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Good evening PMLE 5,6,7 members. By now, many of you have started to receive your annual dues statement(s). While we strive to ensure that our member list is updated and accurate, sometimes we just miss something, or someone. For the 2020/2021 year and the 2021/2022 year, PMLE had a lot of home and property turnovers. We've tried really hard to ensure that we caught all of these, but we are human and it'd be improbable if we guaranteed that we didn't make a mistake. That being said, if you were expecting a dues statement and didn't receive it, please reach out to Berkheimer to inquire the status of your statement(s). If Berkheimer is of no help, please reach out to us to help get the problem resolved.
The only thing we ask is that you understand, if we don't get back to you immediately, this is a busy time of year for us, not just in relation to annual dues billing, but also the housing/property market has seen an influx of sales in our community (roughly a 10-15% increase in sales). Contact Berkheimer via:
To contact the board, please do so via the below. We will get back to you as soon as possible. Good morning PMLE. With another weather event on the horizon, we're providing this information to all residents for clarity. We want to ensure that your issues, concerns and complaints are dealt with in a timely fashion, while at the same time not giving any credence to trouble makers, pot stirrers or antagonists.
First and foremost, please be advised, that Facebook, has been and will be ignored. It's not an official outlet for the Board. Anyone who posts on there, posts as a community resident, with his/her own opinions and ideas (the very nature of Facebook) and not in an official capacity, unless the heading states "Official PMLE Business" and is from a Board member or Committee chairperson. Second, let's remember that respect is earned, not given. I'm sure we all understand this statement. So, when we make our posts, where you think your gaining the Board's attention, and they are filled with malcontent, negativity and the like, the responses you receive will most likely follow the same course of action. In fact, I can assure you that you'll start receiving more cynicism and sarcasm, or just be ignored altogether. Keep your snark to the Pike County Road page, or better yet, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything. Let's be honest, immediately after winter, I can assure you, Facebook will be buzzing with complaints about potholes and road conditions. This is the ebb and flow of this community. If people can't complain about one thing, they certainly find another to gripe about. Further, I believe it's time that the entire community understands that the methodology for maintaining our roads during a weather event hasn't changed. Years ago, it used to be that roads were cleared "enough" for emergency vehicles to traverse through the community. With final "clean up" being completed after the event is over. The standing rule was/is to plow, as needed, all main thoroughfares within the community and treat ALL hills, curves and trouble spots (such as ice buildup, etc), as well as the parking lot, then move to do the same for all secondary and tertiary roads. The only change to this directive, is that the roads must be opened, not only for emergency access, but for incoming/outgoing local traffic, such as deliveries, family members, etc. That's it, these are the only changes made. With all of that said, let's talk about some areas of the community. Ledgeway Drive (the main drag) is considered a main thoroughfare, as well as Sugar Maple Drive, Port Drive, Mountain Top Drive, White Pine Drive, Loftus Lane, Oak Ridge Drive, Janets Way, Rockledge Road and the School Bus stop. All other roads, albeit, side streets, dead ends, mailbox area and cul-de-sacs are considered secondary and tertiary roads/areas. Now, let's talk about weather in the Poconos. Some of you have lived here for, at least 5+ years, others are relatively new. So, let's level set expectations, and be real. If you are looking for roads maintained like NJDOT, you moved to the wrong area. Their budget is bigger than ours, end of story. Power outages, occur and can happen frequently or for extended periods of time in this area. Be prepared for this, as PMLE isn't FEMA. However, many of us, if made aware, are willing to get together and lend a hand if needed. Whether it's getting fuel to you, heaters, food, etc. Understand that snowfall amounts tend to be greater than surrounding areas due to our elevation. I'm sure there are others, but this is a good base. Finally, please remember these simple reminders during all adverse weather events:
Please be reminded that the quarterly dues payment, for those that opted in, is due on March 1st, 2021. This payment goes directly to Berkheimer. If you have any issues, please reach out to the board directly via email or phone.
Berkheimer Phone: (610) 599-3143 Berkheimer Mail: HAB-MISC PO Box 21450 Lehigh Valley, PA 18002 Berkheimer Online Payment: Click Here (Found under Hab-Misc) To all residents who used the Quarterly Payment option for this year's maintenance dues. First, we're glad it may have been helpful to you. Due to an unforeseen processing scenario in the implementation of this with Berkheimer, you may have received a bill indicating there was a penalty associated with the amount due, and that the amount due was the full year total, less the first payment you made. If you are paying electronically, please check again after 9:00 A.M. tomorrow 9/3/2020. The corrected amounts should now be reflected and you can make the appropriate payment. Accept our apologies for any inconveniences caused and know we've been in constant contact with Berkheimer to make sure it is fixed now, as well as the future, and that there is no reflection or "permanent" notice of being late on your accounts.
PMLE Residents, we want to provide the community with a quick update to the Road Work notice in our 8/25 posting. Work is scheduled to begin tomorrow 9/1/2020 (weather permitting). Tomorrow should not have any impact for the residents on those roads. As work progresses throughout the week, and we approach laying down tar and/or pavement, crews will assist residents in getting through the work zone. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this might cause, but the impact should be minimal.
As September 1st draws near, we are sending a few brief reminders out for all of PMLE 5,6,7.
Members on Quarterly Payment Plan: For those of you who are on the quarterly payment plan with Berkheimer, your next installment is due by September 1st. If not received by then, you will be subject to interest/penalty fees and will be expected to pay the remaining balance, in full, immediately, due to not following the payment plans stipulations. Members who haven't paid: For those of you who haven't paid your dues yet, there will no longer be any reminders. Your balance is due, and is already considered late. We urge you to get your dues paid as soon as humanly possible. Please reach out to Berkheimer at your earliest convenience via telephone at (610) 588-5765, or you can pay via their website: Click Here Community News: For 2020/2021, the board has solicited a couple of bids for road work and has approved a vendor to come in and do some major road work on the listed roads below. This road work, depending on weather, will start around the first or second week of September. Therefore, it is our duty to remind you that the speed limit on our roads is 20 MPH. This is just as much for your safety as well as everyone else, whether it's a volunteer, someone out for a walk or a contractor/vendor. The following roads will be receiving major work in September: Duffy Drive Nelson Road Pitch Pine Drive Oak Ridge Road (Section near Vista Ct.) The Board, recently has received numerous complaints, via face to face, personal/private messages and the board inbox. So, to tackle all of these accurately, without discussion, based on the By-laws and Restrictive Covenants that you have received and which are readily available on our website, this message goes to all members of the community.
For the neighbors who have been directly targeted or have had to deal with the nonsense of others, please accept our apology for this. However, we strongly advise that you stay vigilant, contact the police if you feel it necessary, keeping any video footage you have and handle these situations according to the law, rather than taking matters into your own hands. Please understand that the by-laws were written in a way that this community doesn't have a fine structure, an enforcement agency and limited aspects to handle many of these situations. Therefore, it is suggested that you contact the state police. In other board related news, it is with regret that our Vice President, Kim Walker, due to personal reasons, has tendered her resignation, effective immediately. We want to thank Kim for the time that she spent serving her community and wish her luck in her future endeavors. Please be reminded that the Board is always encouraging people to volunteer their time. Our annual vote is held in September and we are asking that anyone who may be slightly interested, please reach out to ask about expectations, how much time is warranted, etc. On a final note, a huge thank you is in order for the volunteers who have gone to great lengths to keep this HoA moving forward, which also helps keep our dues low, such as keeping clean our bus stop area, weed whacking/mowing the bus stop area, cleaning our roadways of litter/debris, etc. We want you to know that we appreciate your efforts and your willingness to help. There are members who would rather remain anonymous, but we'd like to extend a personal thank you to Joe, Bill, Rich, Barbara, Greg, Mindy and many others. Without your efforts, we'd truly be unable to keep our dues costs low. To all members of the PMLE 5,6,7 HoA Community,
Your Board is both concerned and saddened to have to bring the following to everyone’s attention, but we are also resolute with regard to it. An incident was brought to the board’s attention by concerned members of our community. Specifically, relating to two adults, riding a green quad/ATV, who drove up to a member’s home and threw an M80/firework toward the home, with specific intent. Prior to it exploding, the individuals drove off at a high speed. The incident occurred on Monday, July 20th, between 6 and 7 PM EST. We want to be clear and direct about this. In a community of neighbors, it is not acceptable and is an immature form of “communication”. Additionally, we want to make it known that behavior like this will not be tolerated. We may not all agree about a particular topic, but physical actions cross the line of acceptable adult behavior and respect for each other. As many of you are aware, we are nearing the end of April for the 2020 year, which will close out our Fiscal Year, which runs from May 1st through April 30th. This post is a reminder of some changes coming, as well as somethings to be handled.
First and foremost, if you have not paid your dues to date, there are approximately 3 days left to bring yourself current. It truly does help the community to continue keeping the roads clear during snow/ice events, as well as continuing to update our roads. We are working hard to ensure that we don't have to raise dues, by cutting costs in other areas and promoting some more efficient procedures to alleviate high overhead. Please bring your 2019/2020 annual dues current. Second, on, or around, May 1st, Berkheimer will be mailing out your new dues statement, which will include 2 different options to pay. As we've stated earlier in the month, you will have the option to pay your annual dues in a lump sum, or pay your annual dues in 4 quarterly payments. We ask that if you can afford to do so, please pay your dues in a lump sum, however, we understand that there is a financial burden that has hit some of our members, following this pandemic that we are in. On another note, in the coming months, we will have volunteers out working along roadways, for various duties, such as cleaning the trash, cutting trees and brush that are a hindrance in the winter months to our contractor. Under no circumstances should these volunteers be harassed by anyone. This community seems to have a lot of people who think things should be done their way, yet lift no finger to help. These are volunteers, not paid employees. They are putting physical effort into trying to keep your community clean, safe and as trouble free as possible. Speed, is a hot topic, no matter who you talk to in this community. With warmer weather, comes more outdoor activities, such as walking and children riding their bikes. Please keep this in mind while traveling our roads. These roads, overall, are not very wide and with some of our blind curves, hills, etc. it's very difficult to see beyond a certain point. Therefore, drive cautiously. If it takes you a whole 10 minutes to get out of, or into, this community to your home, because you went the speed limit, does that 10 minutes truly change your life much? Not really, but it could certainly mean a life or death situation for others. As the media has had a ton to say, the long and short of it is that we're still under a pandemic with most states trying to mitigate the spread with social distancing rules, closures for non-essential business, etc. Governor Wolf has put out a guideline to re-opening Pennsylvania, which I encourage you all to read. To access Gov. Wolf's statement, please click Here. In relation to PMLE 5,6,7 affairs, the board is still working toward the goals set forth at the beginning of the year, in relation to reducing overhead, cutting costs and moving toward a much more streamlined environment. As stated previously, we've adopted a payment system for dues going forward, we've streamlined quite a few of our process' to promote efficiency and reduce over-handling. We've reduced some overhead costs, to have more of our money put to more work we need done, which should pan out for the 2020/2021 year. We've adopted practices in which we no longer forecast or project our future projects based on hopeful/expected dues collection, which is highly inaccurate. We now make decisions based on real dollars, which is why we encourage all of our members to pay their dues. As a last plea, please keep in mind that PMLE 5,6,7 Community Association runs, completes projects and keeps the roads passable if members pay their dues. It gets work done, if members volunteer. The Association keeps dues low, if we get help, such as committee volunteers and board members. Please think about volunteering your time to continue to improve our community. If you are interested in running for the Board, please provide your "bio" to PMLE's email address located on this very site, or use the Member Contact form. We need Board volunteers, always. All interested members running for the board, must be members in good standing and your bio should be received by July 15th, 2020. If you are interested in joining a committee, please email us, talk to a person already on a committee or a board member, or even use the Member Contact form on this very site. We encourage more participation, in general. We all have the same, or at least, similar goals in this community. Stay safe, stay healthy and try to stay positive. Good evening to all of our PMLE 5, 6, 7 members/neighbors. We hope that this message receives you in good health, safe and maintaining your sanity during these troubling times. We have a lot of announcements to get to and provide to you.
With a lot of uncertainty around us, The PMLE 5, 6, 7 Board of Directors has been monitoring the state of affairs outside of our little sanctuary (the mountain), at the township, State and even National level, with little hope for improvement, in the short term. In fact, we believe that once some semblance of normalcy comes about, our “new normal” may be drastically changed going forward. It is for this reason that the Board of Directors has been working tirelessly to change how we do business and perform day to day functions, as well as evaluate our annual dues collection and policies. So, while we outline some things that don’t necessarily affect you, overall, there are others that may very well affect you.
On a more personal note, we, as in the Board of Directors, hope that you can see we are here to work with you, make the right decisions to keep you, as well as ourselves, safe and healthy during this time, without adding undue, or unnecessary stress. We encourage you to use our website as much as possible for all informational needs. We will continually keep you updated right here, as the situation progresses, new information becomes available, etc. At this time, we’d also like to thank some of our neighbors, personally, for their efforts to maintain our community. Special thank you goes out to Rob M. for brush and tree work that he’s done, as well as to Jennifer B and Tenley for picking up trash on a walk and to the neighbor we won’t name, who is filling potholes to help out the community. Its neighbors like this that keep our community costs low, while working to maintain our community’s natural beauty. As always we welcome community involvement, by means of volunteering or running for a board seat. If any of these interest you, or now with the stay at home orders in place you can devote more time, please reach out to any board member asking your questions, or offering your assistance. If you want to join the PMLE 5, 6, 7 Board, please create a small bio about yourself and send it via email to any board member. This bio will go out with our voting materials, for all members to see. If you want to volunteer for a committee, please reach out to any committee member or board member to be signed up. Finally, we end this long post, with the prospect that all of our PMLE 5, 6, 7 family/friends/neighbors stay healthy and well, stay safe and do our parts as best as we can to keep the community moving forward, while being neighborly and maintaining our sanity. Remember, if you need any assistance, please reach out to fellow neighbors and where appropriate, your board. Sincerely, PMLE 5, 6, 7 Board of Directors Kim W., Renee W. John B., Jay S. and Bob S. Good morning PMLE. As the days progress, new, developing and changing information seems to be coming out at a faster pace. We'll add updates here as we feel they are necessary, but I can assure you, with everything going on it won't be as regular as it is right now. Hopefully, the title of this post put a smile on your face, as it was intended.
So, as you are all probably aware by now, Governor Wolf has made a lot of statements, held a lot of pressers, and well, provided us much to ponder and abide by. To date, his stance on things is as follows:
On a more personal note, I understand how trying this time is. I wish I had words to offer you that would ease your burden or set your mind at ease. Sadly, I do not. I can say that we, as in humans and neighbors, are in this together. Let's be reminded that some of us are struggling with health issues, financial issues and just the agitation with being cooped up. Some others are dealing with stress from their jobs, because they still work, whether as a part of the health care industry, first responders or in a factory/plant that makes essential health care items. There has been a large amount of pressure put on all of us during this time, including our children. I put this message out to remind all of us that while we may not be friends, we can be friendly. While we may not have dinner together, we can offer you a meal if you need it. Essentially, we need to be a little more understanding that we're all dealing with something. We need to be a little less irritable. I hope that every single member of PMLE is currently safe, as well as their families, no matter previous transgressions or whether we talk/know each other or not. I implore you to please jump onto PMLE's Facebook page and request help if you need any. You don't have to do it publicly, but you can message any one of the members on that page, and someone will help, if they can. For your sanity, please, take a walk, do some gardening or just have a seat outside and get some fresh air. We all need to stay mentally well, while trying to maintain physical wellness. Last, but certainly not least, below I've provided some links that you should check, often, to stay up to date with the latest news. There are also phone numbers, should you need them. Links to Websites/Information: Governor Wolf Main Site: Link Centers for Disease Control: Link FEMA: Link White House: Link Delaware Township: Link Lehman Township: Link Important Phone Numbers: Wild Acres Security: 570-828-9052 Pocono Ranchlands Security: 570-828-8228 NPS (National Park Service): 570-426-2457 State Trooper Barracks: 570-226-5718 Emergency: Dial 911 Good afternoon PMLE 5,6,7. This post comes to you hoping that you are doing well, have the necessary supplies you may need to get through these troubling times and can still maintain a sense of humor through it all.
I wanted to make this post to recognize what is going on around us, as well as to provide a few reminders and, well, quite possibly, add some levity to your lives. As you probably already know, Governor Wolf has enacted a shut down of all Non-Essential/Life Saving business', including schools. The orders consist of people not leaving their homes unless for specific tasks. To read the full extent, please click HERE. This link will take you to the press announcement Governor Wolf has made. PMLE 5,6,7 recommends following Governor Wolf's instructions as much as possible, where applicable. Do not take unnecessary risks, if not required. We understand that we do have many older community members, and have many neighbors that would lend a hand, where possible. If you need assistance, not medical related, we ask that you please make friends with community members or even go on the PMLE 5,6,7 Facebook page and ask. Many people are willing and able to help out neighbors in need. With quarantine, comes boredom, cabin fever and general non-sense, from adults and kids alike. The Board of PMLE 5,6,7 works hard to take care of the necessary day to day running of things, fielding complaints, questions, handling realtor requests, balancing accounts, paying bills, etc, but policing the community is all of our jobs. We're typically good about "see something, say something", so let's try to follow that premise. At the end of this post, I'll provide some phone numbers that you should probably have handy in case of any issues. General Reminders:
Important Numbers: Wild Acres Security: 570-828-9052 National Park Service (NPS) Emergency: 570-426-2457 State Trooper Barracks: 570-226-5718 Important Information Food/Pantry: For a pretty comprehensive list of Food Pantry's that are helping community's, please go to this Facebook page link: Click Here On a final note, please stay safe, please ask for help/assistance if you need any and remember to laugh a little. This is a time we could use a ton of laughter. As many of you are aware, COVID-19, otherwise known as Coronavirus, is rapidly gaining momentum. Countries across the globe are working hard to tackle this issue. Responses are quite vast, in how each country, state, province, etc. has decided to handle it. Pennsylvania is no different. While President Trump issued a National Emergency on COVID-19, as well as declared it a Pandemic, many states are ramping up efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 as well. In fact, Governor Wolf declared that all PA Schools are to be closed through March 30th, 2020, as of today's news. That is subject to change, based on spread, increases in cases, etc.
That being said, the Delaware Township building is off use to extracurricular activities, or outside organizations. PMLE 5,6,7 utilizes those building to hold it's quarterly meetings and is affected by this news. However, in lieu of current national spread of COVID-19, the possibility of transmittal, and the age differences of our community members, we agree with this course of action and are canceling our April 18th, Quarterly BoD meeting. While the by-laws state that the meetings must be held, I'm sure that you all can understand that under the current circumstances, we have much more pressing issues to worry about. We are willing to negotiate with the Township to try and re-schedule the meeting, once this immediate threat is contained. We do, however, also want our members to understand the gravity of what's happening. Ensuring that they are as safe as possible, and as comfortable as possible. We are providing a few links below so that our members can stay up to date on the latest news, situations, risks, etc. Delaware Township, has posted an article with comprehensive CDC/National response, which we'll be sharing as a link as well. We encourage you all to review it. We also encourage you all to prepare yourselves for self-quarantine (if needed/applicable), self-reliance, etc. Immediate Basic Needs & Reminders:
Pertinent Links:
Sincerely, R. Simonson PMLE 5,6,7 Board of Directors That we're going to have an early Spring. While this should be great news, we all know that Mother Nature, here in the Poconos, can do as she pleases. For right now, the weather is warming up, we've got some rain in the forecast, and we're gearing up for another year.
With that said, we have a Spring clean up event that we're hoping to see a lot of faces at. In previous years, we've seen relatively low numbers, but we're hoping that changes this year. Additional details will be provided on that, via our website (here) as well as at our next quarterly board meeting. Stay tuned. As a reminder to all of our neighbors, winter can and usually does hit us hard when we least expect it. A couple of reminders while we try to wait out the cold, snow and ice.
First and foremost, your personal well being and safety are paramount. Therefore, be prepared. As seen in previous winters, the power can go out and stay out for days. If, possibly ensure you have an alternate source of heating, as the cold is the first hurdle. If you have a generator, please use it safely. Have some water and food supplies on hand. In regards to the community we'd like to remind you that:
 Poconos in the winter. Often times a beautiful sight, however, can also be harsh. That being said, with the first, official day of Winter on December 21st, there are some standard safeguards we ask all of our neighbors to adhere to, for your safety and our plow contractors, as well as cost efficiency.
With Winter, there's potential for us to lose power. If anyone remembers the March 2018 storm, we had a lot going on, including the loss of power. We had terrible road conditions, in which most were stuck in their homes, trees down, power lines down, etc. We had a great group of neighbors who all chipped in, to get each other fuel, food, water, and general supplies. They also helped cut trees and clear roads. While we hope that would continue in the future, we can't rely on it. Be safe this winter and we'll see everyone after the thaw! I am reminded that this community runs, not solely because dues are paid, but because of the fact that we rely on individuals to give their time and effort to keeping the community running, clean and safe. There are problems associated with that, which give our volunteers a bad experience, and that just shouldn't be so.
First and foremost, no volunteer in this community should be harassed by any member. Volunteers, are out there doing what you won't, whether it be because of time, other commitments, previous bad experiences or general laziness. All too often we're quick to jump on someone's back because we think we know a better way. Well, we have gaps that could be filled, to keep this community running. Help provide an opinion, positive feedback, etc. Second, a few people can't "care" for the many. It's just not feasible. Without volunteers to get the job done, we don't exist, or have to raise dues to astronomical proportions to ensure we're getting our roadways cleaned, brush and tree work done and various other jobs. This community is your home as well. No one else moved here to clean up after you, cut your brush and trees, etc. We are a community, therefore should work together toward common goals, in our neighborhood. This community, has seen some pretty big problems, in which, as a community we've tackled. The March storm of 2017 saw neighbors band together to gather things like fuel and groceries, cut trees to help clear roads, help plow and shovel each other out, etc. Shouldn't we strive to make this a more common occurrence for the betterment of our community? The board of directors manages the community, but we don't oversee it. We are open to suggestions for improvements, things that you would like to see happen, be done, etc. We welcome participation, constructive criticism and advice. This is home, for all of us. So, please, if you can spare a little time, have ideas/advice or even want to be a part of the discussion that takes place, we encourage you to sign up for our committees or our board. We need more proactive members to get us through the election cycles and our day to day problems.
As with any community that is run and cared for by volunteers, there are gaps that should be filled. We are always looking for volunteers to step outside and help out with the day to day maintenance on committees.
However, not only does PMLE 5,6,7 need volunteers for committees, but we are always looking for board positions. PMLE 5,6,7 Board has a lot of tasks that require time. We understand that time is precious for all of us, and with more hands, some of these tasks can be knocked down, a little more efficiently. If you are interested in volunteering for the board please submit your intent, with some information about yourself, as well as information/skills that you think would be an asset for the board. Submit this information, in writing to any board member, or via email. We need any, and all, submissions by January 5th, 2020. If you are interested in volunteering for a committee, which I've outlined below, please reach out to any board member, or send us an email noting that you would like to sign up for any, or all, of the committees below:
 Fall is steadily moving into the Poconos and with cooler weather, we typically have the brush and tree volunteers out checking for trouble spots. Essentially, we are trying to avoid low limbs overhanging the roads, brush growing to the roads edge needs to be cut back a little so that the plowing contractor has some shoulder to work with, etc.
The work that goes into this community is often at the hands of volunteers. Often nameless, faceless people who do it to help keep costs low, which in turn keeps our dues down. As always, we don't get many volunteers. It's usually the same men/women volunteering year after year. It would be nice to break that cycle and get some new faces out there. If you can use a weed whacker, a pair of loppers, a chainsaw or a pole saw, and can spare a couple of hours in the fall, please contact the board to sign up. |
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