Amston Lake District
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
September 3rd, 2008 7:00 P.M.
ALA Clubhouse, 16 Wood Acres Rd., Amston, CT 06231
A. Roll Call of Officers and Directors
Present:
Dave O’Brien, President
John Connor, Director
Dave Arnold, Director
Dave Martin, Clerk
Sherri-Ann Martin, Director
Ray DeCormier, Treasurer
Mark Paul, Vice President
Lynn Mika, Director
Absent:
Drew Gibson, Director
Also Present:
Reggie Miles, Lake Manager
Joanne Wool, Recording Secretary
B. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 7:07 p.m. by Dave O’Brien, President
C. Recognition of Guests
Scott Forgue, 277 Deepwood Drive
Scott noted that the Town of Hebron appears to be giving him some resistance regarding situations that need addressing at the lake. He is also concerned about the recently purchased 50 plus acres on the Hebron side of the lake and does not want this site to become a development of multi homes. He suggested hiring an attorney to protect the lake’s interests.
Kevin Connor, 20 Deepwood Drive, Lebanon
He wanted to check on the status of the situation occurring on a lot in the Northeast Cove. The Board will discuss this issue further in Section K, number 3, in the agenda and Mr. Connor will be allowed to speak then.
Kevin Grady, 199 Deepwood Drive
Mr. Grady voiced his concern regarding permits which have been issued recently to contractors for work to be done at resident’s homes on the lake. He asked how the town inspection process worked. Dave O’Brien stated the Board encourages residents to call the State Police, if contractors are not parking properly, or call the town if no permit is visible. Reggie Miles stated that he spoke with the Town of Hebron to try and have contractors put in erosion controls when working on the lake.
Leonard Coty, 46 Ryan Terrace, Lebanon
Mr. Coty requested the removal some of the rock placed on the road in front of his home. He wishes the road to be placed back to the level it was a few years ago. He feels people are now speeding in this area and the water flow is different now. Reggie Miles stated this will be discussed further under Section K, Lake Managers Report.
Resident, 59 Ryan Terrace, Lebanon
He also stated there was digging in front of his house now and he wishes the road lowered as well. He said water flows over the road now with recent construction and changes that other residents have made to the area. Reggie Miles stated that the water does not go into anyone’s property. Culverts have been put in to make the road passable and did not change the flow of the water. Dave Martin suggested a site inspection to determine the problem areas. This was approved and will be done on Sept 13th at 9:00am.
D. Approval of Minutes
Joanne Wool, Recording Secretary, noted that an error was made under Section K, first paragraph, which should have indicated the motion was made by Dave Arnold, not Mark Paul. Dave Martin made a motion to accept the minutes as corrected, and Mark Paul seconded. All were in favor. Minutes were approved.
E. Receive Clerk’s Report
No Report. Dave Martin handed out the Tax Collectors’ Section 12, to be inserted into the Board of Directors Manuel.
F. Presentation of Correspondence and Communication
9-3 Reggie Miles DEP Herbicide Permit
Reggie Miles Hebron Permit for 169 Deepwood Dr.
9-2 Reggie Miles DEP Herbicide Permit
Bob Blackmore 169 Deepwood Drive
Sherri-Ann Martin Ct. Water Meeting 9-11-08
Dave O’Brien NE Cove to G. Knoecklein
9-1 Reggie Miles Ryan Terrace
8-30 Reggie Miles Northeast Cove
8-29 Reggie Miles DEP Herbicide Permit
Karl Acimovic Dam Repairs
8-26 Janet Atkins Francis Rd. Cove
Announce Group Memo
8-25 Dave Arnold Dam Repairs
Reggie Miles DEP Herbicide Permit
8-24 Wendell Snell Weeds
Lynn Mika Dock Rentals and boat water issue
Mike Smith Website Notes
8-23 Dave O’Brien Ordinances, NE Cove
8-22 Reggie Miles Lake Management Report
8-20 Dave O’Brien Randall Construction
8-19 Kevin Grady Metrics
8-18 Dave O’Brien Metrics
Joanne Wool NE Cove
Dave Arnold Recording Secretary Salary
Joanne Wool Recording Secretary Salary
Mike Smith Website Notes
8-17 Mark Paul Homeowners Manuel
8-16 Mike Smith Website Notes
8-15 Dave O’Brien Wetlands Buffer Permit letter to Lebanon
Dave O’Brien Hebron – Dredging H-6 Cove
Dave O’Brien NE Cove
8-12 Roger Krasusky Hyperlinks to Attachments on Web Minutes
Sherri-Ann Martin Lebanon Wetlands Commission Info.
Joanne Wool Minutes on Website
Dave O’Brien NE Cove
Reggie Miles NE Cove
Dave O’Brien RC Know Insurance for Employees
G. Receive President’s Report
No Report. Dave O’Brien discussed his conversation with RC Knox regarding insurance. Structure is already in force for additional part-time help.
H. Receive and act on Treasurer’s Report
Ray DeCormier gave a demonstration of the MS Office Accounting package he recently purchased and explained its capabilities to the Board. He went over the July and August Treasurers reports. Lynn Mika asked to verify that the program was being backed up and Ray said it was. A motion was made by Sherri-Ann Martin to approve the Treasurers Report and seconded by Mark Paul. All were in favor. Report was accepted.
I. Tax Collector’s Report
Eileen Curtin was on vacation. At her request, Dave Martin was given a copy of her report and he read it to the Board. Ray DeCormier stated that he would contact Eileen to obtain a list of deposits before each Board meeting so he can reconcile the Treasurer’s Report before the meetings. Dave Arnold made a motion to accept the Treasurers Report and it was seconded by John Connor. All were in favor. Report was accepted.
J. Receive Standing and Special Committees’ Reports
1. Dam – Dave Arnold discussed the month’s communications regarding the dam leaks and repairs. He is getting quotes for repairs from Hop River and they have requested drawings from the Board in order to provide a complete quote. Dave Arnold stated the need to acquire permits at this time. Discussion occurred on which type of permit to request, individual or general. Dave Martin made a motion to apply for two general permits. Dave Arnold seconded. All were in favor. A motion was made to accept the Dam Committee Report by Sherri-Ann Martin and seconded by Ray DeCormier. All were in favor.
2. Storm Drains – Dave O’Brien is getting costs for the use of a crane for the H-6 Cove project, and should have these costs for next months meeting. The town is supposed to pick up the other expenses involved in this project. Ray DeCormier made a motion to approve the Storm Drains Report and John Connor seconded. All were in favor.
3. Lebanon Wastewater Study - No Report.
4. Drinking Water – Sherri-Ann Martin discussed her e-mail sent to the Board during the month regarding the September 11th meeting to discuss the water company’s request to utilize additional wells to supplement their water supply. She hoped Board members and residents would attend. A motion was made by Dave Martin to accept the Drinking Water Committee Report and seconded by John Connor. All were in favor.
5. Boats and Rafts – Lynn Mika stated she did an inspection of the docks and sent e-mails to residents whose boats were full of water to have the residents remove the water. She also would like to put the dock application for next years’ rental into the newsletter. Reggie Miles stated that there are too many boats at the ROW”s not being stored properly. This situation poses a problem in not leaving adequate room for swimmers. Dave Martin suggested sending letters to the offenders. The Boat and Dock Committee will meet with Reggie on this issue during the month. A motion was made to accept the Boats and Rafts Committee Report by Sherri-Ann Martin and seconded by Dave Martin. All were in favor.
6. Weeds – Mark Paul requested that Reggie Miles explain the procedure now that the permit has been obtained. Reggie stated that specific water testing needs to be done before treatment by ACT. September 8th, there will be someone here from ACT, to survey the treatment areas. No target date for the application has been set yet. The deadline for application of the herbicide is mid October. Mark Paul made a motion to engage in a contract with ACT to provide herbicide application and water sampling up to a cost of $7,000. This was seconded by John Connor. All were in favor. Reggie Miles will negotiate with ACT to provide contract. A motion was made by Ray DeCormier to accept the Weeds Committee Report and seconded by John Connor. All were in favor.
7. Communications – Ray DeCormier stated no report.
8. Ordinances – Mark Paul discussed ordinance meeting with residents and reviewed comments given. Residents requested one more meeting before the Board votes on the Ordinances. A discussions relating to the best ways to notify residents and distribute the Homeowners Manuel document was made. Per Reggie Miles, the newsletter will be sent around September 30th and could be utilized to announce any meetings but because of the bulk of the documents cannot be sent via newsletter. Other suggestions were post cards at a cost of $250.00, sandwich boards, and web site. A motion was made to let Mark Paul use his judgment on what types of communication to use by Dave Martin and seconded by John Connor. All were in favor except Mark Paul who abstained. A motion was made by Sherri-Ann Martin to accept the Ordinances Committee Report and seconded by Ray DeCormier. All were in favor.
K. Lake Management
A motion was made by Sherri-Ann Martin to move Section L, number 3 (Northeast Cove Problem) to this time frame in order to have residents, waiting to discuss this issue, leave at a reasonable time. This was seconded by Mark Paul. All were in favor.
Section L, Item 3:
Reggie Miles sent Dr. Knoecklein to Northeast Cove site and should have a report soon. Reggie also stated that the Lebanon Town Sanitarian needs to investigate to prove or disprove that e-coli is not coming from septic failures. It has been a problem area for years, stated Reggie, and debris does come in from other parts of the lake. Dave O’Brien suggested sending a letter to the town Sanitarian with the water results. Reggie requested we include, in that letter, a request to the town to place barriers in three lines of sediment to help with the filtering process. Dave Martin suggested sending a letter to the resident who owns the property, asking to restore the district property to what it was before. The Board asked Dave O’Brien to construct the letter with input from other Board members. Mark Paul suggested we come up with a long term plan for the Northeast Cove, in addition to the letters, after Dr. Knoecklein’s report is received.
1. Lake Manager’s request for new electric boat motor:
Request was discussed and Dave Arnold made a motion to approve cost of a new electric motor up to $275.00. This was seconded by Sherri-Ann Martin. All were in favor. Item expense approved.
Reggie gave a slide presentation with slides of the Ryan Terrace Road area of complaint. Board will discuss further after Saturdays’ walk thru. He also indicated that the handicapped parking signs had been put up at both beaches.
L. Act on Remaining Items of Agenda….
Old Business
1. Fireworks Hazard:
Dave Arnold discussed alleged incident at Berglund this July 4th and voiced his concern regarding liability issues. He would like the Board to be more forceful and in addition to the standard form letter sent every year, send additional letters to the town and police. Dave O’Brien suggested waiting until the possible acceptance of the ordinances, and then scheduling a meeting with the state police.
2, Tax Status of Colchester house on Deepwood:
Mark Paul suggested deferring this issue to the next meeting when Eileen Curtin will be present.
M. New Business
1. 1099 Payment vs. Employee Status:
This was already discussed under the President’s Report.
2. Dedicated PC purchase for Treasurer’s Accounting Program:
Mark Paul restated ideas previously discussed at last meeting. Ray DeCormier will obtain exact cost figures and this will be deferred to next month for discussion.
3. Security by Residents: Dave O’Brien put the function of a security committee in place by asking John Connor to be its chairman. John accepted, and will look into this issue and report back at the next Board meeting.
4. ALD Ordinances for Contractors and Property Owners: Dave O’Brien and Kevin Grady are working on this issue. They will have more to discuss at the next Board meeting.
5. Reggie Miles-Chuck Lee follow-up: Reggie has called the State questioning how to declare to public our district property is watershed. The state indicated that unless it is a public water supply, they would not be able to publicize it or put up signs.
N. Prepare Agenda for Next Meeting
1. Lake goals built into a work plan (New Business, Mark Paul)
2. Security by residents (Old Business/John Connor, Chair)
3. Update on Ryan Terrace issue (Old Business)
4. Explore steps in make house in Colchester part of the district (Old Business, Mark Paul)
5. Cost and decision on obtaining a PC and software for Treasurer (Old Business)
6. ALD Ordinances for Contractors and Property Owners (Old Business, Dave O’Brien)
O. Adjournment
John Connor moved for adjournment and Dave Martin seconded. The motion was approved unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 10:05 pm.
Respectfully Submitted, Joanne Wool, Recording Secretary