The meeting opened at 7:30 p.m. with all board members and 58 lot owners present.
The minutes of the board meeting held on June 28, 2004 were read. Chris Townsend questioned the succession of treasurers that were listed in the minutes. Matt Holloran made a motion to pass the minutes as read, seconded by Ray Lauer, motion passed unanimously.
President Ron Sansone suggested that future meetings would begin at 7 p.m. Motion made by Matt Holloran, seconded by Linda Fulford, motion passed unanimously.
Ron said an interest rate of 5-1/2% had been secured for the next 3 years with Eagle Bank for the loan. He thanked all those who had paid their special assessment which would go directly to paying off the loan.
Jerry Ulhenbrock introduced Joe Hainline and Steve Buck his assistant, from the Jefferson County Health Department in Hillsboro. Jerry as Environmental Officer had invited these two gentlemen to come and speak to us about the water quality of the lake. Mr. Uhlenbrock took the two gentlemen around the lake and into all the coves. Mr. Hainline said that his department was specifically interested in water quality, erosion and water coming into the lake and the department would secure aerial shots of the lake to assist them in their evaluations. He said that the department looked for nitrates, fecal count and color form. There were 4 types if fecal count, coming from such things as dead animals etc. The only one they were concerned with was E. coli. There were standards for fecal counts in a lake but the department would only advise on their findings and make recommendations, not close the lake to swimming etc. Mr. Hainline said that after going around the lake it looked very clean but that the ends of the coves needed to be addressed, i.e. some type of sea wall, so that more erosion did not occur. He said that his department would come and run samples of the lake water once a quarter for two years at no cost to us. He said that they were interested in the quality of the lake as well as being concerned about our health. Mr. Hailine said they did not address sewer considerations specifically but they would be happy to assist if they could. Jerry thanked both gentlemen for taking their time to come and speak to us and said that Joe would also check with the EPA as to the specifics on moving the silt from the dredging project.
Ron Sansone then introduced Fred Ross from Ross Dredging. Mr. Ross has been in the dredging business for 35 years and originated from Farmington, MO.
Mr. Ross stated that the type of dredge we had was not the correct one for our application. The dredge we had was for cleaning ditches not lakes. His dredge was a cutter edge dredge, it has an auger on the front which makes a 70 ft sweep. He said that it will take up to a basketball-sized piece of debris without a problem. The dredge will remove up to 100 to 150 yds per hour, and it would take approximately up to 45 days to dredge the lake to a depth of 6 ft. In response to questions from the floor, Mr. Ross said that the dredge was 6 years old. Ron Sansone said that he would obtain a list of references from Mr. Ross. An estimated price of $230,000 plus the dredge was given for the job. In reply to a question from the floor as to whether the value of the dredge had been looked into, Ron said that he had contacted Mud Cat and they had given him a price of between $90 and $125 thousand. Mrs. Ferrell advised the group that she had called Mud Cat herself that morning, and had been given a much higher value for the dredge. Mr. Ross was asked how long before the lake would need to be dredge again and he replied that depended on the amount of new construction, people moving in etc. Mr. Ross was asked if he could estimate how much had been removed from the lake so far. He replied that he did not know without taking a tape measure to the "volcano". He said when the silt is initially removed it is very fluffy, but that it then becomes very dense and compacted so it was hard to judge just by looking at it.
Ron thanked Mr. Ross for his time and said that he would be available for any questions after the meeting.
Treasurers Report
Linda Fulford reported there would be no treasurer's report at the meeting instead, but that she would give a report on what had happened in the last month. There were total disbursements of $4,899. Loan repayment of $35,000 and the balance in the bank account stood at $13,734. The transition from the old computer system was almost complete and as soon as this was done the new reports which would be easier to read would be available to everyone.
Security Director
Ray Lauer said that the main concern was when would the gate be operational again. He said that at the moment they were not sure what the problem was as there was electricity from the guard shed to the gate. There was a possibility that it had been struck by lightening. He thanked Dave Fitzgerald, Gary Ryan and Dale Farwig for helping and said that if they could not determine the problem the company would be called as the gate was basically operated from a computer system. Ray assured everyone that as soon as they could get the problem corrected the gate would be activated again. Ray also addressed the problem of people either illegally going around the gate or driving thru the gate. He said thanks to Matt Holloran, iron pipes were going to be installed to prevent driving around. Ray then said that there were serious concerns regarding the ATVs. ATVs are not legal on private roads and up until the age of 18 riders have to wear helmets. All pertinent information will be available at the next meeting. John Hindrichs aid he would be willing to help with the problems with the gate as he was an electrician. He was also concerned about the installation of the iron bars as he had a motorcycle and the scanning device on the gate does not pick up enough metal from the bike to activate the arm. This problem would be looked into.
Building Director
Becky Harper said that the following building permits had been approved
There was a question with this as the homeowner wanted to place the lift in front of the existing dock not parallel to it. Upon inspection, this did not diminish access to the lake, as the homeowner owns the property on either side. Board approved.
The following was not approved
This had initially been approved but after a complaint from a homeowner who said that he would not be able to get his boat in if the boatlift was installed and after looking at pictures and the site, the permit was revoked.
Maintenance Director
Before Matt's report Ron thanked all those who had removed the dredge and the cables before the Fourth of July.
Matt thanked all those who had assisted in moving the dredge and securing it to the telephone pole. He reported on the repair of the road from the 4-way stop. The cost would be approximately $16,000. A saving of $2,000 will be made by dumping the debris on the site of the dredge dumping. Matt had found another contractor who was less money but he did not have sufficient insurance and so was not hired.
The homeowner of the broken culvert pipe had been contacted and he said he would attend the meeting. The lot owner then spoke and said that he had had numerous contractors at his house and none of them had said anything to him about damage to the culvert. There is also construction at other neighbor's properties and he did not have enough information to contact anyone. Bev Jost lives in the same cove and she stopped the contractor in question. Matt would get the name from her and get back to the lot owner.
Finance Committee
Janet Hirsch reported that the committee had met on June 29. Items needed to be addressed by the board were:
Spending - All expenses should be approved by board before payment
All projects should require multiple bids from contractors.
Regular assessments _ these were sent out on June 30.
Loan status _ As of June 30 - $346,988.71. We are currently paying approximately $1300 in interest per month. The loan needs to be refinanced as soon as possible.
Delinquent assessments _ past due on September 1, report required on the status of the court action of July 6th.
Special assessments will be delinquent August 1 _ liens will be placed on those delinquent.
Regular assessments will be delinquent September 1 _ lien proceedings must be prepared.
2004 employment taxes are due quarterly. Our fiscal year ends July 31 and the income tax returns are due October 31.
Review of the insurance coverages
Budget estimates.
The new accounting system will begin August 1.
A pledge of $500 has been received for reduction of the loan principle. Other donations have been received for loan reduction. A donation account will be set up in the new accounting system and people will be encouraged to make donations to reduce the principle.
Matt Holloran thanked Janet and Charlene Sansone for their many hours in getting the new system up and running and asked for patience on getting the financial reports.
Kathy Hopfer asked about the status of the bill for the oil. Becky Harper made a motion, seconded by Linda to pay half. Motion passed unanimously.
Matt said that before the meeting Dixie Bryant had requested the key to the building from him. Kathy said that the LTIA were the keepers of the building. After a lengthy discussion Matt said that both organizations should be working together and could part of the reason they were not was that the LTIA were uncooperative. Kathy said that they weren't but the board was and she needed to be informed of when the building was going to be used. She said that she was not part of your `clique'. In future the Board will notify Kathy Hopfer when they require to use the building.
Boat Patrol
Roger Hovis reported that there were a number of boats with 3 or more violations. Letters will be written to these individuals requesting they attend the next meeting. The issue of the boat with the 50-horsepower motor has been resolved. The motor has been inspected and it is a 40. There is a cream colored boat with lot G32 on it. This boat does not belong to G32 and he is trying to find the owner of the boat. Ron thanked Roger and all the volunteers for their time.
Web Site
Janet reported that if you need a copy of the minutes, they are posted on the web site. Janet reported that Barb McGlynn had volunteered to run off some of the copies and she encouraged anyone with a copier to help reduce the cost of the newsletters by making copies. Ron said that the information in the combined newsletters was now very informative and up to date. Becky Harper asked how the minutes could be posted prior to the meeting. The posted minutes are the "unofficial minutes".
Old Business
Tim Schryver reported that cove B was very rowdy on Saturday nights due to teenagers partying and asked if anything could be done. Ron suggested calling the sheriff and writing an official letter to the parents.
Phil Chambers questioned the various amounts quoted for road repair. Matt said that a decision would be made shortly on the extent of the repair and the company to do it. He said that the $16,000 was the amount needed to repair the road and it would last approximately 2 to 2 ½ years. Once a certificate of insurance was obtained from the companies, the repair would then go before the board. Mr. Chambers then said that it had been stated that we wanted the development to be run in a business-like manner. This is not a business you are not employees and you are not a board of directors, you serve our needs we do not serve your needs.
Tim Schryver asked who has access to the equipment purchased for the volunteers. Matt said that new locks had been purchased for the maintenance shed and the equipment would be stored there. Ron made a motion to pay for the new weed cutter. He said that the volunteers were saving the lake a large amount of money. Matt made the motion to approve the payment seconded by Ray. Motion passed.
Jerry Ulhenbrock asked if all the lake equipment could be identified to prevent stealing. It was suggested that the board purchase two more microphones for use at the meetings. Rick Hannick requested that the new board members names be posted and the amount of time they would be serving. Chris Townsend questioned the figures reported by the Finance Committee. Janet replied that the figures were from those reported by Dale. The new board had called the bank to verify the figure and the bank said it was $346,988.71. Therefore it would appear that the prior reported data was incorrect. Phil Chambers asked why were we borrowing money from the bank and then pay money back into the bank. Janet replied that that was the way the board was using the money to operate. Ron stated that in the past the reports were difficult to read but with the new system everyone would find them easier to read and understand. Kathy Hopfer asked how often the grass would be cut now that the volunteers had a new cutter. Ron replied that where and how often would be dependent upon how many people volunteered. He again requested volunteers to come forward. Jerry Uhlenbrock has made a list of those lots that either have severe erosion from not having a sea wall, docks in disrepair or boats that require attention. The board will decide on what course of action needs to be taken. John Hindrichs said that he did not see the necessity for the boat patrol to speed after someone after 7 p.m. Roger Hovis stated that at times it was necessary if someone was violating the rules. John also presented a letter from the Jefferson County Dept of Development and Code Enforcement which basically states that a minimum of 2 acres is necessary for any newly created lot. The board will contact the county to ascertain exactly how this will affect the lake. [note: Mike Higgins contacted the County and reports that the 2-acre requirement is only for new subdivisions, not for existing subdivisions. -- jmh]
There being no other business Ron Sansone made a motion to adjorn, seconded by Matt Holloran. The meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.
Respectfully submitted
Pat Harting, Secretary