Pocono News Section

Pike County Community Security Staff Fired?

Pike County Community Security Staff Fired? - Friday, January 25, 2008 at 6:00PM EST

? Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Friday, Jan 25, 2008 @06:00pm EST
LEHMAN TOWNSHIP, PIKE COUNTY - What started as a protest of increasing health care costs seems to have spiraled out of control in one Pocono community.

More than 1,000 families live behind the gates in the Pine Ridge community of Pike County and it seems none of them have been able to get answers. "There's a lot of rumors going around so I don't really know what to believe at this point," said resident Melanie Vanderveer.

WBRE news confirmed that Pine Ridge does not have a security staff. The entire staff, about 15 in all, called out sick Monday - in part to protest rising health care costs.

We later received several anonymous calls saying the entire security staff, most of the maintenance staff and the community manager were fired. We could not confirm those reports so we went to the community center to find answers. A manager there said the employees walked off the job on their own. She refused to explain the situation or tell us why residents said the staff was fired.

The hostile attitudes and secrecy of Pine Ridge board members have frustrated residents. Vanderveer explained, "We're paying over $600 a year for dues and you're kind of paying for security. So to not have security and not to have the answers is a little upsetting."

Some residents even want to make Pine Ridge a public community rather than a private development. "A lot of us, we think that they should do away with security, do away with the office manager, break up the community and have a regular development," said Linda Thomas.

Pine Ridge board members insists they will explain themselves soon. The board will hold a special meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday in the community clubhouse.