The Community of Elk Forest

            The Civic Association held a board meeting on November 14^th to prepare for the upcoming year.  All members were present. 

           We reviewed the events of the past year.  Some may have noticed that the Cecil County Sheriff’s Department collaborated with us to take a look at the speed of vehicles on Elk Forest Road.  Although we are fortunate to not have had any serious incidents, in general people travel too fast on the road.  Be aware that the Sheriffs said they’d be back to monitor the situation, but it will be with a radar gun and no warnings will be issued.

            The Annual Picnic was a successful gathering, and much thanks go to the LaPense family for offering the use of their property over the past few years.  We will be looking to give them a break and are open to offers from new hosts for next year’s picnic which will be held on August 10^th.

            We received a refund from Kirkwood  for mosquito spraying in the amount of $766.20 for three missed sprays (due to weather).   This refund will be applied towards next year’s bill.

            We would like to recognize the Palko Family for hosting the wonderful Halloween Extravaganza. This is not an EFCA sponsored event, but everyone looks forward to the parade and seeing all the little goblins!

            Some neighbors expressed an interest in community service.  In the past we have participated in a cereal drive that was coordinated by the Leone Family.  If you have an interest or a particular idea, contact Laurie Leone at laurieleonyoga@gmail.com.

            Please hold the date for our Winter Gathering which will be held on January 6^th, 2024 from 4pm to 7pm. The LaPense family has graciously offered to hold the event again at their home.  Last year’s party was well attended, and everyone enjoyed being able to catch up with neighbors.  Again, the Board will supply the main dishes and we ask members to bring a side dish or dessert.  RSVP’s will be required.  Keep your eye out for the invite to appear in your mailbox.

            A committee is forming to plan a few social events for 2024, the first of which will be a Progressive Dinner on April 20th (the same day as our Spring Cleanup).  If you’d like to be part of the planning please call Sherri Mitchell at 610-255-1414 – we’d be delighted to have your help!

           Please remember that community members are always welcome at the board meetings.  If you have an interest in being involved as a board member in any capacity we would love to have you!  Laurie Leone and Christine La Pense are heading up the Nominating Committee for 2024 and we are really hoping for new members to bring fresh ideas.  There are only four meetings a year including the Annual Meeting/Picnic and we promise there is nothing overwhelming!

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season and a healthy and happy new year,

Sherri Mitchell & Joanne Silverman

To RSVP for the board meeting please call Joanne Silverman 724 272 8995.

Friendly cat found but doesn’t have a collar. Email Lule if you have any information (megs@atlanticbb.net)

The event will once again be held at the LaPense backyard at 184 S. Shore Rd. on Saturday, August 12th. The EFCA will provide Burgers, Hot Dogs, Drinks and Condiments – bring a chair and your favorite side dish. Please RSVP with the number of guests and favorite dish to Christian LaPense by 8/9/23 – 302-274-8368 or Christian@LaPense.net.

Out next Board Meeting is July 13th at 6:30, anyone is welcome to attend. Call Sherri Mitchell at 610.255.1414 to get the location.

Hello Neighbors! We hope you are enjoying Spring on the days that it is showing its face!

Your Elk Forest Civic Association held a board meeting on March 23th at the Silverman Residence. One of our newer neighbors attended and it was nice to hear from them. Remember that anyone can attend a board meeting or bring a concern to a board member. The EFCA is not a typical homeowners association but a place for neighbors to connect on mutually concerning issues and we would love to hear from you.

We have received the bill for the 2023 mosquito spraying and wanted to let you know that the board unanimously agreed that the Association will absorb the 8% price increase rather than passing it on to residents. We will have further discussion on this topic at the annual meeting on August 12 (Rain date: August 13).

Our annual Spring Cleanup will be April 22nd. (Rain date: April 23rd) Elk Forest Road appears to be a magnet for debris and every year we are amazed at the amount of garbage we collect. Please plan to meet at 9am on the corner of South Forest and Elk Forest Roads for coffee and donuts before setting out on our assignments. Bags are provided and the association will dispose of the garbage that is collected. It is suggested you bring gloves and wear appropriate shoes for the boggy sides of the road. This is a great time to connect with your neighbors while doing a little something for Earth Day, and if you have a student looking for some community service hours we would be only too happy to sign their log sheet!

We’ve become aware of a possible alternate service provider for internet/TV/phone for our area, likely late in 2024. Talkie is currently laying fiber optic lines to homes without high speed internet access and will come west on Elk Forest Road as far as Sinking Springs this year. The owner tells us that once that work is complete they will be looking for additional customers and that clusters of homes where people have expressed interest will be their first priority. If you are curious about an alternative to Breezeline you may contact Talkie to be added to their database and they will contact you when they reach the next stage of construction their network. Just go to Talkiefiber.com, click on the “hamburger” in the upper right corner, choose “Residential Internet”, pick a plan and hit the “Customize” button (no, you are NOT actually choosing a plan right now, but this is how they are tracking interest), and fill out the contact info, etc. No payment information is requested and there is no obligation – nor are we pushing this in any way – we just want you to be aware that there may be a choice heading our way.

We would like to thank a few of our members for their above and beyond contributions to our association. Tom Melnick for his maintenance on our beautiful sign welcoming all into Elk Forest, David Silverman for his enthusiasm in keeping everyone informed with our wonderful new sign boards, (don’t you just love these larger sign boards?) and Christine and Christian LaPense for hosting our holiday party in their lovely rental home. Last but not least, Dave Mitchell, webmaster extraordinaire, for being “johnny on the spot” posting EFCA news to our website.

One final request, neighbors: please be mindful of your speed while driving through our beautiful neighborhood. We are a community of families, walkers and runners, and with no shoulders on our roads we need to be ever cautious of each other.
Thank you and we hope to see you at the Spring Clean Up!

Sherri Mitchell and Joanne Silverman
Co-Presidents

March 23rd, 2023
6:30 PM
Please RSVP either Joanne Silverman (724-273-8993) or Sherri Mitchell (610-255-1414) for details.

All are welcome.

It has been several years since we have been able to hold our winter gathering. In past years it was held just before the Holidays in early December. In more recent years, we changed it to be more around the New Year as it seemed more residents were able to attend with the major holidays behind theml

What a perfect evening and venue we had last night for the return of the EFCA New Year Gathering. Many thanks to the LaPense’s for offering their beautiful property for the event. We met some new residents, had great conversation and played with our youngest attendee, Eva, who seemed to have the best time of all!

Looking forward to a great New Year. Hoping to see everyone in the spring for the cleanup.

Joanne Silverman and Sherri Mitchell
Co-Presidents

The Elk Forest Civic Association

2023 New Year Gathering

Come on out and chat with your neighbors while celebrating the New Year

Meet us at 188 South Shore Road
Saturday, January 7, 2023
4:00pm thru 7:00pm

The Board will provide the main dishes. The Association will cover wine, beer and soft drinks. Tradition is for members to bring a covered side dish or dessert. Please let us know what you are bringing when you RSVP

RSVP to Christian LaPense (christian@lapense.net) or at (302) 274-8368 (New Number)