CALL TO ORDER: July 22, 2009, 7:03PM by Jack Leonard

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

 

ROLL CALL      

President – Jack Leonard – Present

Secretary – Dawn Oliver – Late - Present

Treasurer – Rex Roseberry – Present

Director of Administration – Charles Bush - Present

Director of Security – Mel Carver - Present

Director of Roads/Maintenance – Paul Lemmon - Present

Director of Lake & Conservation – Eric Howland – Absent 

Motion for approval of June Board Minutes (which was published in the July 2009 Newsletter) Motion to approve by Chuck Bush, Seconded by Paul Lemmon, Vote Count: 6 Board Members in favor, 1 Board Member absent, 0 Board Members opposed, Motion Carried. 

PRESIDENT’S REPORT: Jack Leonard

• I would like to thank the members of the Neighborhood Watch for the wonderful job they did providing food and refreshments for the Security personnel who worked a very long day on July 3^rd. I would also like to thank the Tri-County REACT team for there continued assistance.
• The Board has agreed to install a generator for the Guardhouse. This will better allow the guards to continue full operations during inclement conditions and emergency situations.
• It is good to see the Shuffleboard Courts being used. New shuffleboard scoreboards have been ordered, as well as a new basketball hoop. The basketball hoop will replace the skate ramp, which had to be removed due to vandalism and poor condition.
• Last month we reported that we were working with the Carroll County Commissioners to close the storage tanks at the old sewer plant. Unfortunately, those tanks are required under EPA guidelines for emergency storage and must be maintained. We are looking into our options to better secure the area.

  

SECRETARY’S REPORT: Dawn Oliver

• 4 Orientations was conducted during the past month.

  

TREASURER’S REPORT: Rex Roseberry            

Motion for approval of July Treasurer’s Report: Motion to Approve by Mel Carver, Seconded by Chuck Bush, Vote Count: 6 Board Members in favor, 1 Board Member absent, 0 Board Members opposed, Motion Carried.

DIRECTOR OF ADMIN: Chuck Bush

• Please note that the annual Grinder Pump Maintenance Program (GDMP) billing will be sent out on August 15^th. The billing which occurred in January was a supplemental billing due to increasing cost for replacement pumps and parts.
• The newsletter is now available via email. If you’re interested in receiving it by email rather than snail mail, click on the link provided on the Lake Mohawk website to provide your email information. Our goal is to reduce significantly the number of printed copies of the newsletter, thus reducing the cost of this service.
• All accounts delinquent as of June 1, 2009 were sent a letter requesting the account be paid current. Those who had not paid by July 1, 2009 have been forwarded to legal counsel for collection and/or a lien placed against the property. Please pay the balance due to avoid any legal action by the Board.
• We continue to work on the new Association management computer software.  As you may recall, our goal was to be able to execute a conversion to the new system on August 1.  As I reported in June, we have encountered many glitches with the prospective software.  This has slowed us down with our development and implementation process.  These problems have also led some to question whether the new system will be suitable or not.  It is my belief that most of these issues are related to our unfamiliarity with the new software and are learning curve related.  If that is in fact the case, ultimately the proposed system should work.  So, we will continue to work on it and with it for the time being.  In the meantime, Scott has been directed to determine if other systems exist which could also be looked at.

 

I want to acknowledge and thank the Office staff and Hal Dennis and Jeff Vansickel for their continuing efforts on this project. 

 

DIRECTOR OF SECURITY: Mel Carver

• I would like to thank the community for helping to make our Independence Day celebration a huge success again.  Without your input and help we never could have made it another “FAMILY AFFAIR”.  It was great to see all the families and children on the beach enjoying the ski show, and on the beach before and after the fireworks show.  A special thanks to our gate guards who do an absolutely fantastic job of handling all the visitors and traffic that come through the gate.  It seems like your worst nightmare when you go in there, but hose ladies make it happen. Thanks to the Brown Twp. Fire Dept., Bartley’s ambulance, and A & C towing for your continued support and hard work.  I would like to thank the Ski Club for your support and kind words throughout the day.  Thanks to the Neighborhood Watch group who made a decision to try and help us save some money by feeding the Deputies, the REACT units, maintenance , and all the workers.  Also, THANKS to everyone in the community who brought things in or gave the REACT Units working the gates some refreshments, snacks, or food.  Last but not least THANKS to the Deputies, Lake Patrol, and REACT Units who put in at least a twelve-hour day, with the majority of them working sixteen to eighteen hours.  The REACT Units did another outstanding job of handling all the traffic though out the day and evening, which freed up our Deputies to work the beach, patrol the roads and keep our Lake Patrol officers on the water.  Again “THANKS” to everyone for your dedication and hard work. It was a GREAT TEAM effort!!  In case you didn’t notice, we used only the Deputies that work here at the lake.  We felt that with the quality of Deputies we currently have, we could handle it not jeopardize the security of the community on our Independence Day celebration.  We truly are blessed to live such a GREAT community.
• Please remember to obey our posted 25 mph speed limit.  With the nice weather, we have all sorts of vehicles, children and traffic on our roadways.  Also, please take the time to report any suspicious activity, or violation to our rules and regulations to our Deputies so it can be investigated.  If you don’t report it, we don’t know about it.

 
 
 

DEPUTIES REPORT:

 

Our Lake Mohawk Deputies provided 158 community service calls this month. For the month our Deputies patrolled 2508 miles, consumed 236 gallons of fuel in the cruisers and 65 gallons for patrol boats.  For the month our Deputies logged 808.5 hours.

 

The following incidents were reported and filed with the Carroll County Sheriffs/Mohawk Post:

 

3 – Incident(s)

1 – Criminal Mischief (Bay 6 area)

1 -  Criminal Mischief

1 – Vandalism (Mohawk/Itawamba area)

1 – Theft (Marina area)

1 – Assault

 

The following Citations were issued:

 
 

Now that our July 3^rd celebration is over, we would like to thank those that made this year a success.  To the deputy’s, who pulled many hours, thank you for your commitment to keeping our people safe; to our gate guards…this day would not be successful without you.  All of you should be proud, as we are of each of you…Thank You!;  To the React Team, once again you’ve been an invaluable contribution to this festivity and your professionalism and teamwork were outstanding.  To our watch members, who volunteered numerous hours and food, to all of you our most humble debt of gratitude!  Your contribution to this day kept all the workers well fed, and the food was fantastic, again thank you!  To Brown Township Fire Department and Bartley’s Ambulance, this day would not take place if you did not volunteer your time for the benefit of others…to all of you, thank you for being here and serving this community.  To Scott Noble, Jack Leonard, and Mel Carver; the time you spent working, away from your own families and festivities, was appreciated more than you know.  We have an excellent board and Lake Manager who volunteer many hours of their time for the well being of this community.  Our sincerest thank you!

 

To Deputy Lewis, I would like to offer my personal note of gratitude.  Deputy Lewis did not go home from July 2^nd through July 5^th.  His dedication to those he serves is exemplary and I, for one, am proud to say I know and work with such a fine officer.  To his wife, our thanks, for giving up your time away from this officer.  We forget that our deputies have families who sacrifice a tremendous amount by having someone they love serve in law enforcement.  Thank you Amanda for your support and understanding of this profession.

                                                        

Submitted by Sergeant Robin Tokash

 
 

DIRECTOR OF ROADS AND MAINTENANCE: Paul Lemmon

• Painted the Cabanas at the beaches
• Completed ditching along West Mohawk
• Cleared debris following storm
• Completed preparations for Independence Day weekend
• Cleaned up all areas after the holiday weekend
• Repaired the Lace Road gate – broken spring
• Completed monthly servicing of both back gates
• Painted lines at the Main Gate
• Mowing - all common areas
• Completed ditching along Chippewa, West Mohawk and Yuma
• Repaired Main Beach restrooms
• Completed ditching and riprap along Manito Trail
• Hauled and spread stone along Security driveway
• Maintenance used 214 gallons of Diesel Fuel and 190 gallons of gasoline

 

 

DIRECTOR OF LAKE AND CONSERVATION MGMT: Eric Howland

Good evening to everyone. As you can tell I am not present this evening. We had the opportunity to welcome our son home from Baghdad and took it.

 

First of all I would like to thank everyone who helped with the Fourth of July fireworks event. It is the volunteers that bring this thing off so professionally. Thank you.

 

After discussions with members of the Fisheries Committee we are recommending changes to the fishing rules and regulations for the lake. We propose the following changes for the year 2010. They will only be in effect for one year to determine the impact on the lake and the fish population.

 

Current Limits   Bass 3

            Walleye 3

            Northern No Release

                         Crappie 30

 

New Limits for 2010

 

      Bass         Catch and release

      Walleye    Catch and release

      Northern   Catch and release

           Red ear     Catch and release

      Blue Gill    30/day

      Crappie     30/day

 

These changes will give the exceptional spawn of 2009 to take hold and make a significant impact on the population.

 

I am still trying to put together a Green Team group to study the ecology of the lake and to make recommendations for recycling, reuse and ecological stewardship of the lake and surrounding grounds. We need all backgrounds to help support this effort. Please contact the Office or myself, if you think you may be interested in helping out. I can be reached at 330.705.8239 or by email at ehowland2@neo.rr.com. One of our first tasks will be to look at yard waste. As you are probably aware, Burwells will no longer accept yard waste at the curb. I have some ideas but need more.

 

Thank you and good evening. See you at the August meeting.

 
 

LAKE MANAGER: Scott Noble

• I would also like to thank the Neighborhood Watch Committee, Tri-County REACT and all of the staff members and Board members who worked so hard to keep everyone safe over the Independence Day holiday. 
• We continue to monitor the conditions of the lake weekly. Unfortunately, another dilemma has blossomed. This time it is an algae bloom that has spread throughout the lake. The occurrence has been discussed with our lake management vendor, Gray’s Aquatics, and the lake is scheduled for treatment on Thursday. Due to potential toxins that can be released when the algae is killed off, a large scale treatment could place people at risk. The Association is currently pursuing testing of the water to determine our plan to keep everyone safe. Additionally, I spoke with the lake water quality expert for the Ohio Division of Wildlife, region 3 to determine if the lake use should be restricted. His answer was “absolutely not.”
• Many of you have read the recent articles in the local newspapers and are concerned about the position of the Deputies. Currently nothing has changed. The articles printed were misleading and included false information. The Deputies employed by Lake Mohawk are fully Commissioned Deputies, commissioned by the Carroll County Sheriff. They carry all of the same powers and responsibilities of any Commissioned Deputy in the State of Ohio, and they are the only employees operating the cruisers. The Lake Patrol Officers are employed by Lake Mohawk for the purpose of enforcing the laws on the water under the guidelines of the Ohio Revised Code and the rules established by this Association. They operate the Lake Patrol boats only and are authorized to issue Lake Mohawk citations for violations on the lake. All of these individuals have a difficult job and deserve to be treated with respect.
• The office has received several complaints regarding swimming from the Ski Club platform at the Main Beach. Swimming is only allowed in the roped area at any of the Association beaches. Signs will be posted at the Main Beach very soon.
• Additionally, the office is receiving many complaints regarding the distance from shore rules. Any watercraft operating at wake power must maintain a minimum 70 foot distance from the shoreline. This is for the safety of all users of the lake.
• We are currently looking into sealing and recoating the tennis courts. Our options are being evaluated and hopefully this will be completed in the September timeframe.
• Fireworks donations totaled $10,400, of which $3,800 was collected at the gates. Although this fell short of the total cost, we felt positive about the amount collected given the tough economic times. We thank all of the volunteers who assisted with collecting for this event.

COMMITTEES –

Fisheries / Weed Harvester Committee Update by Joe Jacko

 

* We apologize that we were unable to access this file prior to the newsletter deadline. Once this report is accessible, we will make it available at the office.

Activities Committee by Peg Carver

• August 29, 2009 Noon to 5pm at the Main Beach.   Bring family and come have an Old Fashion Community Picnic.  We will provide the meat, you need to bring your table settings and beverages.  There will be games for all ages (limbo, balloon toss, etc. most of all…East vs. West - TUG OF WAR).  Watch the front sign for more details.

CLUB REPORTS:

 

Neighborhood Watch by Mel Carver

• Want to thank the Chairperson for getting everyone involved to get the REACT, and security teams feed during the Independence Day Celebration. The cost to the lake was only $60 and that was for plates and forks.  The rest was taken care of through the Committee representing the Neighbor Hood Watch Group.  A BIG THANK YOU!!!

 
 

 

UNFINISHED BUSINESS: None

 

NEW BUISNESS: 

• Motion to Approve: a proposed change to the Lake Mohawk Building Code requiring installation of the siltation fence for landscaping and lot clearing. Motion to Approve by Mel Carver, Seconded by Paul Lemmon, Vote Count: 6 Board Members in favor, 1 Board Member absent, 0 Board Members opposed, Motion Carried.
• Motion to Approve: a proposed change to the Property Maintenance Code requiring maintenance and upkeep of grinder pump associated equipment. Motion to Approve by Chuck Bush, Seconded by Paul Lemmon, Vote Count: 6 Board Members in favor, 1 Board Member absent, 0 Board Members opposed, Motion Carried.
• Motion to Approve: a proposed change to the Lake Mohawk Rules and Regulations allowing canopies on boat lifts located in Association docking with Board approval.  Motion to Approve by Paul Lemmon, Seconded by Dawn Oliver, Vote Count: 6 Board Members in favor, 1 Board Member absent, 0 Board Members opposed, Motion Carried.
• Motion to Approve: a Variance Request to allow construction of a shed that exceeds the allowable square footage. Motion to Approve by Mel Carver, Seconded by Paul Lemmon, Vote Count: 5 Board Members in favor, 1 Board Member absent, 1 Board Member opposed, Motion Passed and Carried.

 
 
 
 

ADJOURNMENT – 7:20PM with 60 property owners signed in.

 

                                                  

OPEN FORUM:

 

Jeff Gray of Grays Aquatic spoke in regards to the blue-green algae currently on the lake.  Please refer to his website link that can be found on the Lake Mohawk website and in the newsletter.  This discussion lasted for over 45 minutes with many property owners asking questions regarding the plant life, color of the water and treatment that is intended to rectify these two issues.

 

Discussion ensues regarding the recent newspaper articles involving our Deputies. Of particular concern was the reference to a contract with Carroll County for services. It was noted that the Association, per the County Prosecutor, could not contract directly with Carroll County. The process that would have to take place would involve a levy voted on by all voters in the community. Most of the members who have asked questions concerning this issue wish to have the current arrangement remain.