RLAA Board of Directors Meeting

RLAA Board of Directors Meeting Minutes &= nbsp; &= nbsp; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; July 28, 2005

Host: Tom Dechmann (8683 Glacier Lane)

Time: 7:30 pm

Directors = Present:

Chuck Berger &nbs= p; &= nbsp; George Schneider &nbs= p; Wade Quale &n= bsp; = ; Steve Cady &nb= sp; = Eric Lind

Tom Dechmann &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Jami Stromberg &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Rich Von Lehe = ; &n= bsp; Mark Mitchell

9 of 15 Directors pre= sent at the meeting constitutes a quorum.

Agenda

Member Intro: Everyone did a quick= intro on who they were and where they live.

Algae Update: Latest status of events and perceptions on what has occurred=

Chronology of events<= /b>

June 18 - Algae identified as Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and treatment recommen= ded by consultant Jim Storland. (Steve McComas visited the lake the s= ame week; reports oxygen levels low at 4.7 ml)
June 20 - Jim Storland reports his on-site= visit on 6/18 confirmed treatment is necessary. Suggested Lake Restorat= ion to perform the work.
June 21 - Requested quotes from Lake Restoration and Midwest Aqua= care; Board unanimously voted to pursue treatment.
June 23 - July 2 - Obtained lakeshore owner signatures from 52 out of 85 possible (31 not home and 3 refused to sign), reaching the 51% necessary for DNR approval.=
July 5 - Directors voted to accept bid fro= m Lake Restoration for complete lake treatment (including north Elm Creek) at 10.6 lbs/acre for cost of $5,470.
July 6 - Sent confirmation to Kevin Kretsc= h at LR to accept proposal. He will request permit from DNR to applications may be done.
July 13 - DNR approved permit - LR to do application #1 of 3 on Monday, July 18. Dosages must be scaled back d= ue to shallowness of the lake and low oxygen levels.
July 18 - LR did application #1 for 25% do= sage on the southern half of the lake
July 25 - LR did application #2 for 50% do= sage on the northern half of the lake (3^rd and final applicatio= n to be applied on August 1^st at 25% dosage on southern half of lake).

Next Steps

Insure bill is for 50% of the cost, since dosages were reduced significantly (Steve Cady will take this up with= LR after the final treatment is applied next week).
Feedback on the results so far - obvious?<= o:p>

Consensus was there has been rapid improv= ement, although there are still some areas where algae is pooled up (ramp b= ay, Tristan Bay, etc.). See what happens after the final treatment is do= ne next week.
No complaints have been heard by any resi= dents during/since the treatment started.
Need to determine better way to get signa= tures from residents in a more timely fashion in the future. Could this be something done in advance the next time we need sign-off? Are the signatures we have now good for other treatments in 2005 if necessar= y?

Fishing activity hasn't seemed to change s= ince the treatment began
Is this something we want to do again this summer if conditions warrant it? Will have to wait and see based on t= his treatment results and need to apply again. DNR has authorized a permit that enables us to do up to 3 separate treatments if necessary.<= /o:p>

La= ke Management Pla= n update

Spawning Bed Checks #1 and #2 completed

Jim Storland wasn't able to come out for 3= ^rd & final check due to algae visibility problem. His final summary = will refer to just 2 visits instead of 3 (cost reduction?)

Aquatic Plant Management Surveys #1 and #2 completed

We need to insure that the results get bac= k to the DNR, especially all references showing almost no signs of Curlyle= af Pondweed since the last drawdown had been conducted. This is the key ingredient the DNR will be relying on for agreeing that drawdowns can= be done in the future.

What is next? Nutrient analysis?=

Steve McComas (City consultant) does a lim= ited version of nutrient testing in his current monthly checks of each Maple Grove = lake. We should be getting the City to utilize their flow monitor equipment (w= hich they apparently haven't used yet) on the lakes to measure incoming wa= ter flow and content.
Steve also has a "new technique"= for addressing high nutrient levels that he's tried on lakes smaller lakes than Rice Lake. He'd like to test this= next year on Rice Lake. We don'= t have any other details from Steve at this point.

Storm Drain study?

This may be a part of Steve's "new technique" that he mentioned. May warrant a separate conversation with him at a point in the near future.

Drawdown Plans

Requirements to fulfill request (Ken Ashfeld checking with DNR to find out requirements)<= /li>

George waiting for reply form Ashfeld on w= hat's required based on City's understanding

Lakeshore owner approval?=

George to check with Karen Jaeger to see i= f she thinks City Council needs to OK or if they are comfortable with last year's signatures

DNR approval?

Chuck suspected this may not be necessary = as long as we aerate the lake in the winter to keep the oxygen level sufficient.

George to follow up with local DNR Fisheri= es contact (Daryl Ellison) and see what he needs.

City Council approval?

George to check with Karen Jaeger to see i= f she thinks City Council needs to OK or if they are comfortable with last year's signatures

Budget

What is left in the kitty?

$15,000 as of June

$3,000 to be spent on 2 Lake Manageme= nt plans; $1,500 of that to be reimbursed by LQC

$5,000 to be spent on Algae Treatment

Remaining left as of August should be about $13,500

Special Assessments for Algae treatment?

No, not this year. But let's consider incr= easing the dues to offset the recent costs we've encountered and potential future costs:

Annual winter aerator maintenance (new mo= tors; new shaft; wiring)

Annual winter aerator electrical costs (+= $200 per year)

Additional Lake Management Plan activitie= s

Increase dues for next year?

Board discussed what our current needs are= and realized that our savings have been declining each of the past 5 year= s, with this year being the lowest so far

All other local lake associations in the a= rea charge a significantly higher amount than RLAA

Steve Cady made a motion to increase dues = from $60 to $100 for Lakeshore Owner and $40 to $50 for Lakeview Owner

Eric Lind seconded the motion; Motion pas= sed unanimously by all 9 voting members present

Increase in dues will take effect at next = RLAA Annual Meeting in Spring 2006

Set up Sub-Committees for:

It was decided to wait until the specific n= eeds come up for these committees before organizing them. We should also in= vite non-Board members to be on the committees.

Weed Control

Fish Habitat

Water Quality

Storm drain monitoring <= /li>
Other

Miscellaneous

Newsletter - Jami Stromberg asked if we cou= ld produce a newsletter to send out to all eligible for RLAA. The website= may not satisfy the need to reach everyone, plus having something physical= ly delivered may be a better tool to get our information out.<= /span>

Steve Cady said this had been done in the = past and maybe we should do it again

Anyone from the Board interested in being = on a team to set up a newsletter, contact George Schneider

George Schneider

Jami Stromberg<= /span>

Buoy marking Stonehedge Isl= and - Tom Dechmann reported he ran aground in his deckboat on the island r= ecently. It shorted out his motor and he had to rewire to get it started again.= He asked if we could place the white marker buoy on the island for the remainder of this boating season.

Directors favored this request and the buo= y will be placed back on S= tonehedge Island as soo= n as possible. George is holding the buoy and will place it out there on Friday (7/29) to mark the area.

Adjourn

Meeting adjourned at 9:10