Election ballots will not be counted if mailed or dropped off at the Association Office.

I had someone email a question regarding submission of election ballots and wanted to post it to the website in hopes of clearing up some confusion regarding the statement above. Yes, absentee ballots will only be accepted if they are mailed but, NOT to the Association Office.

Let me start by explaining how the ballots are collected. River Ridge has two mailing addresses, one for everyday correspondence (P.O. Box 40) and one for election only, P.O. Box 190.

The Bracey Post Office takes all mail sent to the election address and puts it into a box which remains at the post office until election day. On election day the box is sealed by a postal employee. Two representatives from River Ridge collect the box from the post office. The seal is not broken until it's time to count the ballots. The box is then opened by the head of the Election Committee in front of the committee, counters and observers. Any absentee ballots not in this box will be disqualified. This includes ballots mailed to the Association Office.

If you did not receive a return envelope with your ballots please be sure to use the correct address on your return envelope.

River Ridge Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 190
Bracey, VA 23919

From The River Ridge Election Committee:

If you did not receive your return ballot envelope to vote in the upcoming election, you may get one from the Association Office or use a blank envelope. If you are using a blank envelope please put on the outside of your envelope your lot number. Address your envelope to:


Election ballots will not be counted if mailed or dropped off at the Association Office.

Cathy Wasson, one of the office employees is moving with her mother to be closer to family and the grandkids. All of us here at River Ridge want to wish them both the best with their new adventure.

Please stop by the office to say hello to the New Office Manager, Linda Macklin. Linda lives in South Hill along with her mother and other family. She has many years of Finance and Accounting experience and Management background. She will be a great asset to our community.

The Board of Directors requests your input on the possibility of increasing the Annual Dues. We have scheduled two meetings for your convenience and to give all Property Owner's an opportunity to voice their opinion. Meetings will be held at Phelps Pavilion (in front of Clubhouse).

• Saturday, August 7, 2021 at 1:00 PM


• Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 1:00 PM

If you are unable to attend either meeting, you are encouraged to contact any Board Member to discuss your concerns.

Since the COVID outbreak in March of 2020, the United States Postal Service has been experiencing service delays. River Ridge has been on the receiving end of this as many of you have. The Association Office has been impacted by this through not receiving payments and invoices from our vendors. We have addressed this problem with the local post office regarding our mail delivery and have been told that the Richmond location where our mail is sent for processing has had and is still having staff problems.

If you have any questions regarding your payment(s) sent to the Association Office, please contact the office DIRECTLY and immediately so that your concern can be addressed and resolved correctly and in a professional manner. At anytime you can access your River Ridge account through the TOPS portal which will show your account balance and all of your posted payments. If you are not currently set up for this, contact the office and we can assist you. You may also pay your bills over the phone by a debit or credit card; (434) 636-2989.

The office hours are Tuesday - Saturday, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM. If you are calling after business hours there is an answering machine that you can leave a detailed message and your call will be returned on the next business day. You may also send an email to Riverridgeoffice1@gmail.com.

This is also a reminder to all property owners to make sure the Association Office has your current mailing address, phone number & email address (if available).

River Ridge Board of Directors 2021 Election Candidates,

Donald Derrico	Lot 34 & 35 Coyote
Paul Harvey	Lot 83 & 84 Moose
Grayson Martin	Lot 112 & 113 Moose
Anne Singleton	Lot 90 Leisure

As you know by now, on Memorial weekend two of our bath houses suffered senseless vandalism. Mirrors were smashed, fixtures broken, doors ripped off the hinges, a water pipe was completely broken off from the wall causing flooding. The bath houses were closed due to the damage inconveniencing campers and their guests who came out to enjoy the lake. Maintenance had to make time for these repairs delaying scheduled repairs and maintenance.

I have received photos of this crime and they have been posted to the Photos page. This matter has been turned over to law enforcement.

Click here to see more photos.

On Friday night two of our bathhouses were vandalized and had to be shut down for the weekend. A few individuals with a combined IQ of a donut hole decided it would be fun to smash mirrors and shatter toilets and water lines to flood the bathhouse. The Mecklenburg Sheriff's Department was called and a report was filed.

After extensive review of camera footage, River Ridge Security was able to identify three suspects in the vandalism of the bathhouses. The matter is in the hands of Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Department.

The minutes for the Covenants meeting held last Saturday, May 22, 2021 have been posted. Click here to read the meeting minutes. You can obtain a copy of the Covenants at the Association Office. I will be getting a copy of the Covenants to post on the website soon.

Evidently the Governor is lifting all restrictions effective midnight May 28, if you have received the COVID-19 shots. With this guidance River Ridge is assuming life as it should be. Anne has announced when the Clubhouse will open, I believe Bingo starts next week. This has been a hard period of time for everyone. Hopefully we can enjoy a wonderful summer just like the “good old days”. Thanks for the help and understanding from everyone as we attempted to get through the Pandemic. -- Terry Milligan

The proposed covenants have been mailed and should be arriving to you soon.

I [Terry Milligan] would like to thank the volunteers that assisted in stuffing envelopes and getting them all prepared to be mailed. We spent many hours completing this task and now each Property Owner should vote as the feel is best for them as well as the community.

I would like to point out an error in the January board meeting minutes. Under Open Discussion regarding the Grapevine Now website, Connie stated "We do pay the yearly fee for her..." referring to the annual fees to maintain this website. This statement is NOT true. I have NEVER received any money from River Ridge to maintain this website. I have been writing this site since 2003 and ALL fees have been paid by me.

In the past, there were a few property owners who made private contributions to help with some of the costs of running this website but those stopped abruptly and now I guess I know why.

Packages

We've had several calls stating deliveries were attempted at around 8:00 AM or 8:30 AM from property owners that have gotten notifications. We are unsure why these notifications are going out as we've been here at the office and UPS and FedEx have not been here. We encourage you to call the provider or courier to find out why. Our only interaction with these couriers are during package drop offs. Delivery times vary. They are typically after 1:00 PM and can be right up until closing time at 4:00 PM. The most frequent time is between 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM.

Please use your 911/mailing address for packages. If you do not know your 911 address click here and enter your lot number to see your 911 address or you can call the Security Office at (434) 636-5536 and they will look it up for you.

• Use your 911 address for package delivery
• Do not use lot numbers on your package.
• Do not use Golf Course Dr. plus your lot number.

We are not always able to notify of a package delivery. We are open from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM if you're expecting a package feel free to give us a call we can check and see if its arrived.

We are receiving a lot more perishable packages. If you know you have a perishable coming in please check frequently and pick up as soon as you're able. We have limited refrigerator space.

The security office staff is unable to track, refuse, return or call about your personal packages. We do not have your personal information needed to do this for you.

The Security Office staff is not responsible for late, damaged or lost packages. In the event you suspect your package is lost or late please check with the company you ordered from and the courier bringing your package. The security staff is unable to find or report missing, late or damaged packages. WE CAN NOT CALL FOR YOU.

If you are having a friend or family member pick up a package for you, please call and notify the security office with the name of the person picking up for you and your name and address. Packages will not be given to other parties without permission ahead of time.

Guests

All guest must be registered at the security gate. Guest include all non property owners without a key card. This includes immediate family members that do not have key cards. Property owners must contact Security gate before guest arrives.

Guest registration is done daily. We do not have permanent guest sign in.

You must be 18 or over and a property owner to sign in a guest.

Guest coming to look at property for sale by owner must be signed it at the security gate. Property owner must be present to sign in potential buyers. If your property is listed on social media or other sites please include this is private property and will not be allowed in with out being registered. WE DO NOT ALLOW PEOPLE IN TO VIEW LOTS OR RIDE THROUGH THE PARK unless they are registered by the property owner.

When selling things on social media those guest are also required to be registered at the gate. This includes yard sales, estate sales and open houses.

Please try to inform your guest on how to check in. Guest can use the intercom at the main gate or check in in person at the security office. Please try and make sure your guest is able to give us this information when checking in. Their name, property owner name and property owner lot number.

Everything listed above can be found in your River Ridge blue rules.

Emergency

If able we ask that you call 911 yourself. The 911 operators ask for a lot of information regarding what the emergency is, the persons age, possible allergies, and other information we just don't have readily available for them. If you are not able to make that call we can assist you in making the call.

Give the 911 operator your 911 address not lot number. It makes finding your place easier and quicker. If you do not know the difference between your lot number and 911 physical address give the security office a call we can give you both to make sure you can inform services properly.

The River Ridge Blue Rules have been updated as of January 2021. You can view the revised Blue Rules on the Documents page of this website or pick up a copy at the Association Office.

Security vehicles now have flashing green lights on them. If you see these flashing green lights please move over and let them pass. They are handling security issues or leading Rescue personnel to where they are needed. Thanks for your cooperation.

2021 boat decals are now on sale at the Association Office. All watercrafts are to be registered to only property owner(s). You must provide a current registration at the time of purchase. NO EXCEPTIONS. Decals purchased after March 31^st will be charged a late fee.

Don Derrico has resigned from the BOD and the following changes have been made to the board assignments.

Terry Milligan	President Boating & Fishing
Kevin Jetter	Vice President Sept. 12, 2020 Golf Course
Connie Suddueth	Treasurer Architectural Control
Anne Singleton	Secretary Entertainment Communications
Robert Frazier	Security Sept. 12, 2020 Pool
Paul Harvey	Maintenance
Aundrea Butler	Beautification
Jeff Linke Jr.	Sergeant At Arms Sept. 12, 2020

Message from the Association Office:

In an effort to identify mailboxes not being used we are asking if you currently receive your mail at a box located at the front gate to contact Debbie at the Association Office with your box number and lot number. If it is determined that there are boxes available and your name is on the waiting list you may be contacted.

It's been a long time since we saw board meeting minutes posted. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic all River Ridge activities were cancelled along with the board meetings. I did get the minutes for the March meeting as well as the latest budget report. There were also minutes of an emergency meeting held in July.

• Board Meeting Minutes - March 14, 2020
• Emergency Meeting - July 7, 2020
• Budget Report