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Amston Lake District
Board of Directors Regular Meeting Minutes
July 21st, 2010 7:00 p.m.
ALIA Clubhouse, 16 Wood Acres Road, Amston,
06231
www.AmstonLake.org
A.
Roll Call of Officers and Directors
Absent: J. Connor (arrived at 7:17 pm), L.
Hennebury (arrived at 7:05 pm)
B.
Call to Order 7:00 pm
C.
Recognition of Guests, Residents and Property Owners’ Petitions
Kevin Grady,
Deepwood Drive, Hebron – dogs on Meadowbrook ROW; next door neighbor’s
dog uses lake side and lake water as bathroom; picking up droppings in
his yard too from same dog; possible lawsuit if someone got sick from
the dog eliminations when swimming in lake; difficult to tell people on
ROW to remove pets when neighbor on lake is allowing pets to defecate in
lake; guests bring their pets and allow the same behavior.
Dave O’Brien: hears the concern and wants
to address individuals versus enacting an ordinance; district would have to
be notified in advance of a vote since so many pets in area; D. Martin – do
have power to impose fines against resident to fails to clean up pet
droppings; section 5 in ordinances; Lake Champlain has found high
correlation between high e-coli and pet droppings
(L. Hennebury arrived – 7:05 pm); we should
notify residents in writing asking for compliance and will go to next step,
if necessary, need to differentiate dogs swimming in lake from dogs going to
bathroom in lake; S. Forgue – can’t tell people their dogs cannot access
lake; D. O’Brien – will send letters to people who are not cleaning up after
their pets with explanation of issues with lake health
Margaret Rohr-Rosati, Hebron
Fourth of July – volunteer Security and
paid Security; registered under the Dept of Public Safety? If hire security,
required to be registered, finger printed, first aid class, etc. (J. Connor
arrived at 7:17 pm); people expect certain services from Security; look at
Dept of Public Safety website; Security should not be interacting with
public; Eric, on bicycle, was swearing at public and herself; not acceptable
to let people to do this and not be trained; she felt threatened-said she
was “on the list!”; she had her dog but was in the parking lot; he was very
young and was scarey in his approach; D. O’Brien – behavior not acceptable;
other Security persons did apologize to her; please contact the insurance
company to check liabilities; L. Hennebury not comfortable with using
residents for security; R. DeCormier – ACE Security was like not having
security; the Board will research and find out what is appropriate; is
Neighborhood Watch different?
Swimming at night – has been told that
Security is harassing people for swimming at night; should not be that way;
read in minutes from another meeting that someone complained and no response
was in the minutes; there is no problem with residents swimming in the lake
at night
Bylaws state that if Board has “something
benefiting ourselves” that must abstain from voting; R. DeCormier should
have abstained on vote about his dock: S. Martin – probably missed since the
end of the meeting – duly noted and R. DeCormier stated that he did not vote
Grossman Property Development: Moving
street so no round about or intersection issues – 32 wells to be put on
Grossman Property; not enough water now for us, not sure how this will
affect the water supply
Ernie Gonzales, Hillcrest Drive. Hebron
His family is having a party on July 31st
and needs to be able to park on Berglund Property to keep cars off of street
– is that OK? Yes.
D.
Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes – D. Martin, J. Connor; motion
approved unanimously
E.
Receive and Act Upon Clerk’s Report - none
F.
Presentation of Correspondence and Communication – See attached list
presented by the Clerk and July 20 Email from Denise Cooper, Hebron WPCA,
asking us to monitor the parking in front of the Main Beach Pumping Station
was presented by D. O’Brien
G.
Receive President’s Report – D. O’Brien thanked Board for previous
year’s work; we learned a lot and need to continue to improve; welcome to
the new fiscal year
H.
Receive Treasurer’s Report – R. DeCormier – have about $5000 left
from last fiscal year’s expenses; our accomplishments were very good – money
was used wisely and many improvements were made; found new insurance carrier
for about $9000 per year for the same General Liability and Workers’ Comp
coverage for this fiscal year which should save us $10,000 in our budget;
the paperwork will be scanned and sent out to the Board; R. DeCormier paid
June bills in June and July bills in July to keep books cleaner and easier
to understand; wants to suggest we pay off our debt on the dam – it is
costing us money right now; will be discussed under New Business
I.
Receive Tax Collector’s Report – Eileen Curtin’s July 10 email
submission was read out loud by Sherri-Ann Martin; J. Connor – seems to be
$600 difference between the Tax Collector’s figures and the Treasurer’s
figures – R. DeCormier will address with E. Curtin for next meeting; Mr.
Jacoby request for refund for $68 – for late fee since he forgot to pay when
purchased the property; the Board unanimously agreed that the law is as is
and we need to continue to enforce it; we all make errors and have to pay
late payments
J.
Consider and Act Upon Standing and Special Committees’ Reports
1. Dam – D. Moorcroft: The water is
down a couple of inches; S. Forgue has only 2 people to show to bid to clear
the brush on the dam; CDG Landscaping of Columbia showed up as promised and
quote was $675, $250 for Duck Pond or $850 for both. Spoke to one other
person on the phone who wanted $2000. If licensed and insured, D.
Moorcroft made motion to go with CDG Landscaping; S. Forgue seconded the
motion, got Hope Valley Landscaping quote and about 14 others – most did not
respond but list will be sent to S. Martin to post in communications so
residents can see list of contacted companies, if needed; motion approved
unanimously; cut brush will be hauled away; S. Forgue: next year, should do
brush cutting at Lollipop Beach too – the hedges may need to be cut down and
replaced or trimmed back significantly next year since getting large and
old; M. Rohr-Rosati – did huge research project in past about removing
bushes – should not remove; agreed, will prune to keep them healthy and
research lake health effects of any changes before they are made
2.
Storm Drains – we will purchase vortex unit for $20,000; Hebron will
handle approvals of property owners, surveying and installation; asked Dr. K
to monitor to measure effects on lake, D. Martin gave D. O’Brien for
congratulations with getting this accomplished; should be huge improvement
in H11 area; S. Forgue – property across the street from his house is now
for sale. Concerned about storm water drainage and addressing Town of
Hebron; D. Martin thinks this involves inlet H17; S. Forgue: no storm drain
at the end of Wood Acres Rd but there is one at the end of every other road;
D. O’Brien asked for info from S. Forgue so he can share with the Town of
Hebron
3.
Lebanon Sewer Project – D. Martin – in the process of reviewing
qualifications of engineering firms who applied – nine applied and review to
occur at WPCA meeting tomorrow night; D. O’Brien – getting emails from Town
of Lebanon so Board is aware of meetings in Town of Lebanon
4.
Drinking Water (to include CT Water and their effect on our private
roads); S. Martin - 2009 Water Quality Report received from CT Water; water
is drinkable even though some people like to claim it is not; I buy Hosmer
Mountain water because I don’t like the chlorine taste but it is drinkable;
D. O’Brien sent letters to CT Water regarding possible water tower flushing
and destruction of private roads on Lebanon side of Amston Lake; D. O’Brien
shared Grossman Properties Petition from the Town of Hebron; should we
consider sending a letter like the one Wendell Snell wrote regarding
concerns around the availability of water to existing residents, and
especially if there is new development; D. O’Brien wants to call and ask for
information; get a hold of minutes from the Town of Hebron Conservation
Commission from July 8, 2010 to see discussion; S. Martin noted mention of
the application of algaecide to an invasive species – we need to get the
minutes and find out more; stormwater runoff from the new development is
supposed to run away from the watershed; J. Connor – development will have
large impact; D. Martin – what really counts is people attending town
meetings and voicing their concerns; we can say whatever we want in our
meetings and write letters but attendance and visibility make the biggest
difference; S. Martin will get copy of the July 8 minutes; D. Moorcroft –
Japanese Knotweed is invasive plant growing in Grossman property, he thinks
and he has not been able to kill it for five years
5.
Boats & Rafts – S. Forgue – boat passes – would like to give some to
the Security/Neigborhood Watch so can furnish to residents; send SASE to
Attn: Passes to our PO Box, can we get an extra key so S. Forgue can pick
up requests; R. DeCormier will give S. Forgue the combination so he can pick
up requests; R. DeCormier is interested in pass distribution but wants to
give up other things and we should discuss under Calendar and Tasks; boat
passes should not give access to the lake; we should limit the number of
passes we give out – one person requested (9) car passes; each taxpayer
should be issued two passes only per property, should not be unlimited; we
need to define a policy for passes; S. Forgure looked at other lake policies
– they issue 2 passes and charge $10 for replacements; John LaFerriere
(resident) thinks should have a pass to park and a pass for the beach. One
pass is not good enough. Email requests are OK too; now storing row boats
on Main Beach since catamarans are there; should consider storing catamarans
at Lollipop Beach. November 1st: all boats, trailers, etc must
be removed from District Property for maintenance; J. Connor thinks we
should keep track of numbers electronically for all passes in a spreadsheet
– L. Zimmerman had done in past and we should reinstitute; R. DeCormier
wants to revisit auctioning if items are not removed; D. O’Brien will search
for the info we had in past; S. Martin will check Clerk’s mailbox
6.
Weeds – L. Hennebury – no additional spraying of lily pads is needed;
want to discuss possible treatment areas for next year with Dr. K so we are
developing a strategy and approach for ongoing needs; what was done
previously? S. Martin to look in Clerk mailbox for info from the work done
for original ACT application to send to Laurel; D. Martin – the treated
areas are still clean and Robbins Pond Weed is spreading again which is
extremely beneficial to the lake; huge lily pad infestation in Northeast
Cove but many will be affected by dredging we do on fall; look at patch of
lilies in Southeast Cove; we need to give thought to this now since
permitting process takes 9 months and need to start now if want to do
anything in Fall of 2011.
7.
Communications – nothing to report
8.
And 9. Ordinances/Security – J. Connor; D. O’Brien stated that M.
Rohr-Rosati made some great points regarding Security and we need to
research; S. Forgue – can check passes but can’t do anything else; D.
O’Brien – change our mission statement? L. Hennebury – need to be careful
about how we handle; J. LaFerriere broke up issue between Eric and Margaret;
people were drinking from glass bottles and some allow their dogs to go to
the bathroom in the beach parking lot; all in all, was a bad situation; J.
LaFerriere has been background checked by FBI since he has worked security
in the past; not recertified since he works construction now; J. Connor said
that there are a lot of people here during the week who are not residents –
kids drinking and partying here that do not live here; Security guards
cannot do anything about it; are we enforcing our ordinances or not? Many
people get belligerent. How do we enforce ordinances – volunteers are
taking abuse from many; D. O’Brien – we need to have presence to keep boats
at boat launch – get high visibility to be sure people obey ordinances and
to continue to use it, we need to check compliance requirements; L.
Hennebury – we brought in Security due to parties, drinking, and
nonresidents; Security defuses resident on resident situation and brings in
a neutral party; liability goes to security company and away from the Board;
issues decreased then and she has positive experience with outside security
being here; community approved security; R. DeCormier – two hours of
Security coverage Monday – Friday, thought outside Security did not pay
attention when they were here and that coverage is better and less expensive
now; J. Connor - ACE Security used to play video games and nap in his car –
thinks many problems are during the week and we need seven day coverage; L.
Hennebury – can rotate coverage days so no one knows when Security is on the
beach; D. Moorcroft – nothing in writing regarding training for Security
persons; need to define processes for consistency to public; many lake
documents do not agree in their statements; need to write Security processes
and should be highest priority above other items; we will all start
reviewing and discussing tomorrow via email
10.
Lebanon Roads – D. Martin – pass – next meeting in September 2010;
D. O’Brien – requested some pictures to compliment email regarding 18 Cove
Rd., D. Martin will get them taken; Brett/BSA Landscaping will take a look
at the gravel Laurel has to see if we can use it for the roads; BSA will
give estimate of gravel cost
(S. Forgue left room)
K.
Receive Lake Management Reports
1.
Caretakers’ Report - see below
2.
Lake Health Coordinator - we need new water testing equipment at cost
of @ $1200; Dr. K is ordering for Kevin Grady to continue doing testing;
Larry Zimmerman sent letter stating how great the barley straw is working to
clear up the algae; R. DeCormier wants to look at other alternatives for
treating algae; purchase sonic machine; S. Martin – Dr. K needs to be asked
for his opinion; S. Forgue is writing up barley straw installation process;
D. Moorcroft looking for map of placement of bales (S. Forgue returned)
L.
Act on Remaining Items of Agenda….Old Business
1.
Lebanon Street Lights – S. Martin made a motion to add Lebanon
Street Lights to the agenda, D. Martin seconded; Unanimous approval to add
to the agenda; S. Martin prefers we keep it as is; rest of the town of
Lebanon does not have lights either; it is light outside until 9:00 pm at
night – walking dog that late? Elimination of lights stops people from
congregating in the street under the lights at night. Residents were given
the option to pay for lights. There is one on Rt 207 at the top of Spafford
Drive and another about six houses down from the opposite end of Spafford
Dr.; D. Martin prefers no lights too; residents were given option, D.
O’Brien: not a Board issue;
S. Martin: lights were removed from poles
by town too so can’t simply turn them back on; Board is not liable for
Spafford Dr or Deepwood Dr lighting issues in Lebanon– they are town roads
2.
ALD Self Help Document - skip
M.
New Business……Discussion and Possible Action
1. Dam Debt – discuss repayment-R.
DeCormier is interested in repaying the debt; no interest is earned on money
kept in bank; paying $3,000 per year in interest and the total debt is
approximately $35,000. Approval would require a Special District Meeting.
Our cash would be lowered to about $65,000 and could be rebuilt over the
next few years to the $100,000 we usually carry; R, DeCormier will get
facts and figures to determine if we should pursue to save money in the long
run
2. Discussion on Calendar and Tasks –
Responsibilities and Assignments – R. DeCormier –
Tasks need to be distributed among Board
members; Board members should let R. DeCormier know what tasks each member
is interested in working on
3.
Lebanon Snowplowing Discussion – D. Martin will do snowplowing RFP
4.
Tree Cutting – Elsmere Rd – D. O’Brien – has to contract with new
person since first person did not show up
N.
Prepare Agenda for Next Meeting
Add Process for Pass Distribution under New
Business
O. Adjournment , L.
Lenti motioned to adjourn, Dave Moorcroft seconded, unanimous approval – the
meeting adjourned at 9:43 pm
Respectfully submitted
by,
Sherri-Ann Martin,
Clerk
Amston Lake Tax
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