings and if each unit owner has two cars, that’s 426 cars. The real number is most
likely higher, maybe closer to 450 cars or more. With that many cars packed into a small footprint community,
there will be issues, that’s a fact.
We are working on getting a 26-space parking lot installed where the tennis courts used to reside. That will help a
little, but the issues will still exist. But maybe, as NEIGHBORS we can make the best of the situation.
It is not the Board’s responsibility, nor will we intervene in parking disputes. It is the Board’s responsibility to act
upon a violation of the rules and regulations, not to get involved when someone parks their car three feet from
where someone else thought it should be parked (that actually happened).
At the last two Board meetings, more than one resident offered an opinion that there is a “lighter, friendlier
attitude” in the Ridings then there has been in several years. Your Board is working hard to foster a spirit of
“neighborhood” a spirit of “Friendliness” in the community.
To that end, talk to your neighbor. Ask them, politely, to correctly park their car. Offer a handshake and a smile; it’s
amazing what positive changes those two to small gestures can make. A little kindness goes a long way and it’s
infectious. The outcome will only be positive.
The Board will always listen to your concerns, no matter what the subject, but we ask, with respect, that we have no
more meetings dominated by people arguing over parking. That’s non-productive – for EVERYONE.
Let’s all work to grow the “lighter and friendlier” attitude in OUR community. We will all benefit.
With respect:
Your Ridings Board
Stepped Up Collections Efforts
The Board of Directors has been taking an aggressive stance in collecting past due fees. Recently, a sheriff’s sale of
a condo unit occurred and the Board of Directors took over the deed to force the bank to sell and pay the
condominium fees. Also, a sheriff’s sale was scheduled on the personal property of a unit owner to collect past due
fees. The Board was able to collect a large portion of the past due fees.
Paying late, or not paying your fees at all, is not fair to the other condominium owners that always pay on time and
end up paying for those that do not pay. Unit owners that do not pay on a timely basis are basically using their
neighbors’ funds to live comfortably in our community – they enjoy the convenience of landscaping, snow removal,
exterior repairs, etc. The delinquency amount affects the Association’s ability to obtain FHA financing and credit
with contractors.
Therefore, the Board will use all legal means to collect delinquent accounts including sheriff’s sales of units and
personal property, repossessing cars and garnishing rents. We encourage all of you that are regularly late to
immediately start paying on time and in full.
Meanwhile, we greatly appreciate the unit owners that pay on time and in full. Without you, we could not run the
community.
The Ridings at Brookside Condominium Association - Word Search Puzzle
Q
O
U
Y
T
S
Y
E
P
M
W
A
Y
Y
P
I
C
N
I
C
Q
Y
L
I
M
A
F
W
G
P
A
U
F
P
O
O
E
A
R
R
Y
Z
P
S
K
M
S
E
A
T
S
E
I
R
A
D
N
U
O
B
A
V
E
T
N
E
M
E
S
A
E
R
E
T
E
S
O
O
R
E
U
N
I
O
N
S
F
U
N
W
O
L
R
E
N
S
E
D
M
S
T
Y
T
R
S
K
S
M
G
E
A
D
I
R
E
C
T
O
R
S
W
R
C
E
N
E
M
V
R
N
D
N
S
H
S
E
A
N
D
O
O
D
L
E
P
A
I
N
T
D
S
I
O
G
H
ADMENDMENT
ARCHITECTURAL
ASSESSMENT
ASSOCIATION
BOARD
BOROUGH
BOUNDARIES
BYLAWS
COMMON
COMPLIANCE
COVENANT
E
M
I
E
E
U
L
A
A
S
E
I
C
O
E
L
E
C
T
I
O
N
M
O
A
A
E
L
U
N
T
E
D
L
I
A
R
O
P
S
M
L
T
F
L
C
F
P
H
O
T
O
G
R
A
P
H
Y
I
G
I
E
R
N
E
L
M
M
G
E
A
A
T
I
A
L
L
A
I
R
P
L
A
N
E
R
S
M
S
H
H
H
G
T
E
S
E
T
E
S
R
R
E
E
L
C
A
A
R
C
H
I
T
E
C
T
U
R
A
L
C
E
T
O
E
M
S
B
A
M
E
C
G
R
E
I
I
B
R
S
C
H
O
O
L
S
O
L
K
I
S
A
L
A
T
N
D
R
A
O
B
S
E
S
C
B
B
L
N
A
P
U
P
P
Y
K
W
T
E
C
N
T
S
A
B
G
DECLARANT
DECLARATION
DIRECTORS
EASEMENT
ELECTION
ELEMENTS
EXECUTIVE
FACILITIES
GOVERNMENT
INTEREST
LEASING
G
A
T
E
M
E
I
N
R
E
X
I
I
O
T
Y
U
P
U
N
N
S
A
S
E
T
R
S
S
N
N
I
Y
R
V
T
R
U
T
E
C
G
S
T
L
I
S
O
A
P
E
U
A
L
V
D
E
E
O
D
U
I
N
P
E
I
R
T
R
A
H
I
N
N
I
E
O
M
V
C
R
A
T
D
L
T
A
N
C
C
R
S
P
E
P
G
L
T
O
C
G
T
L
I
O
E
M
N
O
S
O
C
F
D
O
A
S
R
A
N
I
A
T
L
E
A
U
N
I
T
N
E
A
I
K
P
S
R
D
D
E
V
O
E
I
S
E
U
E
N
O
A
Y
N
E
R
H
L
H
O
O
O
S
E
M
A
S
P
E
K
E
I
E
L
C
X
R
D
R
M
C
C
T
R
E
H
LIMITED
MAINTENANCE
MEMBER
OWNER
PERCENTAGES
PETS
REGULATIONS
RESPONSIBILITIES
RULES
TENANT
UNIT
R
P
A
G
B
Y
O
A
F
I
Y
E
M
T
L
E
V
N
O
I
G
E
E
T
A
E
D
I
E
M
S
A
O
T
U
O
Y
M
G
E
T
A
R
U
A
A
R
O
A
R
S
N
S
C
W
C
W
K
O
L
S
R
I
C
I
A
A
M
L
E
D
E
K
X
J
W
T
F
M
N
S
U
I
A
X
U
O
E
C
N
O
S
O
N
C
O
L
T
E
N
A
I
D
E
C
L
A
R
A
N
T
W
M
S
W
A
T
T
R
I
E
O
E
B
P
I
N
G
T
S
U
D
W
Z
L
G
E
S
A
W
V
A
C
A
T
I
O
N
E
I
K
E
C
S
H
A
F
S
O
R
T
S
B
H
S
O
N
A
E
Z
A
R
T
F
A
I
R
I
T
N
C
V
S
A
S
G
R
F
S
A
I
N
E
M
I
W
P
I
S
T
Z
F
E
Z
C
R
D
O
E
S
A
I
I
E
E
A
I
K
A
P
L
P
E
V
I
T
I
E
D
I
I
I
R
S
R
O
O
D
T
U
O
N
M
C
G
T
O
E
I
R
O
S
Y
M
O
L
E
M
D
D
N
K
P
E
D
O
M
T
E
A
M
S
T
O
E
A
E
S
N
N
T
T
X
Z
E
L
C
G
S
C
E
G
O
V
E
R
N
M
E
N
T
S
S
S
C
O
N
C
E
D
G
C
O
M
P
L
I
A
N
C
E
W
H
I
K
I
N
G
O
N
A
B
A
L
L
O
O
O
I
T
O
T
Y
L
K
I
E
W
A
T
E
R
F
A
L
L
S
T
O
N
E
P
L
T
S
E
R
E
T
N
I
O
O
U
E
Y
E
S
R
E
V
I
R
M
A
E
R
T
S
C
A
M
P
I
N
G
O
I
N
G
T
M
G
Bring this completed puzzle to the next general
meeeting - To Be Announced.
Name: ______________________________________
Address: ____________________________________
Telephone #: _________________________________
Email: _______________________________________