The Governor's order of July 1, 2020 mandates that masks are mandatory in all public places. According to the order people must wear masks if they are:

Outdoors and unable to consistently maintain a distance of 6 feet from individuals who are not members of their household.

Brier Crest has seen an increase in the number of bears in our area.  The following is information from the Pennsylvania Game Commission.  We would appreciate you reviewing this information to ensure the safety of our residents, children and pets.  Please call the office if you have any questions or concerns.  Pamphlets are available for pick up. 

Pennsylvania population has been increasing for decades.  As a result bears and people are coming into contact more than ever.  Most of these encounters occur when bears learn there is easy to obtain food where people live. 

Intentionally feeding bears is against the law in Pennsylvania.  It is also against the law to put out any feed for any wildlife. Make sure you do not encourage bears to become a problem by letting potential; food sources attract them into residential; areas.  Bears will eat human food, garbage and pet food. Once bears find an easily accessible food source they will keep coming back as long as food is available. With every returning trip they lose their fear of people which could lead to bolder attempts at accessing food so does the risk of of being struck by a vehicle or becoming a more serious nuisance.  The best way to keep them away is to remove food sources. A persistent bear may damage property, increase the risk of human injury, and often a fed bear becomes a dead bear.  If you have pets do not leave their food bowls out.  Feeding congregates bear which significantly increases the risk of spreading disease. Mange, which is a debilitating condition of the skin and fur can lead to death.

 

What to Do if you Meet a Bear:

Alert the bear – make some noise giving it ample time to turn and leave.

Get back -  back away slowly while facing the bear so you always know where the bear is.  Wild bears rarely attack people.  Slowly backing away diffuses the situation and gives the bear room to flee.

Stay calm – Avoid sudden movements and talk to help the bear keep track of your retreat.  Running may prompt the bear to give chase and climbing a tree could be interpreted as a threat to any cubs that are present since cubs often climb trees when startled.  Move toward your house or vehicle if nearby.

Pay attention – If a bear begins to approach you, face the bear, wave your arms wildly and shout while continuing to back away.  Swing a stick, your backpack or whatever is handy if the bear gets close.  If suddenly surprised some bears may feel threatened and give warnings that they are uncomfortable.  They may clack their jaws or sway their head, those are signs for you to leave.  Some bears have been known to charge to within a few feet when threatened.  If this occurs wave your arms wildly and shout at the bear.

Fight back – Black bear attacks are extremely rare.  If a black bear attacks, fight back.  Bears have been driven away when people have fought back with rocks, sticks, or even their bare hands.

Dear Brier Crest Community Members:

Barring any last minute changes by the Governor’s Office, Monroe County will enter into the “green” phase for re-opening on Friday, June 19th. As before, this generates both excitement and some angst for the board of directors.

 

Moving forward, these will be the changes you will begin to see:

 

In closing, I want to thank everyone for your patience during this difficult time. As a board, we greatly appreciate the adherence to guidelines you have shown and we hope continue to show. The board has done everything required of us by the laws of the commonwealth. We will continue to follow their recommendations and we appreciate your continuance in helping to keep our community safe during this time. If you have any questions or concerns, please call the office at 570-646-8802. 

 

Sincerely,

Michael F. Ruff

President

BCWPOA

 

Summertime is a great time to refresh yourselves on the rules and regulations of the community. At the time of your purchase a resale package was prepared and would have been presented to you at closing. In that resale package are the rules and regulations, by laws, articles of incorporation and a map of the community. If you have misplaced any of these documents copies are available at the office. Please call and we would be happy to provide you with a copy.

Dear Brier Crest Community Members:

I sense the excitement that is beginning to build knowing that our county will be moving into the yellow phase as of Friday, May 29th. For us, board members, this brings as much angst as it does relief.

Moving forward, these will be the changes you will begin to see:

There will be no exceptions made to any of these policies! Do not ask or put any of our staff in the uncomfortable situation of having to tell a member-in-good standing NO. Should you not adhere to any of these policies, we will withhold your rights to use the amenities.

In closing, we have done everything required of us by the laws of the commonwealth. We will continue to follow their recommendations and we appreciate your continuance in helping to keep our community safe during this time. If you have any questions or concerns, please call the office at 570-646-8802. 

We continue to ask that you follow the guideline of Stay Home, Stay Safe, Stay Well and Remain Positive during this very difficult time for all of us.

Sincerely,

Michael F. Ruff

President

BCWPOA

...

We have received a complaint from the US Postal Service that residents are not practicing social distancing at the mail boxes. People are coming within 6 feet of the postal carrier while she is distributing mail.

 

Delivery service will be suspended according to the USPS if social distancing is not adhered to.

Gov. Tom Wolf's Stay at Home Order will remain in effect until May 8th!

Dear Brier Crest Community Members:

During this unprecedented time in our lives, I understand the fear that pervades within our community. Please know that we have taken every precaution possible to ensure the safety of our residents. I know there has been concern regarding rentals within our community. We took every step within our legal rights to curb the rental process. Once the Governor’s Office finally enacted a policy that restricted short term rentals, we were then able to enforce this on our end. I have heard from many that there were dozens of these rentals within our community. That was never the case during this crisis. In fact, at the peak of the frenzy that was created by some within the community, we had two short term rentals. Those individuals had already been in place and would be leaving upon the completion of their rental. What we cannot restrict at this time, legally, is any rental that is done to house a front-line individual who has come to our area to support the medical staff within our area hospitals or temporary sites.

We have followed every guideline that has been mandated by local, county, state and federal government. Our security staff has been diligent in keeping our community safe. We are not registering golf carts or ATVs at this time. Security may ask, from a distance, to see your BCW badge to confirm that all is OK. We will begin registering these items once the restrictions have eased.

We have closed our office even though our staff continues to work inside. All we have asked is that you call from outside and they will come out to you. Our maintenance staff has been taking every precaution to limit their exposure.

We have not held our monthly board meeting for the last two months to adhere to the policy of over-congregating in an enclosed area. We have closed our beach, our playground, our courts to follow state and county recommended guidelines and policies. These will remain closed until further notice. Once restrictions are relaxed, we will have our staff disinfect the playground area to the best of our ability.

The state has left open the opportunity to fish, so we have complied to that policy as well, though we have asked our security staff to make sure social distancing policy is being followed. I have requested that our Fishing Club not hold any sponsored events.

We have asked for volunteers, and have some, to help with anyone who is homebound and needs groceries or prescriptions picked up.

 If you have any questions or concerns, please call the office at 570-646-8802. 

We continue to ask that you Stay Home, Stay Safe, Stay Well and Remain Positive during this very difficult time for all of us.

Sincerely,

Michael F. Ruff

President

BCWPOA