RLAA Board Meeting Minutes for June 8, 2011

Location: Maple Grove Library (Room 105)                                                                                                                                    Time: 7:00 pm

Call to Order at 7:05 pm

Present: Rick Stulac, Scott Roeglin, Joy Roeglin, George Schneider, Bill Kidder, Larry Bick

Absent: Wade Quale

Guests: None were present

Approve this Agenda

Approved without changes

Introduction of Board Members and Guests (George)

No introductions since no guests were present

Treasurer Report (Rick)

Current balance of $12,132 in Checking and Savings

$4,500 dues collected so far (slightly behind 2010 collection)

No outstanding bills at this time

Old Business

Rough Fish Removal project (Larry/George).

Can Jeff provide us with a contract for work next (2011-2012) winter for carp removal?

Do we want to track carp to get a count before/after netting? (George)

Researched this option and is too costly and/or difficult to manage for our association. May want to explore this option down the road if the watershed wants ownership.

Action at June 8 Board meeting:

Reviewed necessary requirements for this project to take place

Discussed timeline involved and parties impacted

Next steps:

Larry to reach out to Jeff to set up a meeting.

See how Foster Lake (details below) does with their project with Jeff

Algae/Water Quality for this past season (Scott)

·         What can we do to prevent/reduce impact in the future?

Emphasize Lawn Aeration - Scott to follow up with local providers in Spring 2011.

Scott learned that none of the companies was willing to offer a group discount for Rice Lake residents. RLAA still recommends lawn aeration as a positive environmental process, but we do not have any discounted group offers available at this time.

Slow/No Wake Signs (Scott)

Request made by several residents in the Boat Ramp Bay about posting Slow/No Wake signs.

City of Maple Grove recommended we purchase these at Rolyan Buoys in Cedarsburg, WI.

Scott ordered 3 buoys, which have been received in late May and will be installed in June.

Next Steps

Procure chain/clamps to secure anchors.

Create cement anchors (100 lb each).

Set buoys out in featured locations.

On-Going Business

Elm Creek Watershed TMDL Project Plan (George)

·         Next Meeting July 20 - Stakeholder Meeting #5 at (TBD).

Update  on 2011 projects

·         Potential 2011 Projects for this season through  early spring submitted to LQC for funding:

o        Dredging out boat ramp channel

§         Follow ups with DNR Hydrologist and residents who denied project work.

o        Plant Survey in 2011

§         Don't plan for one in 2011, but if we need to do one, request it then.

§         Base the decision on resident input of CLP impact.

§         Early season reports are showing more CLP growth this year, although does not yet appear to be a nuisance for navigation/habitat/etc.

o        Carp Removal in 2011

§         Keep this on the possibility list for 2011 (potentially in summer/fall, if not next winter).

Storm Water Drain Inventory (Bill not present to discuss)

·         Plan on revisiting this next spring (2011) during open water season.

·         Scott asked if we could have the City check out the cistern on Elm Creek south of County Road 30 located between the Nord and Grefe properties.

Action Item: George checked with the City to get more information on it. Cistern is a Sanitary Sewer and not Storm Sewer. City Utilities department stated they will check into this unit to make sure it is running properly. Is actually part of a large feeder line from Arbor Lakes that runs up towards County Road 81.).

Next Steps

June 2011 - Find out what City Utilities determines with their unit review.

RLAA Asset Inventory (George)

Discuss next steps for relocating inventory at a non-public location.

Q2 2011 Newsletter (George)

·         Plan on writing one up in July.

·         Include RLAA Survey Results (see below).

New Business

Adjust Water Level during dry periods (George)

Is this a viable option to create flow during low-water times, especially when algae blooms are stagnant on the lake/creek?

RLAA Survey Results (George)

Reviewed summary of results from the 37 surveys received out of potential 205 participants.

Work on responses to those who have unfavorable comments, but do not mention names.

Chose a winning entry for the Red Lobster gift certificate using a Random Generator program.

Winner is entry #8 - Shane & Enid Mason!

Task Team Updates

Lake Management (George)

None at this time. Probably will not have another meeting until after Annual Meeting in May.

Membership (Rick/George)

Star Lakes grant opportunities - clarification on qualifications (Larry).

Other Business

Foster Lake meeting on April 11 with George, Bill Kidder and Jim Krause (Foster Lake).

Background: Foster Lake is a shallow, 121 acre lake in Wright County by Otsego which has suffered severe algae problems in recent years. They have been doing Alum treatments the past 3 years and are looking to hire a commercial fisherman to remove the carp from their lake, which are causing problems with water quality and plant growth.

Next steps: Will keep RLAA informed on their progress with commercial fisherman and how the carp removal goes. They are looking at doing a fall removal (November) before ice is in.

Swimming in Rice Lake

Had an inquiry from a resident on 91st Ave N. asking if it was OK to swim in the lake.  This is just a reminder to be aware of others on the lake if boating.

Have a 2nd All Members meeting sometime later in the summer

Measure how RLAA has been doing and plans for the upcoming season.

Good method to get feedback from membership.

Adjournment at 8:50 pm

Minutes drafted by George Schneider 6/14/11                 Rice Lake Area Association website = http://www.ricelakemn.com