The meeting opened at 7:03 p.m. with the following board members present:
Pat Harting, Matt Holloran, Bev Jost, Ray Lauer, Marilyn Meyer, Ron Sansone, and Chris Townsend. 44 lot owners were present.
The minutes of the April meeting having been posted on the website, inserted in the newsletter and passed out at the meeting, President Sansone asked for a motion to accept the minutes, motion made by Chris Townsend, seconded by Ray Lauer, motion passed unanimously.
Treasurers Report
Marilyn Meyer passed out copies of the financial report and reported on the following items:
Revenue:
Gate Damage $ 350.00
Penalties 25.00
Interest 31.00
LTIA Ins 1,071.00
Dredge Sale 75,000.00
Total 76,477.00
Debits:
Utilities 136.00
Ins refund -586.00
Payroll 876.00
Legal 1,340.00
Snow removal 125.00
Loan 4,490.00
Equipment Repair 309.00
Total 6771.00
Cash Outflow:
Special Assess. 5,111.00
Dredge Sale 75,000.00
Total 80,111.00
Ending Balances:
Checking Account as of 4/30/05 86,801.00
Money Market as of 4/30/05 1,018.00
Loan Balance as of 4/30/05 218,699.00
Special Assessment moved to loan principal 5,111.05
Marilyn reported that $5,111 from the special assessments was paid towards the loan principal and the $75,000 from the sale was also put towards the loan principal. She reported that since the above report there has been a May payment towards the loan and a $12,800 special assessment deposit.
The following bills were presented:
1st quarter Tesreau $1,702.04
Posting $1,200.00
Patrol Boat Repair $ 206.97
Gate Boards $ 19.07
Assessment Mailings $ 183.46
Stamps $ 37.00
4 Signs $ 244.33
Storm Repair $8,872.71
Marilyn explained that the $1,200 is for the attorney is to post against three owners on the court house steps whose assessments are in arrears since 2003. These properties will be sold on the courthouse steps.
Motion made by Ray Lauer seconded by Chris Townsend to accept the Treasurers report and payment of the above bills, motion accepted unanimously.
Finance Committee
Janet Hirsch reported that the committee had helped the Treasurer with the special assessment mailings and the filing of the federal income tax. She said that the committee meets at 6 p.m. before the pre-board meeting.
Security Director
Ray Lauer began by informing us of a law was passed last year regulating when a vehicle's headlights must be turned on during hours of daylight.
The law passed during the 2004 session of the General Assembly dictates that headlights must be illuminated during daylight hours whenever there is a need to also have windshield wipers activated. In other words, if you are driving and it rains or snows between sunrise and sunset, turn on your headlights or else you can be ticketed by a state trooper, police officer or sheriffs deputy.
That's just a friendly reminder to keep you from violating one of Missouri's traffic laws. He thought that he would share that so we don't have to begin this month's report with something about our gate.
However, he went on to say that it was time once again to tell "Tales of the Gate". ….You may have noticed the gate was repaired, again, on Friday, April 22. This was a combined effort by Roger and Kurt from Signature Control.
It didn't take long, however for some people to break the gate. The first occurrence was about 12 hours after repairs. During the early morning hours of April 23, a young man came to the lake, and when he discovered the gate was in the lowered position, he walked to the exit gate and forcefully pushed it open. This was recorded on videotape, and efforts are being made to collect a fine from him to defray the cost of the gate.
Then after about another 12 hours, early Saturday afternoon on April 23, a guest was coming to the lake and attempted to "tailgate" a car that was legally entering our property. The violator's car struck the gate as it was lowering, and shattered the board. That individual was immediately brought by a property owner to Roger's house, and he paid a $250.00 fine.
On Sunday, April 24, the gate was once again damaged when the board lowered on a boat trailer being towed into the lake. This was considered accidental and no fine was assessed.
Then on Saturday, April 29, Roger was reviewing the videotape and discovered someone had arrived at the gate about 1:30 in the morning. When he was unable to gain access, he was observed to manually lift the exit gate, and then drive his car into our subdivision. That person was identified and when contacted, he elected to pay a $350.00 fine rather than have his violation reported to Jefferson County authorities. While it seems the gate is operating properly, that is not accurate. The timing mechanism that causes the gate to raise and lower at specified times each day continues to be a problem. Kurt is setting the exact time each morning from his office computer until the problem is identified and can be corrected. Several months ago there was a suggestion made about the Board purchasing a sign to advise people they will be prosecuted for trespassing if illegally using our lake for boating or fishing purposes. When I discussed this with County Commissioner Ed Kemp, who also is a resident at the lake, he suggested there should be two signs, so that no one misunderstands our rules governing the use of the lake. Those signs have now been prepared and will be installed in the near future. One will be at the boat launch area, and the other near the gate area. One of the signs is here for display tonight. Also, we have purchased two regulation Stop signs. One will be placed at the entrance gate and the second at the exit. People have complained they do not see the gates when they are lowered, so perhaps if we have them stop when entering and/or leaving, they will then see the gate boards. The stop signs will be installed for safety reasons, and to keep the gate boards and the gate mechanisms from being damaged.
On April 25, a burglary was reported at the home of Ed and Debra Hill on South Lakeshore Drive. This occurred during the early morning hours after Ed had left for work and Debra was away from the home. A door was forced and only one item was stolen, which had been secreted in an area of the home where most people would not normally search. The Sheriff's department was contacted and a report was prepared regarding this offense. Roger is attempting to identify a vehicle that was seen on videotape entering the gate that morning, and if successful, the tape will be turned over to the sheriff's deputy working on this matter.
Finally, now that the gate is operational on weekends, we are receiving questions from property owners about raising the gate during times when either the community house is rented or for events at individual homes. Presently access can only occur if someone wishes to call the homeowner when arriving at the gate, or someone with a pass must stay near the front gate when guests are arriving.
I have discussed this with Roger, and he advises he is able to program the gate with a specific four-number code for a particular time whenever the gate is operational. He can set up the gate with any four-number combination and once the specific time has passed, he can remove the code to prevent any unauthorized access to our lake.
With this information, I recommend the following for the consideration of the Board.
1.) When a property owner rents the community house for an event on Saturday or Sunday or any evening after 6 p.m., they should be informed the gate can be programmed with a four-number code for guests, allowing the gate to be raised. If a property owner wishes to take advantage of this offer, the member of LTIA in charge of making the rental arrangements should then contact the gate manager (Roger) and/or the security director and provide the date of the engagement and the hours the gate should be available for access. Roger will then establish the code numbers, and it will be the responsibility of the person renting the community house to advise guests of this four- number code. When there is no longer a need for the code to be active, Roger will remove the coded numbers from the computer. Also, as part of the rental agreement., there will be a $25.00 fee collected for this activity, and that money should be turned into the treasury of the LTPOA.
Moreover, any property owner will have the same privilege when there are a number of guests expected, when holding an event at their home. The property owner should contact the gate manager (Roger) and/or the security director, providing the date of the event and the hours the special code should be active. Roger will then advise the specific four numbers. The property owner will be responsible for notifying guests of the four-digit code. There will be a $25.00 fee associated with this activity, also. That money should be paid through Roger to the treasurer of LTPOA.
Of course, property owners aren't obliged to follow this system. They will continue to have the privilege of allowing access to guests by either answering their telephone when it is dialed from the gate, or they can position someone at the gate with their personal access card.
Any fees collected through this system will be utilized for gate maintenance issues.
President Sansone asked for a motion to accept this, motion made by Matt Holloran, seconded by Chris Townsend, motion passed unanimously.
Finally, Roger asked Ray to remind everyone the patrol boat has been repaired and since it will be operational he will be scheduling volunteers needed on the boat on weekends. Anyone interested in helping out in this important function is asked to call Roger at 274-7019.
Ray then presented the new no trespassing signs that would be posted by the boat launch area and at the entrance to the lake.
Building
Bev reported that she had not received any requests for new permits in the past month.
Ecology
Jerry Uhlenbrock reported that the Health Department had recently cited a property owner for their septic system which was leaking into the lake. The property owner has 30 days to contact the department to plan the rebuilding of the septic field. The property owner said that he was working on repairing the field himself and it was suggested that the building director follow up on this. Kathy Rogers at the Hillsboro department has a list of the engineers qualified for septic field revamping together with plumbers approved for the actual work. The department was instrumental in resolving the problem of a property on the creek coming into the lake, where the septic fed directly into the creek. This problem has now been resolved. The commissioner's office has a list of septic permits requested together with the logistics for septic installation and repair. Bev stated that our building regulations stipulate on septic installation and the guidelines from Jefferson County should be adhered to. Follow up with the county as necessary.
Maintenance
President Sansone reiterated that the past storm was one of the worst in a long time, with over 4" of rain in a very short period of time. He said that he had asked Matt Holloran to help with the road situation. He was concerned that if it continued raining the causeway road might be lost. The area around the community building was a real disaster. Over 600 tons of rock was put into this area. Matt graciously donated almost a week of his time to clean up this area at no charge. This saved the lake almost $20,000 and the area was cleaned up in a very timely manner. President Sansone said that he authorized Matt to go ahead with the work immediately rather than putting out to bids due to the urgency of the repairs.
Matt thanked Marilyn Meyer for assisting with the paperwork on the contract for the sale of the dredge. Dale Farwig and Ken Lanning helped with the clean up of the beach area and boat ramp. Henry Brym and Kevin Seelbach for assisting with the removal of the pipe. Matt explained that the company sold the dredge but we had to get all the parts into the truck ourselves. The dredge was sold for $90,000 and after commissions it came to $75,000. This money has been applied to the loan. Matt passed around a list of clean up items that still needed to be done due to the storm damage. If there are any other items that need to be repair, please give this to Matt.
Matt said that he had the name of a contractor and he been given the names of a couple of other contractors and he would be contacting them to get bids. He said it would very likely take a couple of weeks to get the repair work started. Matt went on to say that with regards to the invoices, at the pre-board meeting he reported that 583 tons of rock had been used, it was actually 999.8 tons. This was put between the berm and the parking lot. The 8-inch to 10-inch drop off at the entrance to the parking lot still needs repair.
Matt presented the following invoice for payment for the clean up. These invoices had been approved for payment at the pre-board meeting.
Bob-cat $121.66
Track hoe $920.00
Rock $5,437.93
6 yds concrete sside bridge $493.12
Labor $900 ( for Matt's employee)
Matt said that he was not charging for his time
He explained that the south side bridge would need further repair.
Matt then said that due to the numerous complaints he had heard because he did this work and did not put it out to bid, he would no longer volunteer his time, or his equipment or materials. He thanked all those people who appreciated what he done and was pleased that in the past he was able to assist, however that was now over. Appreciation for all that he had done was expressed from the floor, as were various sarcastic comments from some members. Going forward 3 bids would need to be obtained for any work to be performed regardless of what needed to be fixed or the time factor of so doing.
Charlie Lents wanted to express his thanks to Matt and all we worked after the storm. He said that on the Saturday after the storm the building had been rented to a resident for a graduation party. If we had had to get 3 bids to get the parking lot taken care of, we very likely would still not be able to use it.
Dave Fitzgerald stated that it was his opinion that Matt had a conflict of interest with being on the board and doing work at the lake and charging and gaining financially for this work. In response Matt once again said that he did not ask for payment for himself but for supplies and his wages workers. His workers do not live at the lake and therefore should not be expected to donate their time.
Matt also reminded everyone that the patrol boat was now in operation for the summer and donations for gas would be appreciated.
Kathy Hopfer brought up the question of Ron Sansone should now pay assessment on the lots which the lake sold him for silt deposit as the dredge had been sold. Due to the fact that the "volcano" still needs to be removed, this question requires further investigation. Dave Fitzgerald also said that in his opinion Ron was in conflict of interest in being on the board when he purchased these lots.
Kathy Hopfer asked why the sale of the dredge was not put up for election and why the money from the sale of the dredge was put towards the loan when the dredge was not paid from the loan. Matt replied that the money was transferred prior to any storm repair work being done. President Sansone said that we had been fortunate in being able to sell the dredge in an "as is" condition. The dredge was not operational and the cost of repairs and maintenance would have been very high. A member of the audience asked how long it would take to get this type of issue up for election. She said that seemed to some of the members present that the current board was taking over control of the lake. In response Jerry Uhlenbrock replied that the board had been appointed by you to take care of these type of issues. Further discussion on items such as when are the meetings, how do you vote etc. followed. All of these type of questions can be found by reading the newsletter which is mailed to all lot owners each month or going on to the web site. Phil Chambers said that while he approved of the improvements that were being done, it was the way that they were being done that he did not like. President Sansone basically replied that at times it is necessary to call the board members and get their approval for certain things to be done, the saving of the road after the storm is one example of this. In response to the issue of the sale of the dredge, President Sansone said that when the decision was made to stop the dredging and sell the dredge, we were only allowed to borrow against the loan up to $450,000 and we were dangerously close to going over that amount. It was a choice between the dredge and the roads. We had already spent $280,000 on running the dredge for four years and the roads cost $430,000. The finances had to be brought under control and due to the fact that the roads had to be paid for the decision was made to shut the dredge down.
A motion was made from the floor to pay the invoices presented by Matt Holloran. President Sansone said that these invoices had been approved at the pre-board meeting by the board. He again emphasized that the pre-board meeting (held on the Wednesday before the board meeting) is an open meeting and all are welcome. This meeting is mainly to go over items that will be discussed at the board meeting so that the board meetings will flow more smoothly and not take quite so long.
LTIA
This coming Saturday evening there will be a dinner meeting beginning at 6:30 p.m. Fried chicken will be provided, please bring a side dish to share.
Web Site
Janet Hirsch reported that the newsletter had been posted to the web site. The newsletter was sent out Saturday May 7th. If you did not receive a copy please let Janet know. The deadline for the next newsletter is June 19th.
Old Business
Mike Jones brought a note to the attention of the board that had been placed on his truck recently. It stated that it had been reported to LTPOA security for not having a sticker. A second violation is a call to the sheriff. Lake owners require stickers. Ray Lauer said that he knew nothing of this and he did not know who had put the note on Mike's truck. Ray said that even though stickers were not necessary anymore, he had stickers if anyone wanted one. He again reiterated the fact that anything that goes out from the LTPOA board is on lake letterhead and signed by an appropriate board member.
Rosie Ferrell asked the board when the independent audit would be. Treasurer Meyer is looking into this.
Phil Chambers said that he and his wife had been responsible for keeping up the lake directory. He asked that if anyone is not in the directory or is new to the lake to please let him know. He said that if anyone else would like to take over the task to let him know. There is a problem with knowing when someone knew comes to the lake or homes simply change hands.
Gail Lents discussed her phone conversations with Waste Management and IESI. The lake is attempting to get a cheaper rate for lake residents. There were a lot of discrepancies in all the quotes depending on who Gail spoke to. Concern was expressed at the size of the trucks. This item will be placed on the ballot at the next election.
June 18th is the date of the Annual General Meeting and election of officers. There will be three positions that will be voted for. Marilyn Meyer, Bev Jost are filling vacated positions and Chris Townsend`s term will be up at that time. President Sansone wanted to remind all residents that they could be put on the ballot to be elected to the board.
New Business
Tim Schryver brought before the board a problem with the renovation of a grandfathered dock in front of his property. Mr. Schryver stated that the dock had been increased in size. This problem was solved when the lot owner in question said that he would take down the extended portion and the grandfathered portion.
The problem of anonymous letters was again discussed. Whoever is sending out the letters does not have the courage to sign them.
President Sansone mentioned the signs that had been placed at the entrance to the lake. These too had not been signed. Eventually after further discussion Lisa Mahoney admitted to putting them there. The question of putting signs around the lake was discussed. Personal signs are not allowed to be placed anywhere around the lake.
Jerry Uhlenbrock wanted to point out that approximately a year ago a form was published in the newsletter so that residents could send him information on docks etc. that were in need of repair. The name of the person reporting a problem was not necessarily given to the property owner. The form was published so that we could address items in order to keep the lake in good repair.
Rick Hannick said that he encouraged lake residents to bring problems and complaints to the board.
Rick Hannick reminded residents of the TAA small bass tournament on June 11th from 6 am. to 2:30 p.m. Barb Rohm said that donations to help stock the lake would be appreciated. TAA members would be at the gate for the next two weekends to collect donations.
Marilyn Meyer explained that the first step for us to organized as a sewer district. She said that registered Lake Tishomingo precinct voters could sign the petition that will be presented to the judge. 60 voters are required and we can then be placed on the court docket. She said that if you are in favor of sewers and are a registered voter please sign the petition.
Jim Marler came before the board to request an easement for an additional driveway onto his property for the purpose of building a home.
There being no further business, Ray Lauer made a motion, seconded by Holloran to adjourn.
The meeting ended at 8:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted
Pat Harting
Secretary