Edi=on

1 Vol. 1

October 26, 2014

TRHA NEWSLETTER
Twin Ridge Homeowners Associa=on

Message from the Board

A"er an extended hiatus
the TRHA Newsle5er is
back. Nothing binds a
neighborhood together
more than good
communica=on, so the
latest version of the TRHA
newsle5er will be issued 3
=mes per year-- in Fall,
Winter, and Spring. Weve
also ini=ated two new
ways to communicate
within the neighborhood
over the past year, i.e. a
new website
twinridgect.org, (s=ll in
test mode), and a new
Twin Ridge only social
network;
twinridge.nextdoor.com.
Well con=nue to use
email and the tried and
true hard copy newsle5er
in the mailbox. Our goal is
to make it easier for all
neighbors to stay informed
on neighborhood news
and events, to reach every
TRHA household and, in
the end, make a great
community even be5er. -
Paul Halsey

Neighborhood News
A 30 Year Halloween
Tradi:on con:nues in
Twin Ridge. For the past
30 years Halloween has
had a home in Twin Ridge
where kids in costumes,
parents and neighbors
can gather and catch up
while trick or trea=ng.
For the past few years the event has been hosted by Jim
and Mary Coleman and this year will be no dierent. Hot
dogs, hot and cold beverages and more will be available,
so please be sure to stop by 81 Indian Cave on Friday!
Black Bear spo?ed
near Rising Ridge Road --
Also some deer and a
few coyotes! We have
an abundance of wildlife
in Twin Ridge. A black
bear was spo5ed by Gen
Fagan last week climbing
over the wall in her back yard. No disturbance or trouble
reported. Bears fa5en up over the summer and fall to
prepare for their winter hiberna=on and are more willing
to get closer to people in search of food, hence the
occasional sigh=ng. Black bears are =mid animals by
nature and tend to avoid people and will run from barking
dogs. If you see one, keep your distance, put the pets in,
and take a picture like this one! (Not the real bear.!)

Twin Ridge Homeowners Associa=on

Edi=on 1 Vol. 1

October 26, 2014

2014-2015
Social Calendar

Annual TRHA Board

Mee=ng January 20, 2015

10/31- Halloween (Family event)

Coleman House, 81 Indian Cave 5:00 pm

The Twin Ridge Homeowners Associa=on is

managed by a Board of Trustees. The Trustees
are volunteers commi5ed to maintaining our
neighborhood and sense of community through
management of our common grounds,
coordina=ng and suppor=ng social events, and
helping the neighborhood stay connected. The
Board holds an annual mee=ng for the
nomina=on and elec=on of ocers as well as
normal business. The mee=ng is open to all
Twin Ridge Homeowners Associa=on members
in good standing, i.e. those who are up to date
on their dues. The 2015 Annual Mee=ng is
scheduled for Tuesday January 20th. In addi=on
to the elec=on of ocers the agenda will cover,
grounds maintenance, budget, social ac=vi=es,
and communica=ons. Mee=ng =me and
loca=on will be posted to the two new Twin
Ridge websites (twinridgect.org and
twinridge.nextdoor.com) and emailed at least
two weeks prior to the mee=ng. Were always
looking for volunteers so if youre interested in
helping out or just want to observe please plan
to a5end.
A nal note, about 70% of our households
contribute annual dues. We urge all Twin Ridge
households to support the neighborhood by
staying current on their dues, thank you.
Members of the Board of Trustees
President - Paul Halsey
Vice President - Open
Secretary - Jacque Lang
Treasurer - George Sumbarez
Social Events - Anne5e Bonwetsch / Ka=e
Thomson
Environment - Spencer Moore
Communica=ons - Anita Skor

11/12 -TRHA Book Club Mee=ng (Adults only)

The Inven=on of Wings by Sue Monk Kid
Bortz House, 44 Beechwood 7:30 pm
12/5- Holiday Party- 7:30pm Matz House,
110 Rising Ridge (Adults only)
12/7- Neighborhood Caroling 4pm
Star=ng at Bonwetsch House
106 Rising Ridge
(Family event)
2/6-2/8- TRHA Ski Weekend- Jiminy Peak
(Family event)
3/21- Progressive Dinner (will need app
host, dinner host(s) and dessert
host) (Adults only)
3/29 - Easter Egg Hunt
(A"ernoon Family event)
June - Last Day Of School Ice Cream Truck
(date will depend on # of snow days)
(Family Event)
August - Open School Ice Cream Social
(Family Event)
9/12- Fall Event Clambake?- (Adults only)

Twin Ridge Homeowners Associa=on

 Edi=on 1 Vol. 1

It has been a pleasure taking

care of our "corners" in Twin
Ridge for years now. The
"corners" are a vital part of the
neighborhood for appearance
and adding umph to property
values, but more importantly
they are part of the pride we all
share in being members of a
special community within
Ridgeeld. The Halloween and
Fall Decora=ons add a li5le
punch during the season and
are fun to arrange each year. I
do have a request to put on the
table --
If any family would like to
"adopt" a corner near their
home, please email me at
moorebean@gmail.com.
I do enjoy fussing over the
corners, but o"en =mes I do get
behind on weeding, pruning,
and cleaning. If you would like
to tend to these li5le jobs on a
specic corner, please let me
know. I would be grateful!
Happy Digging,
Spencer Moore
203.994.7864

Twin Ridge Homeowners Associa=on

October 26, 2014

We would like to extend a very warm welcome to our

many new Twin Ridge Neighbors :
Erik and Brandi Matz - 110 Rising Ridge Rd
Peter and Elizabeth Clark - 21 Indian Cave Rd
Brigham and Jessica Hamlin - 121 Indian Cave Rd
Ka=e and James White- 22 Strawberry Ridge Rd
Sarah and Ryan Oh - 27 Twin Ridge Rd
We look forward to seeing you around the
neighborhood and hope that you will join us for the
many exci=ng events that we have planned in the
upcoming months!

Real Estate Update Lisa Bortz

We have a number of skilled real estate professionals
in Twin Ridge and each newsle5er will oer some
insight from them on the market here in Twin Ridge
and Ridgeeld. Thanks to Lisa Bortz for contribu=ng
this update.

Edi=on 1 Vol. 1

October 26, 2014

Real Estate con=nued

Ridgeeld single family home sales declined by 14% (from 314 to 270) for the year
ended September 30, 2014. This was primarily due to the loss of tax incen=ves and
=ghter credit for rst-=me homebuyers.
The median selling price in Ridgeeld increased in the third quarter to $670,000 from
$627,000. In addi=on, the number of days proper=es stayed on the market decreased in
the month of September to 127 as compared to 232 in the same period last year.
In Twin Ridge, six proper=es sold in the same period for an average price of $694k, a per
square foot price of $237, and an average of 74 days to from list to sale.
Overall, the market is improving for sellers. There is a chance that some lending
standards could be relaxed in the coming year and that, combined with con=nued low
interest rates, should improve the outlook for both buyers and sellers.

Communica=ons Anita Skor

Essen=al to the smooth opera=on of any organiza=on is an eec=ve means of
communica=ng with its members. In addi=on to the Annual Mee=ng which weve
men=oned, TRHA currently has three methods of communica=on: The newsle5er, e-
mail and websites. Below is a brief descrip=on of each.
E-mail - Periodically, TRHA will out e-mail blasts of upcoming events or informa=on of
interest to the TRHA community at large. We will also distribute the Newsle5er via e-mail
(as well as hard copy). If you are not receiving these e-mails and would like to, please
contact me at anitaskor1@gmail.com and I will add you to our list! If you have comments
or sugges=ons that you would like to address with the board, please share them with me
at that address as well.
Newsle?er - As previously men=oned, the TRHA Newsle5er will be published three
=mes a year in Fall, Winter and Spring. The purpose of the Newsle5er is to provide
our members with informa=on about THRA ac=vity and social events as well as
current neighborhood news. In addi=on, we would like to acknowledge our neighbors
special achievements and valuable contribu=ons to our community. If you have any
sugges=ons of items for inclusion in the newsle5er , please e-mail me!
Websites - twinridgect.org is our other neighborhood website. Were working to
make the site easier to maintain so our volunteers can keep it up to date. Stay tuned
for more informa=on about its ocial launch!
twinridge.nextdoor.com This is a free social networking website with a Twin Ridge
Residents only capability. Currently, the Board uses it to share yers and documents
about neighborhood events, e-mail each other, post comments, classieds, lost and
found items, informa=on about crime and safety, etc., 37 residents have signed up so
far, so log on and give it a try!

Twin Ridge Homeowners Associa=on

 Edi=on 1 Vol. 1

October 26, 2014

Thanks for your support

In each newsle5er we recognize neighbors whove recently made a valuable

contribu=on to neighborhood. In this issue wed like to give thanks to the following
folks:
Gen Fagan; At 82 years old shes on top of her game (both golf and life). Gen has
pitched in to help Spencer Moore take a weed wacker to some un-mowed areas of grass
in the neighborhood. Gens also tech savvy and is helping with the Twin Ridge web-site,
a chore she also does for the Ridgeeld Thri" Shop, and her womens golf league.
Thanks Gen for all you do, we are lucky to have you.
Anne5e Bonwetsch and Ka=e Thomson; For the past 2 years Anne5e and Ka=e have
worked hard to keep alive some treasured social tradi=ons in Twin Ridge. Christmas
Party, End of School Party, Ice Cream Social, Progressive Dinner, Pizza Truck Party, and
more, organized for all the neighborhood to enjoy. Its a hard job, lots of planning, leg
work, and keeping everything on track. Thank you Anne5e and Ka=e, for all your
eorts. Anne5e will take a well deserved break later this year and Ka=e is expec=ng so
we are looking for a new social event lead, let us know if youre interested.
Rob & Denise Brian, Devin Gund, and Danny Salciccioli; As the most recent president of
the Twin Ridge Homeowners Associa=on Rob invested his personal =me and talent in
guiding the TRHA over the last two years. Rob and two very talented young
neighborhood residents, Devin Gund and Danny Salciccioli, ini=ated the important
twinridgeCT.org website project. Thank you Rob for your service and to Devin and
Danny for their good work. Denise arranged a Ladies Night out in August that was
enjoyed by many. Together Rob & Denise are wonderful neighbors and we thank them
for all they do.
Spencer Moore Theres probably nothing that the homeowners associa=on does thats
more visible than keeping the neighborhood looking good. Tending the entrances and
corners, new plan=ngs, seasonal decora=ons, a bit of mowing here and weed wacking
there, when shes done we can all get a li5le bit of pleasure when we see her work each
=me we drive in and out of the neighborhood. Spencer loves what she does and it
shows and we are all grateful for and benet from her work. Thank you Spencer for a
job well done.

Twin Ridge Homeowners Associa=on

 Edi=on 1 Vol. 1

October 26, 2014

Twin Ridge Kids in the News

CONGRATULATIONS TWIN RIDGE 2014 GRADUATES

Back row: Phillip Sumberaz - American University, Danny Keenan - UConn, Daniel
Salciccioli - Stevens University, Steven Alt - West Conn, Connor Carlson -American
University, Devin Gund - Carnegie Mellon University, Ma5 Kirsch-Uconn
Front row: Kalia Kritchko - Univ. of Michigan, Kelly Shannon, Muhlenberg
College, Amelia McGrath - St. Josephs, Carrie Brian - Marist College, Emily
Johanson - Univ. of Michigan

Twin Ridge Homeowners Associa=on