Amston Lake District
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
August 6th, 2008 7:00 P.M.
ALA Clubhouse, Woodacres Rd., Amston, Ct.
A. Roll Call of Officers and Directors
Present:
Dave O’Brien, President
John Connor, Director
Dave Arnold, Director
Lynn Mika, Director
Mark Paul, Vice President
Drew Gibson, Director
Dave Martin, Clerk
Sherri-Ann Martin, Director
Absent:
Ray DeCormier, Treasurer
Also Present:
Reggie Miles, Lake Manager
Eileen Curtin, Tax Collector
Joanne Wool, Recording Secretary
B. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. by Dave O’Brien, President
C. Recognition of Guests
Janet Atkins, 9 Francis Drive, Hebron
She read prepared statement to Board, (see attachment C-1), regarding the herbicide situation. Board will review and discuss under Committee Reports number 7, Weeds.
Kevin Grady, 199 Deepwood Drive, Hebron
He discussed construction work at Meadowbrook done by independent contractor. He felt Hebron was lax in their handling of the situation and asked the Board if there was anything they could do to prevent this from happening again at another site. Kevin suggested Hebron must supervise construction sites to make sure proper procedures are taken. This will be discussed further under New Business.
Scott Forgue, 277 Deepwood Drive, Hebron
Scott noted that he was getting resistance from Town of Hebron officials regarding problems occurring at Amston Lake. He suggested environmental lawyers to work with towns.
Kristen Connor, 20 Deepwood Drive, Lebanon
She asked that Northeast cove be put back on the agenda. She would like a plant garden considered for this area. Per Reggie Miles, the lot next to 20 Deepwood was stripped of vegetation and the E-Coli count in that area has been extremely high. If this continues, he is considering closing this area to swimming. Dave O’Brien requested that Reggie contact George Knocklien, our lake scientist, and have him review the area and report his findings to the Board. Dave O’Brien requested this item be put on the agenda for next month for discussion.
D. Approval of Minutes
Corrections to the July 2nd, 2008 minutes are as follows:
Correction of Lynn Mikas’ name under paragraph J.2 & J.5. Correction under J.2 stating Ray DeCormier, not Dave Martin made the motion to approve permit. Dave Arnold moved to approve the minutes as amended and Dave Martin seconded. All voted in favor of accepting minutes as amended. Minutes accepted.
E. Receive Clerk’s Report
Dave Martin completed the Board of Directors informational manuals and passed them out to all Board members. He also gave a summary of their contents. Eileen Curtin suggested the inclusion of the Statues for tax collection. The Board agreed. Mark Paul made a motion accept the Clerks report as stated. John Connor seconded. All were in favor. Report accepted..
F. Presentation of Correspondence and Communication
A verbal report was provided by Dave Martin regarding the communication for the month. This was provided in no chronological order:
Cirma Report
Meadowbrook construction situation
Ct. Water communication
New Lebanon zoning changes provided by Sherri-Ann Martin
Dave Arnold: Fireworks Hazard
Bridget Richkoff correspondence regarding algae growth
Mike Smith: posted weed recommendations on our web site
Reggie Miles: sent notice on wetland meeting
G. Receive President’s Report
No Report. Dave O’Brien thanked Dave & Sherri-Ann Martin for putting the Director Manuel’s together.
H. Receive and Act on Treasurer’s Report
Dave O’Brien read the draft of the Treasurers Report in Ray DeCormiers’ absence. Ray was on vacation and will give a full demonstration of the new accounting system at the September Board meeting. Dave Arnold will remind Ray DeCormier that $6,000 needs to be transferred from the general to the Lebanon Roads fund. He also suggested that the value of the new docks be placed under assets. Mark Paul suggested purchasing a dedicated computer for the Treasurers accounting system. Dave O’Brien suggested we put this as an agenda item for next month. Treasurer’s draft did not include latest deposit. Eileen Curtin calculated this into draft and balance was achieved. Motion to accept the Treasurers Report was made by Dave Arnold and seconded by Sherri-Ann Martin. All were in favor.
I. Tax Collectors Report
Tax Collectors report was read by Eileen Curtin. She deposited $92,324.84 on July 1st. Adam Cohen is still working on obtaining tax money for liens. Eileen stated the need for the Board to decide the status of the Colchester house located on Deepwood Drive. Dave O’Brien requested placement of this item on agenda for September.
J. Receive Standing and Special Committee’s Reports
1. Dam - D. Arnold stated a dye test was done by a diver at the dam, which revealed a significant leak. There is a rock ledge under water which apparently is breaking apart. Reggie Miles was requested to obtain a quote to make repairs to be done this summer.
Motion was made by John Connor to accept the Dam Report and seconded by Mark Paul. All were in favor.
2. Storm Drains - Dave O’Brien sent an e-mail to Andy Turney, Town of Hebron, stating the Board’s approval of $1,000 for a dredging permit. He asked if the town will assist and what the town will need from the Board. A motion was made by Sherri-Ann Martin to accept the Storm Drains Report and seconded by Mark Paul. All were in favor. Report accepted.
3. Lebanon Wastewater Study – Dave Martin stated there was another meeting of the Lebanon Sewer Project officials and they will be meeting sometime in August to set up a committee with 7-10 appointees. They have set a tentative completion date of 2010. The ALD Board is requesting that any interested Lebanon lake resident who would like to sit on this committee contact the ALD Board or the Town of Lebanon for additional information.
4. Drinking Water – Sherri-Ann Martin summarized comments made in the July 2nd minutes. Connecticut Water is still trucking in water to the lake. Date at end of August for public hearing with the DEP on well site usage. Connecticut Water has requested they be notified of the date the herbicide is used. A motion was made by Mark Paul to accept the Drinking Water Report and seconded by John Connor. All were in favor. Report accepted.
5. Boats and Rafts – Lynn Mika reported that all the slips have been rented and paid for. Signs and chains have been removed from the docks. Mr. Nastasia has added, without consent, a railing to the Lollipop dock and made adjustments to the docks. The auction held by the committee produced 5 dock parts sold. Income produced was $115.00. Lynn also noted that there was a theft of a boat motor at the Main Beach docks. Also a canoe was stolen from Lollipop. A motion was made by Sherri-Ann Martin to accept the Boats and Rafts Report. This was seconded by Mark Paul. All were in favor. Report accepted.
6. Weeds - Mark Paul requested Reggie Miles follow-up on permit application as no response has been forthcoming as yet. Board is checking on the Town of Hebron’s willingness to participate in the dredging of Frances Cove. If they agree, the herbicide will not be used there this summer. Mark also stated recommendations for the weed control were place onto the web site to be viewed by residents last month. Lynn Mika and Dave Martin both expressed their view that some type of notification should be sent to the residents before the application. Reggie Miles stated there is no danger to swimmers; it would be more for keeping residents who are swimming or boating from washing off the herbicide from the leaves of the plants which would compromise the herbicides effectiveness. A motion was made to approve the Weeds Report by Sherri-Ann Martin and seconded by Dave Arnold. All were in favor.
7. Communications- Since the instillation of the Lake web site has been so successful, the Board voted several months ago to discontinue sending minutes out to residents. Dave Martin and Joanne Wool provided the Board with a draft announcement, which they approved, to be sent this month to all residents who now receive the minutes. Minutes will be placed online 5-10 days after each board meeting. Anyone wishing further information can place their request in writing to the clerk, Dave Martin, and according to the Freedom of Information guidelines, will be charged a per page fee for the information requested. A motion was made to accept the Communications Report by Drew Gibson and seconded by Mark Paul. All were in favor.
8. Ordinances – Mark Paul received feedback on corrections to the Homeowners Handbook at a committee meeting held during the month. The committee will hold a comment session with the residents Friday, August 22nd, at 7-8:30pm. Per Dave Martin the latest version of the By Laws is the one now on the web site. A motion was made to accept the Ordinances Report by Sherri-Ann Martin and seconded by John Connor. All were in favor.
K. Lake Management
Reggie Miles presented his written Lake Managers Report for July (attachment K.1). The herbicide permit is in process, but it has been difficult to get a response. A pre-application inspection by ACT will be needed. ACT is also requesting a plan/map of areas targeted for treatment. Reggie Miles recommended more water sampling of lake sites and also recommends that no dogs be allowed on the beaches all year long.
He suggests the Board send a letter to Lebanon expressing their displeasure as to how the lot on Deepwood was completely stripped of vegetation and possibly dredged, in violation of their permit, leaving the lake open to many problems. Mark Paul suggested the Board come up with a plan to improve this area which has been a problem for many years. Dave Arnold suggested a silt fence or barley straw bales put into the area to keep debris out of water. Board will discuss this further at a later date. A motion was made by Mark Paul to have Reggie review the site and if he feels hay bales will the useful, to go ahead with purchasing and installing them at site. Motion seconded by John Connor. All were in favor. Motion passed. Since Lake Manager expenses are not now in the budget, Reggie requested expense money for gas for his vehicle when used for lake duties. Dave O’Brien approved. Reggie also requested the purchase of a hedge trimmer for lake use. The board will discuss this at the September meeting when liability information regarding employee’s virus’s contractors is known.
1. 1099 payment to residents who assist the lake manager: Per Mark Paul residents who are not in business should be given W-2 forms when employed by the Lake Manager and/or Board. 1099 forms are for contractors per his conversation with Peg Schaefer, Labor Specialist with our law firm. Atty. recommended treating people who do specific tasks as employees. Dave O’Brien will contact RC Knox to obtain information and costs. He requested that this item be put on the agenda for the September meeting.
2. Expense reimbursement for Lake Manager: Dave O’Brien stated tracking expenses will help define jobs needed to be done. To know when to hire additional employees and/or contractors.
L. Act on Remaining Items of Agenda….
Old Business
1. Fireworks Hazard on ALD Property: Dave Arnold stated people were shooting fireworks from Berglund property, over people on beach, into the air. Scott Forgue stated this is a major liability and clean-up problem. Scott also noticed several teenagers drinking there late at night. Dave O’Brien asked that this issue be put on the agenda for the September meeting.
2. Dave O’Brien requested this be put on agenda for next meeting. Needs to be researched.
M. New Business
1. Misiewicz Letter: Dave O’Brien researched this and stated that if she sells the property it will no longer be included in the district.
2. Security by Residents: The Board will wait to discuss this when all the information is in regarding employee vs. contractors has been researched. This was placed on the agenda for the September meeting.
3. Randall construction issue near Meadowbrook: Board discussed this issue and Dave O’Brien spoke with John Soderburg regarding what action to take to prevent this from happening again. No action taken with Randall, most damage is now dispersed. Board discussed getting listing from WPCA in advance and having the Lake Manager check sites while construction is being done.
4. Requesting copies of permit applications from towns: Mark Paul was in favor of requesting Hebron and Lebanon give us listings of permits issued and required residents to come before the Board as well with proposals. It was mentioned that Lebanon was not in favor of this idea in the past. The Board will discuss and will check into what rulings the towns have to see if we will be able to do this.
N. Prepare Agenda for Next Meeting
1. Dedicated PC purchase for Treasurers Accounting Programs
2. Fireworks Hazard
3. Tax status of Colchester house on Deepwood
4. Security by Residents
5. 1099 Payment vs. Employee Status
6, Official Watershed
1. Reggie – Chuck Lee Follow-up
7. Northeast Cove Problem
O. Adjournment
Sherri-Ann Martin moved for adjournment and Mark Paul seconded. The motion was approved unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 11:17 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Joanne Wool, Recording Secretary