Lake James Property Owners Association, Inc. Home Page

Lake James Property Owners Association, Inc.

Roscommon County, Michigan

Monthly Board Meeting Minutes

LJPOA MEETING MINUTES
October 20, 2007

Name Title Absent?
Tim Hughes President  
Al Walker Vice President  
Jim Van Vonderen Secretary  
Dorothy Yakes Treasurer  
Dan Nelson Aquatic Weed Management  
Jim Preczewski Park Management  
Don Bleusch Owners Certificates  
Larry Bittner Dam Management  
Tom Meares Shadow Lake Rep. Absent
Gary Varco Fish Management Absent

Call to Order:
LJPOA Board Meeting was called to order at 4:12 pm by Tim Hughes. Meeting took place at Tim Hughes home.

Old Business:
The minutes for the September – 2007 were presented for discussion and approval. The September minutes were posted to the LJPOA website in “DRAFT” status pending Board approval vote.

  • Motion made by Dan Nelson to accept the minutes as written and submitted.
  • Motion Second by Don Bleusch
  • Board Motion Vote: I’s: All Nays: -0-

The boards were taken out of the Dam since the last meeting. At present, there is no water going over the top of the dam.

Treasurer/Finance:
Dorothy Yakes discussed the necessity of establishing a separate FUND for Aquatic Plan Management versus leaving all of the dues in the General Account. This was agreed to in a prior meeting but has not been done yet. When the renewal contract for Aquatic Plant Management is finalized, the new Fund will be established, estimated fund % determined and then funded accordingly.

Dorothy Yakes submitted for review and approval the Cash Balance Statement as of September 30, 2007. Additionally, she submitted for review all checks written through October 20, 2007.

  • Motion made by Tim Hughes to accept the treasurer’s report as written and submitted.
  • Motion Second by Don Bleusch
  • Board Motion Vote: I’s: All Nays: -0-

Dorothy Yakes submitted the Check Register covering the period September, 2007 through October 20, 2007 for review and approval.

  • Motion made by Larry Bittner to accept the check summary as submitted.
  • Motion Second by Al Walker
  • Board Motion Vote: I’s: All Nays: -0-

Park Management - Jim Preczewski:
Jim Preczewski discussed various issues including:

Al Cowens and Hank Knoll will not longer be volunteering their time to cut grass in the different common areas as in the past.

A swing set has been donated to LJPOA which will be cemented into place next spring @ Ridgewood Park.
The dock at Moosehead Park has been removed for the season. It will be reinstalled next spring on May 3, 2008.

Tim Hughes will be talking to Terry Jenks about cutting part of the parks. Terry has expressed interest in doing this. We will compare his proposal to our current costs for cutting these areas that are currently under contract.

Fish Management – Gary Varco
Jim Preczewski reported in the area in absence of Gary Varco. Jim indicated that the fall fish planting as prescribed by our fish survey had taken place in September, 2008. At that time, perch and crappies were planted in various areas around the lake.

Lake Management – Al Walker
In an effort to establish a lead person that would be responsible for the Marine Patrol, Dave Krug was approached and asked if he would take on this responsibility. Dave has declined. Al Walker reported that lake consensus is that the Marine Patrol must continue as it has had a positive impact on the safety of the lake. He also indicated that it is apparent that no one else will step up to take on the liaison duties of this position unless it is a LJPOA Board Member. This position requires coordination of violation reports to the Sheriff’s office. The position is also responsible for meeting with the Sheriff’s Office once a year to review the Marine Patrol plan and to organize the Boater’s Safety Class held at the barn.

NEW BUSINESS – Tim Hughes:

Al Walker reported that the Fall/Winter LJPOA Newsletter will be posted on the Website and be sent to those property owners that have responded that they prefer a hard copy. Labels will be printed by Jim Van Vonderen and forwarded to Al Walker so the newsletters can be mailed out.

Al Walker reported that to date, we have received the following responses to the Property Restrictions amendment:

  • 304 positive – For
  • 3 negative – Against

Al indicated that we need approximately 485 positive responses to pass the new property restriction amendment to the By-Laws.

The new boat launch keys and decals have been received from the vendor. A letter will be sent out to all LJPO’s explaining the new system and how to get their new keys and boat trailer decals. The keys and decals will be distributed to LJPO’s beginning the last two weekends in March and each weekend in April. Two board members will be volunteering for two weekends to assist in the distribution of the keys and decals. Distribution will take place at the Barn.

Lake Management Assignments – Al Walker, Larry Bittner, Dan Nelson, Don Bleusch & Gary Varco currently comprise the Lake Management team. This team has many areas of responsibility that need to be divided and assigned to individuals. This team will be meeting Friday, October 26, 2008 @ 12:00 Noon at Dan Nelson’s home.

Aquatic Plan Management – Bid Status:
As of today, Dan Nelson reported that four bids have been received for Lake James aquatic plant management. A total of 6 RFP’s were sent out. The bids need to be reviewed yet but a selection criteria will be outlined first. The selection criteria will be addressed by the Lake Management team on October 26, 2007. The Lake Management team will make a proposal to the Board at the November meeting on their recommendations.

It was discussed by the Board that establishment of a General Account dedicated to Aquatic Plant Management would not be established until a new contract is awarded and a percent of total dues be determined.

Al Walker reported on Blight Issues

  • A letter was sent to Roger Brown @ 922 Lake James Drive regarding property restriction violations. The Board needs to determine next steps with Denton Township and the Sheriff’s office.

Future Events

  • It was suggested that two picnic tables be transferred to the Barn in preparation of the Winter Picnic.

Jim Preczewski suggested that the LJPOA purchase 2-3 new picnic tables. Jim has agreed to research the cost of new tables and report out at the next board meeting in November.

Al Walker discussed that to make the dam area as safe as possible for the Winter Picnic; a few of the old buoy markers need to be set out to designate areas where snowmobiles should travel onto the shore from the lake. This doesn’t guarantee the safety of the snowmobiler, only brings to their attention that the area needs to be traveled with caution.

Spring Clean-Up 2008 is scheduled for May 3, 2008. This date will be mentioned in the Fall/Winter newsletter. Part of the 2008 Spring Clean Up will involve moving many of the pine trees at Cole Park to other parks around the Lake. Al Walker and Jim Preczewski will be identifying areas and items to be cleaned up prior to the Clean-Up Day next year.

Dues Update: Al Walker reported that of the 720 Property Owners, only 93 haven’t paid their annual dues. This percentage is much lower than in years past. The second letter will be going out to those that are delinquent in paying their dues in early November and the court process will begin in December, 2007.

Al Walker talked with Pam Bylica regarding the Memorial Project and decided to take a look at the results in the spring, 2008.

The next board meeting is scheduled for November 11, 2008 @ 10:00am at the Barn.

Meeting Adjournment:

  • Motion was made by Dan Nelson to adjourn the board meeting.
  • Motion Second by Jim Preczewski
  • Board Motion Vote: I’s: All Nays: -0-

The October, 2007 LJPOA Board meeting adjourned at 6:20pm.


Revised Tuesday April 15, 2008 4:11 PM