There's No Place Like Heritage Village
A unique, 55+ active adult community, Heritage Village is located in Connecticut's beautiful town of Southbury, surrounded by natural ponds, rivers, and trails. Residents enjoy a wide variety of clubs, activities, tennis courts, and beautiful private swimming pools. An 18-hole golf course that winds its way through Heritage Village is available for membership. A 9-hole course and par 3 course are adjacent to the village. Heritage Village is a hub of activity conveniently situated between the excitement of Manhattan and all the best of Boston. We are home to a diverse group of active, friendly residents who will tell you “Heritage Village is a great place to visit and an even better place to call home."
Heritage Village Master Association/Heritage Village Foundation Non-Discrimination Policy - Click here to download policy
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August 6, 2020 Storm Isaias Update
Storm Isaias hit the east coast on Tuesday, bringing with it rain, strong winds and several tornadoes. Heritage Village has sustained quite a bit of damage throughout the entire Village from the strong winds, which were in excess of 65 mph. We quickly began the process of assessing the damage, setting our priorities and start the clean-up process.
Our staff is working overtime on clean-up duty. They are pulling the brush to the nearest roadside, driveway or accessible area awaiting a truck or wood chipper. We are removing tree limbs off of units, carports, sidewalks, driveways and vehicles. We have secured bucket trucks, another wood chipper, and their crews. All of our Grounds crews will be focused on handling the clean-up, and we will keep at it until it is done. We expect it will take a few weeks before this process in the Village is complete.
Pool 3 is closed due to a power outage and will remain closed until power is restored. Pool 4 is open as scheduled.
If you see an area that has not been addressed, please contact Resident Services at 203-264-9644 to put in a work ticket.
Thank you.
Angela Toppi, COO
2020/2021 Proposed Budget
For information regarding the proposed budget, please view our new page under documents and forms or by clicking here.
A Progress Report on Pool 1
Work on Pool 1 continues to move ahead, although a few more items still need to be finished before its Opening Day.
The renovated pool will offer additional amenities for all to enjoy: a larger pool deck, a picnic area,
lane markings for lap swimmers, as well as a new landscape design.
The FFC, Landscape Committee, Greg Lukos, Doug Welton, Rich Eisenman, and Lynda Megura have met monthly to make this project a big success. Angela and her staff gave the committees the needed
support to complete the project.
Thanks to all who have worked on this project.
And doesn’t it look great?
Presidents' Council Meeting Postponed
The Presidents' Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, August 4th has been rescheduled for Thursday, August 6th at 9:45 am. Resident guests are welcome to attend, must bring your own chairs, wear a mask and be socially distant. If you plan on attending please call 203- 506-0756.
Meeting House Patio
The Meeting House Patio will be used for staff safety training on August 20th from 8:00am-9:30am, 9:45am-11:15am, and 12:30pm-2:30pm.
If you use the patio in between these times we ask that you please do not rearrange the chairs.
Opening of Pools 3 and 4
Pools 3 and 4 opened on Monday, July 20, just in time for the hottest week of the summer. Due to the public health crisis, some significant changes to our usual rules were made to ensure the safety of the entire Heritage Village community.
This summer access to the pools was limited to Heritage Village residents only—for safety reasons no children or other guests will be allowed in during the pandemic. We regret the disappointment this will cause.
Any Villager wishing to use the pools will be required to sign a waiver 48-hours in advance of their first reservation; the waiver will be kept on file.
To allow for social distancing, only 15 swimmers will be allowed in a pool during the same time slot; reservations may be made 72-hours beforehand. The Activities Department worked hard to establish an on-line reservations system that is accessible right here on the Heritage Village Website’s Homepage. You will find it under “Online Reservations,” then “Pool Reservations” in the blue bands section to the right of your screen on your computer, and to the bottom of your screen on your cell phone. You may also make reservations by calling the Activities Desk, if you prefer.
To learn more about our new pool rules, waivers, hours, reserving your spot, and additional safety and health rules, please click here.
Waiver Information
If you are planning to use the Heritage Village pools or pickleball, tennis, or platform tennis courts this summer, please don’t forget we need a signed waiver/release form on hand before you make your first reservation 48-hours before your visit.
You may download the waiver from the link below, then print, sign, and scan it back to lmegura@hvmaster.com. Or, if you prefer, you may pick up a form at the HV Management Office, 719 East Hill Rd., from the outside pick-up box and, after signing it, return it to the outside drop-off box or fax it to 203-264-1786.
Your signed form will be kept on hand and will cover the use of all HV facilities, including the pool, pickleball, tennis, and platform tennis courts, the minibus, and any coming programs or trips.
Wristband Information
If you are planning to use one of the pools this summer, please remember to wear your teal wristband. They’re required for entry to the pools, and this year there will be an attendant at the gate who will be taking your temperature, as well as checking reservations and wristbands.
If you’re a Villager who has lost or misplaced your teal wristband, don’t worry! Replacement bands are available at a cost of $5.
Tennis, anyone?
On Monday, June 8, 2020, the tennis, platform tennis, and pickleball courts reopened. As of July 6, doubles tennis play and Round Robin pickleball are permitted. New guidelines have been developed for each racquet sport to allow for social distancing and to protect both your health as well as the health of your neighbors. Play hours are 8am to 8pm.
Before you start serving, both players will need to call the Activities Registrar at 203-264-9644 (option 1 or extension 221) on weekdays between 8:15 am and 3:45 pm to learn about signing our new release form, being screened for COVID-19, and to make your reservations. Reservations can be made no more than two business days ahead.
2020 Schedule for Sidewalk and Driveway Replacement
June 25, 2020 Statement from HVMA/HVF President Gerry Leventhal
It wasn’t but a few hours ago that I had the pleasure to experience “The Motorcade” that winded its way through The Village. Being honored to be part of this parade my wife Kathy and I counted over 200 residents who made it out to thank the many people who have made our lives safer and easier during this troubling and challenging time. The workgroup that volunteered both the idea and the planning for this event spent hours in preparing and executing their plan. I felt privileged to hear their planning and most recently their concern about the weather and whether any residents would “show up.” Their idea was simple, yet took hours upon hours in planning to pay tribute to The First Responders; The Volunteers; the Grocery Shoppers that shopped for hundreds of our residents; The Southbury Ladies providing support for many of our residents; and Volunteers that without recognition spent hours upon hours in making masks and others that helped distribute them.
So, I want to thank Ed Edelson, Barbara Mechler, Nancy Trew Sugden and Sarah D’Uva for their idea and more importantly for taking the risk of putting their ideas into Action.
So, hoping we will never have to do this kind of event again, under these circumstances, I certainly would welcome this group and others to contribute to creative ways we can celebrate and build on what I experienced today which was US BEING A COMMUNITY not isolated individuals.
I am also aware that some residents did not get to witness this event because the motorcade went faster than the calculations. As Sarah D’Uva so eloquently states, and speaking for all of the Volunteers and First Responders we celebrated, they expressed how they were touched by your responses. Most of all I appreciate the risk people take when volunteering to take on new projects and want again to express my appreciation to those four and the rest of you willing to do so in the future.
Statement from Sarah D’Uva
First of all, we would like to thank everyone who came out for the motorcade thank you to first responders for all of their time. The route was planned and timed, but unfortunately sometimes even the most well planned things have flaws. It was wonderful, and even if you didn't get to see it live Ed is working very hard getting it together to see on TV. Please do not speak negatively -- a lot of work, time, energy, and even tears brought this event together. Heritage Village is a wonderful place and we thank everyone for the privilege of helping you, calling you, and shopping for you!
June 11, 2020 Statement from HVMA/HVF President Gerry Leventhal
I attended a Protest rally and march on Friday June 5th in Southbury. With a reported 300 attendees I felt compelled to both listen to the speakers and continue my thinking about my attitude and opinion related to the civil unrest we are experiencing. As children of the 60s and growing up in New Haven during the riots I remember the anger and action following the assassination of Martin Luther King. When recently asked what I thought the difference between that civil unrest then and what we are currently experiencing and after much thought I see the current movement as more purposeful not just raw emotion.
I also heard a Southbury elected official talk about the racism and bigotry that exists in Southbury. My initial response was surprise and then concern. Why surprise, maybe it’s my naïveté but it reminded me this area and our Village is mostly comprised of us white people and as such does that imply that people of different color are looked at differently or suspiciously?
Since most of my career was working with teenagers that I would define as products of socio economic pressures in inner cities and since one of my daughters is Puerto Rican I hold myself accountable for the values and prejudices we may have picked up along the way.
Why am I making this report? Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that on a few occasions we have had to address comments made or other insinuations that are race and bias related. So, I say these things because I believe if we don’t address these issues than it can be said we are complicit in these matters. I know and believe that most if not all us stand for fairness, mutual respect, support diversity and treating each of us and our neighbors and staff respectfully. This is not a matter of political party affiliation or what culture you represent but a matter of civility and acknowledging regardless of heritage, color, race, religion or sexual orientation that we are all equal. I thank you for listening to these comments and look forward to further introspection and discussion on this difficult issue in these difficult times.
Census Fact Sheet for Older Adults
Audio recordings from the Board of Trustees/Directors Teleconference Meetings are now available
The audio recordings from the Board of Directors/Trustees are now available to listen to by going to the HV Meetings and Events Videos Page, they are listed under Board of Trustees Meetings.
There Has Been a Lot of Activity at the Activities Building!
In addition to all the work being done on the building, Pool 1 is being renovated and will have a new fence similar to the fence at the dam.
The beginning of Solar Power in Heritage Village
The Heritage Village Meeting House
The structure we call the Meeting House dates back to 1740. It was built, most historians agree, by Obediah Wheeler who operated a mill in the Southford section of town. In 2002, the late Robert Klein, a Villager and architect, did extensive research about the changes to the Meeting House over time. He explained that the building is a complex of four structures erected at different periods in history.
Two-and-One-Half-Story Farmhouse The first building was a five-bay colonial with a massive central chimney. Although altered inside and out, the basic shape remains. The first floor had two rooms, the current Gun Room and a library. A steep staircase led to the second-floor rooms, which have since been drastically changed.
Two-and-One-Half-Story Ell Probably built in the late 19th century, the original ell was quite different from the one that exists today. The side porch was one story high, covered by a low roof. Later renovations are attributed to Victor Borge, circa the late 1950s.
Three-Story North Wing It is assumed that this addition, which increased the size of the original ell, was part of the Borge renovation. The 2nd floor was modified by HV to create offices and meeting space. On the 3rd floor there is a large bedroom with a Palladian window, designed for Borge’s oldest son.
Music Room The fourth and last addition was built by Borge about 1960. Designed by the world-renowned architect I.M. Pei, this modern structure has proven to be a constant topic of discussion regarding its compatibility with such a colonial edifice.
Be Bear Aware
- It’s spring and the CT black bear population is emerging from hibernation. Please be aware that a bear was recently sighted in the Condo 12 area near Winship Drive and Pearson Lane. The bear was seen at night so please be alert when you walk your pets after dark.
- Bears are omnivorous and their diets vary seasonally – mostly plant material, but also small mammals, carrion, and garbage. Bears are agile and quick, and they are excellent climbers. Around homes, bears may scavenge for food in garbage containers and bird feeders and for pet and livestock food left outside. It is important that residents properly dispose of garbage in the covered cans provided in the clusters. It is recommended that you remove bird feeder as they attract a variety of wildlife.
- A reminder from Resource Officer Robert Burke: Call 911 if you’re in immediate danger; otherwise, please call DEEP (Dept. of Energy & Environmental Protection) at 860-424-3011 to report a bear sighting.
- Be alert and be safe.
Help the HV Library
Remember the Heritage Village Library when you are cleaning out this year's reads. They are always in need of novels, non-fiction, mystery, and adventure books for the annual book sale. Jigsaw puzzles, DVDs, audio books and CDs, too. If you have any of these please save for when the library reopens.
Did You Know?
Heritage Village has its own video production group?
Focus? What's Focus? Click here to download an article about Focus
Please keep your pets indoors
We want to remind residents to keep their pets indoors unless you have them on a leash. Along with the beautiful wooded landscape that Heritage Village has to offer, there is also the risk of pets getting lost and the risk from the natural wildlife. Please do your part to keep your dearly loved “fur babies” safe.
HV Information Channel
The HV Information Channel on MATV digital channel 16.1 is now available to view on the HV website. You can view it by clicking on the blue band on the right side of this page that says MATV and HV Information Channel.
CT Water regarding the installation of water meters
The Heritage Village maintenance department does not install water meters. Installation of a water meter requires a structural variance and a building permit from the Town of Southbury. If you are interested in having a water meter installed, contact Heritage Village Water Company at 203-264-8100 for information.
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