Pepper Ridge Civic Association

Currently 30% of neighbors have paid their dues – $2,270

Expenses

Maintenance of Pepper Ridge’s Three Common Areas

Two islands on Mermaid Blvd and a small area at the end of Pepper Ridge Court adjacent to the old golf course (privately owned by Onix Group).

• Grass Cutting – $1,245. (We saved $495 by not mowing the areas that did not have grass during the dry periods.)
• Pepper Ridge Sign Repaired (April) – $375.
• Trimming of Dead Branches on Mermaid Blvd. – $285.(Scheduled for October/November.)
• Fall Cleanup (Scheduled for November) – $585.

Snow Removal

• Plowing 2” or more of accumulation on Mermaid Blvd only costs $195 per event.
• Plowing 4” or more of accumulation for the entire community costs approx. $1,700 per event with 75% state reimbursement after paperwork is submitted.

We have also requested 5 SALT BARRELS for this winter (no cost). There will be 2 at each of the common areas on Mermaid Blvd. and the 5th one will be located on a neighbor’s property on N. Tupelo Turn. We understand that many of you used them for your personal property last year, but we ask that along the way you put some on the roads and make sure the lids are on tight.

A huge thank you to those that have paid. If you have not yet paid, please submit your payment using one of these methods:

• Cash or check (payable to PRCA and mailed to PRCA; c/o Fairlight Zimmerman; 4930 S. Tupelo Turn).
• Credit card at prca.cheddarup.com

Thank you!

PRCA Board

The annual meeting was held on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, in Goldey-Beacom College’s Fulmer Center, Room 100. We heard from the two candidates running for the open seat for State Representative District 21, reviewed the treasury report and the budget, and voted to fill two open civic association district rep seats.

• Meeting minutes
• 2023-2024 treasury report
• 2024-2025 budget

Annual Meeting – Guest Speakers & Door Prizes

As a reminder our annual meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 8^th at 6:30 p.m. at Goldey-Beacom College in the Fulmer Center, Room 100.  State Representative Candidates’, Brenda Mennella and Frank Burns have accepted our invitation to speak at our meeting.  They will take a few minutes to introduce themselves and speak on their key points.  You will then have the opportunity to ask them questions. 

 Two households can win gift certificates to Pike Creek Community Hardware just for attending.  We purchased one and Pike Creek Community Hardware has donated the second gift certificate.

Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend.  The 2024-2025 Budget and Treasurer Report will be presented.  Items such as snow removal, maintenance of the common areas and community event will also be discussed.  We are hoping to vote in additional officers.  This can only happen if we have a quorum which is 30% of eligible members (dues are paid).    

Annual Dues – 12% Participation

 A big shout out to the neighbors that have already paid their dues!!  Your quick response is appreciated and helpful.  Our budget is solely based on payment of dues.  The earlier they are received the better we know how to approach our expenses.  Dues are $40 per household, payable by cash, check, or credit card. Go to prca.cheddarup.com to start the secure online payment process. Cash and checks payable to PRCA can be mailed/delivered to PRCA; c/o Fairlight Zimmerman; 4930 S. Tupelo Turn (mailbox is labeled with full address).

Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you on October 8th!

Pepper Ridge Civic Association Board

Dear Neighbors,
It’s that time of year again. We are planning our annual meeting and collecting dues for the 2024-2025 year.

Annual Dues

Thank you to everyone who submitted their dues for 2023-2024. 50% of our neighbors (100 homes) paid their dues which was a 16% increase from the previous year. We still need the other half of our community to contribute so that we can accomplish our goals –

• Snow removal of 2” or more of accumulation for the entire neighborhood. Currently, we can only do Mermaid Blvd at 2”. For the rest of the community we can only afford to plow at 4” or more of accumulation as the State reimburses us approximately 75% at that level. We’ve been lucky in the previous years avoiding huge snow storms. However, a few 2” snowfalls can be just as dangerous if not treated and in extreme low temperatures. We will request sand barrels from the state to be placed at two of our common areas on Mermaid Blvd.
• Maintenance of three common areas. This includes mowing, mulching and leaf removal. Volunteers have helped with this cost by devoting a Saturday or two raking and removing leaves and other debris. However, we do need to pay a lawn service to do weekly upkeep from April to October and Spring & Fall cleanups.
• Community Event – Neighbors have asked for a community event. This year we had Woodside Farm Creamery come to Pepper Ridge. In spite of the rain we had over 50 neighbors participate. We would like have them come out again.

Dues are $40 per household, payable by cash, check, or credit card. Go to prca.cheddarup.com (or focus your cell phone camera app on the QR code on the print newsletter you received) to start the secure online payment process. Cash and checks payable to PRCA can be mailed/delivered to PRCA; c/o Fairlight Zimmerman; 4930 S. Tupelo Turn (mailbox is labeled with full address).

Annual Meeting

Our annual meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 8th at 6:30 p.m. at Goldey-Beacom College in their Fulmer Center. The President of Goldey-Beacom, Dr. Colleen Perry Smith has graciously opened one of their classrooms to us. Everyone is invited to attend. Volunteers are welcomed and your vote for officers is needed.

There is also a chance to win a gift certificate to Pike Creek Community Hardware. Some items up for discussion –

• 2024-2025 budget/Treasurer Report
• Election of Officers – Will provide a list of open positions and their duties
• Snow Removal – New Contractor
• Maintenance of Common Areas – New Contractor
• Community Event

Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you on October 8th!

Pepper Ridge Civic Association Board

This information will be also posted on Facebook. Search for “Pepper Ridge Civic Association” (public) or “Pepper Ridge Neighbors of Pike Creek, Delaware” (private).

Questions may be submitted on Facebook or through our contact form.

Coming to Pepper Ridge: Woodside Farm Creamery

Saturday, May 18, 2024 @ 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Look for their truck starting at:

• 11:00 – End of Pepper Ridge Court
• 11:30 – End of N. Tupelo Turn at the cul-de-sac
• 12:00 – End of Gingerwood Court at the cul-de-sac

Five favorite flavors to choose from: Vanilla, Chocolate, Raspberry, Cookies & Cream and Sorbet

Everyone in the Pepper Ridge community is invited to have a free cup of Woodside’s delicious ice cream!

Community Discounts

Trash Removal Discount

Evergreen Waste Services (302) 635-7055 – $87 per quarter for recycling and trash removal; $111 per quarter for recycling, yard waste and trash removal.

Lawn Mowing Discount

McDonald Lawn & Landscape (302) 239-2180 currently maintains our community common areas. They are offering the Pepper Ridge community a discount rate of $25 for end units and $20 for center units. Their services include:

• Manicured lawn mowing to property
• String trimming to areas not accessible by mower
• Edging to concrete surfaces
• Blowing grass clippings off of hard surfaces

2023-2024 Dues Update

50% of our neighbors have paid their dues. That is an increase of 16% from last year. Thank you to those that have paid.

Lawn Mowing & Spring Cleanup

We have asked McDonald Lawn & Landscape to do our Spring Cleanup this year. There is some maintenance that needs to be done to two of the areas that is too much to ask from volunteers. They are also going to repair our Pepper Ridge sign. Mowing has been postponed a few weeks to allow two of the common areas to grow grass. We will continue to monitor.

Snow Removal Update

This past winter we had two significant snow storms, January 15th with accumulation just below 4” and January 19th with accumulation above 4”. Our contractor at that time was not available to us when we needed them. We then switched to Ramone’s Landscaping. They were already doing a couple of the surrounding communities which included parts of Mermaid Blvd. It only made sense to have them include Pepper Ridge. On February 13th our section of Mermaid Blvd was plowed by Ramone’s Landscaping and we could see the difference. As funds provide we would like to continue to plow Mermaid Blvd for accumulation 2” and above and the rest of the community above 4”.

Thank you & we look forward to seeing you!

PRCA Board

Pepper Ridge residents are invited to attend a meeting with the civic association executive committee on Monday, February 5, 2024 at 6 p.m. at D-Fit (aka Delaware Swim and Fitness), 4905 Mermaid Blvd.

We are going to go over the following:

• Budget: what we have spent so far and our current account balance.
• Snow plowing
• Community event

Here is an outline of the first meeting of the Pike Creek Community League that was held on December 13, 2023 from 6-8 p.m. at Goldey Beacom College in the new community room. Speakers included State Representative Mike Ramone, State Representative Mike Smith and Councilperson Janet Kilpatrick with an introduction from Dr. Colleen Perry Keith, President of Goldey Beacom College.

• Dr. Colleen Perry Keith – President of Goldey Beacom College 2019-Present
  • Improvements and additions of the college including the new community room that the meeting was held in
  • Low tuition of approximately $13K per year
  • Welcomes anyone interested to visit the college
• Mike Smith –
  • 8 toys were distributed to each child in foster care this holiday season; Additional toys collected at the meeting
  • Finalization of State budget; Less money than in previous years
  • Mobile Sports Betting
  • Support of elderly caregivers at home
  • Red Clay School District Referendum coming up
  • The use of drones by insurance companies
• Mike Ramone –
  • Polly Drummond Yard Waste Site – last day of the season January 14th
    • Community concern with businesses abusing the site
    • Proposal of a private vendor to monitor the site
  • Purpose of tonight’s meeting –
    • Help local businesses
    • Bring communities together
    • Common concerns – Erosion is a big concern
  • Conservation District – $20 million designated for large project; 24 month time frame
  • Infrastructure
  • Chase Bank branch will be replacing the previous WSFS bank at the Pike Creek Shopping Center
• Janet Kilpatrick –
  • New Castle County Court ordered Property Reassessment
    • Assessing all individual properties should be completed by 5/1/2024
    • Between 3/2024 and 8/2024 your will receive a data mailer with a description of your property – to bereturned or schedule a review only if you disagree with the description. Your new reassessment valuewill follow. All new tax assessment/rate will be on your 7/2025 tax bill. You will have a year after the 1st tax bill to appeal.
  • Three Little Bakers Golf Course – After 14 years of litigation between the County (Sheldon/Kilpatrick) and the Developers (Onix Group) the final judgement allows the developer to build approximately 60 homes on the golf course while preserving 130 acres for a golf course; Developer’s initial plans were for 200+ homes.
    • Current plan is for all single family homes –
      • Approximately 14 home cul de sac off of Three Little Bakers Blvd. on the Linden Knoll side
      • Approximately 17 single family homes to the left of Fairway Falls. The entrance of their driveways will come off of Skyline Drive, the same as those in Village of Linden Hill
      • Approximately 27 single family homes between Fairway Falls and Three Little Bakers Dr. – 1 new street with homes on both sides – cut through or cul de sac to be determined. The fronts of those homes will face the new street.
    • Community members discussed disappointment and concern for this new development
    • The future of the 130 acres is unknown at this time

At the end of the meeting attendees asked questions and shared concerns and information.

This is a very brief outline of topics discussed. If you have further interest or questions on any of these, there will be additional meetings once every 3 months on the second Wednesday of the month held at Goldey Beacom College. Dates to be announced. We can also invite speakers to our PRCA meetings to narrow down discussions.

Thank you!
PRCA Board

Thank you to the 108 neighbors who signed up with Evergreen Waste Services. As of December 1, our community will receive a discount rate of $87 per quarter for recycling and trash or $111 per quarter for recycling, trash, and yard waste.

All Evergreen customers in Pepper Ridge will see the new rate in their next billing cycle. Evergreen will not waive delivery fees going forward. That was an incentive to reach the 100-household minimum.

Questions? Please send us a message.

We hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! We just wanted to send another update on our dues participation and community discount:

• Dues participation: 42%
• Community trash discount: 99 homes have signed up. We only need one more home to sign up before December 1! Contact Evergreen directly to sign up, (302) 635-7055.

Once we achieve the goal, Evergreen will give all Pepper Ridge Customers a discount rate of $87 per quarter ($348 annually) for recycling and trash or $111 per quarter ($444 annually) for recycling, trash and yard waste.

Evergreen comes every Monday picking up both recycling and trash. The only time they will not come on a Monday is if Christmas or New Year’s Day falls on a Monday. They will remove one bulk item per week at no additional charge, just text them by the Thursday before Monday pickup. More information is available on Evergreen’s website.

Please join your neighbors in switching to Evergreen! You will need to contact Evergreen directly to sign up, (302) 635-7055.

Photo credit: andrechinn, CC BY 2.0.

2023-2024 Annual Due Payments of $40 are now due. Only 26% of our community have paid. Dues are for snow removal and maintenance of three common areas. Payment can be made by cash, check, made out to PRCA (Pepper Ridge Civic Association) and sent to 4930 S. Tupelo Turn or you can pay online. We will not be sending out additional reminders. Note:  Mailboxes for 4930 S. Tupelo Turn & 4930 S. Raintree are on the same street; 4930 S. Tupelo Turn’s mailbox is on the side of the street where the houses face the front & is marked with the full address.

FINAL DEADLINE (December 1^st) – Community Trash Discount with Evergreen Waste Services, (302) 635-7055. We only need 4 more homes to sign up to reach our goal. Once we achieve the goal, Evergreen will give all Pepper Ridge Customers a discount rate of $87 per quarter ($348 annually) for recycling and trash or $111 per quarter ($444 annually) for recycling, trash and yard waste. Evergreen comes every Monday picking up both recycling & trash. This is our last chance!!

FALL CLEANUP – Thank you to everyone that participated. It was definitely a bigger job than the spring cleanup. We were able to clean up two of the common areas as well as remove some of the leaves and pine needles off of Mermaid Blvd. Unfortunately, with only a handful of volunteers & the time it took for the common areas we were unable to pickup yard waste from our neighbors. Please check our FAQ on how to dispose of your yard waste.

Questions? Please contact us.