Message from the RFCA president

Hello, Friends and Neighbors.

In October 2019, I was elected President of the RFCA. Since then I have had numerous opportunities to interact with residents, members of nearby community associations, and our elected officials. I greatly appreciate the time people take to connect with me—whether it is to bring awareness of an issue, provide information about resident opportunities, or offer encouragement and support. Below are updates on recent issues brought to my attention over the past few months.

ASSOCIATION DUES

Many residents who mailed in their membership checks had them returned by the Riderwood Post Office, as late as three months after mailing. I visited and called the post office on three occasions to investigate the issue. While the post office assured me that the issue was resolved (there was nothing wrong on the RFCA end) and we should not encounter any additional problems, we did continue to experience returned mail to residents. Riderwood has a 10-day policy specific to that location only, which requires us to pick up our mail within 10 days of delivery. At the end of January, our mailbox was empty and when we inquired, the post office had pulled our mail to return. 90% of the pulled mail was within the 10-day window and more than half was within a 5-day window. This is unacceptable. I called the USPS customer care hotline and lodged a complaint with USPS Consumer Affairs, which is investigating our chronic issues. If you have mailed a check and it has not been cashed, you may be affected. As a process improvement by the RFCA, two people now alternate picking up the mail every Friday. We considered changing branches, but RFCA has used this branch for decades and the parking is exceptionally convenient. Please contact me if you have concerns about a check or payment you submitted.

EVENTS

Perhaps as a result of the returned mail, we do not have the contribution dollars we typically have in our budget by March. If we do not increase our membership income, we will need to make decisions that will negatively impact community events. What does that mean? It means if we do not have funds in the budget to support them, we will be forced to cancel events, such as the Easter Egg Hunt, which is scheduled for Saturday, April 4 (Sunday, April 5 rain date). We do not want to cancel events, but we also do not want to be irresponsible and operate at a deficit. [UPDATE: THE EASTER EGG HUNT HAS BEEN CANCELED BECAUSE OF COVID-19]

RODGERS FORGE DIRECTORIES

We had initially planned to print and deliver the Rodgers Forge Directory over the summer of 2019; however, we decided to hold off until we could make some much-needed updates as well as verify and document all bylaw changes made over the past several years. Our hope is to have the directories out this spring.

MEMBERSHIP KEY TAGS

Finally, thank you for your patience with the new membership key cards. They should have arrived by now, via USPS, with a membership letter that outlines all the events your dues support as well as the numerous discounts that membership provides. I want to apologize for the bumps along this road. The fault is entirely mine and I learned a great deal through this process. Sometimes failure is the best teacher. If you have paid your dues and have not yet received your key tag, please contact board@rodgersforge.org for assistance. Expect significant improvements for the 2021 membership process.

Thank you for your continued support, and please always feel free to contact me with your community and board-related issues.

-Karen Rodriguez,

RFCA president