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Announcements

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Community notice:

Be advised that starting Thursday we will be tree trimming along the roadways throughout the community.  This will take place over the next few weeks. 

       Part Time Gate Attendants Needed

BCLCA is looking for gate attendants for both the pool and the beaches for the upcoming 2023 summer season.  The primary duty is to ensure that every person that enters the pool or beach areas are in possession of a valid BCLCA badge and that the badges are being worn by our guests.  Shifts are every day from 12pm-4pm and 4pm-7pm. To apply, go to the BCL office or contact 570-325-3334 for more information.

1/10/2023

SHORT-TERM RENTAL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

  1.  Short-Term Rental LICENSE … this License comes from Penn Forest Township (PFT) and must be renewed YEARLY. The link for your initial/renewal PFT STR License can be found on the PFT website … Penn Forest Township - Penn Forest Township under the “Short Term Rentals” tab

  2. Short-Term Rental ZONING PERMIT … this Permit comes from Penn Forest Township (PFT) and is only issued ONE TIME, unless changes are made to your property (i.e.  Bigger septic system added, additional rooms added, increased parking added, etc.). The link for your initial  PFT STR Zoning Permit can be found on the PFT website … Penn Forest Township - Penn Forest Township under the “Short Term Rental” tab

When you apply to Penn Forest Township to use your property as a Short-Term Rental – you are provided with the TWO separate documents listed above.Each of these documents have an identification number on them, for tracking purposes.The identification number on both documents is NOT THE SAME.

  1. BCLCA Short-Term Rental REGISTRATION … this Registration is from Bear Creek Lakes Civic Association (BCLCA) and must be renewed YEARLY. The link for the BCLCA Registration form can be found on our BCLCA website … www.BCLCA.org (under “Association Info” “Forms and Permits”.  This registration must be renewed YEARLY.

  2. BCLCA Short-Term Rental PERMIT … this Permit is from Bear Creek Lakes Civic Association (BCLCA) and is sent out YEARLY.  This Permit comes from BCLCA, after all of the above documents have been provided to BCLCA.

When you initially apply to BCLCA to use your property as a Short-Term Rental, you must provide BCLCA with BOTH Penn Forest Township STR Documents:

  • The PFT STR Zoning Permit includes information on how many bedrooms your property contains; also how many guests and how many vehicles are allowed on your rental property.  BCLCA Security uses this document to make sure you are adhering to the Township dictated guest/vehicle limits.  This document only needs to be provided ONE TIME – unless you make changes to your property.

  • The PFT STR License (initial and renewal) shows proof of the property being current with Penn Forest Township requirements.  If this PFT STR License is not renewed before the expiration date, then you are in violation and you MAY NOT use your property as a Short-Term Rental until such time as you have renewed your PFT STR License, and also provided this renewed PFT STR License to BCLCA.

Survey information

 

There are copies of the survey at the office for people unable to submit electronically.

The paper copies will be placed in a sealed box or envelope to be picked up by a committee member.

Each submission is tracked by the unique IP address of the person who submitted it (like a phone number), the first submission for each address and name combination will be counted. If we see any signs of fraud in the submissions, we will flag the submissions and reach out to the individual owners. These will be reviewed by one non-board member of the STR Sub-Committee and one non-board member of the Declaration re-writing committee.

Thank You,

 

Rick Monnig

Technology Committee Chair

We recently released a community survey on the topic of Short-term Rentals (it was sent out by email), and we wanted to clarify some things.

 

This is just a survey; this is not an official vote.  The board wants to determine if a majority of the membership would vote for an amendment on some type of restriction on short-term rentals, and if yes, what type of restrictions are acceptable to a majority of the members. The Board does not intend to spend more money on an amendment to restrict short-term rentals unless we have the data to prove that a 2/3 majority will vote for some type of an amendment.

 

Any proposed amendment would allow one vote per property, that is why this survey does the same and allows one survey per property. This will allow us to normalize the survey data.   We need to understand how the community would vote on this issue. If households are divided, now is the time to come together and decide.

 

The Board does not want to take away anyone’s property rights. Amendments to the covenants can only happen when 2/3 of the properties vote in favor of it.  It is not the Board that decides on changes, it is the membership votes that make change happen. Each Board member only gets one vote per property, just like every other member of the community. And please remember, The Board is not some unknown entity, we are your neighbors, we volunteer and spend many hours serving this community.  We need everyone to take the survey on this important issue so we can have a comprehensive understanding of the membership’s position and take appropriate actions. Please take the survey seriously and tell us your position, everyone’s voice counts!

 

 

 

Sincerely,

BCLCA Board Members

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