The meeting opened at 11:30 AMwith the following board members present: Marilyn Meyer, Pat Harting, Ron Sansone, Larry Kimmel and 62 lot owners.
The minutes of the annual general meeting dated June 18, 2005 had been posted on the web site, inserted in the newsletter and passed out at the meeting, President Sansone asked for a motion to accept the minutes. Motion made by Marilyn Meyer, seconded by Larry Kimmel, motion passed.
Presidents Report
President Sansone opened the meeting by thanking all those who were present and said that he appreciated the turnout. He said that the most important thing that had been accomplished in the past year was that the loan had been paid down to $69,800 from two years ago when it was approximately $450,000. This was in part due to the sale of the dredge which reduced the debt by $75,000. He said that thanks to the Financial Committee we were now able to track our revenues and expenditures so we are always able to know our present financial situation and for helping to put the lake on a sound financial footing. At their recommendation CDs had been purchased by the lake. He went on to say that the second item was the speedy prosecution of late assessments, which is the only source of income for the lake. He said that approximately $18,000 had been saved by the volunteers who cut the grass, racked leaves and kept culverts clean and did numerous things to beautify the lake. He thanked the Garden Club for their work around the lake, particularly at the entrance. He thanked all those involved in monitoring the contamination of the lake and said that the few problems which they had been found had been quickly addressed. The boat ramp and seawall has been redone with all new materials and this had been accomplished with mainly volunteer labor. He said that the "volcano" was disappearing and this would be replaced in the new year with a new lake front. He said that architectural drawings were available showing the proposed new lake front. This was thanks to the Garden Club and Bill Reininger who works for Forest Park. In the maintenance department, the old salt spreader has been replaced and the snow plow has been repaired. A bobcat has been leased to replace the old worn out tractors. The center seam of the road has been sealed. The sales office has been cleaned up and is now usable again. He also thanked all those who assisted in the "Great Flood of 2005". He thanked Matt Holloran who took off a week from his work to get the lake front back in order. He said that Matt did not charge us for his time only for the cost of the 600 tons of rock he purchased for repairs and one operator. Ron then went on to say that we are now our own Water and Sewer District, he said that this was the first step to securing sewers at the lake. The dam has been monitored for leaks to see if repairs are warranted. He said that the board was looking into rock catch basins for silt control and a siren for tornado warnings. He thanked Janet Hirsch for her work on the newsletter which he said continues to be the source of communication around the lake. In closing he thanked everyone for a good year.
Treasurers Report
Marilyn Meyer said that the board had worked diligently during the past year to save money. Copies of the Year to Date financial report were available for inspection as well as the May financial report. She said that thanks to the volunteers we were ending the fiscal year in good shape. The account balance for May 31 last year was $42,836. This year the balance is $75,900. The loan balance last year was $189,979, this year it is $93,893. She said that as of today we now owe $69,892. She said that in the past year 14 homes have been sold, 5 LTPOA lots have been sold and 5 other lots have been sold between homeowners. Of the special assessments 278 have been paid. 378 invoices were sent out so 80% of these have been paid. She asked for everyone to answer the survey on the voting table as this will give the Finance Committee direction for the future.
Finance Committee
Janet Hirsch unfortunately was unable to be present.
Security Director:
Ray Lauer was unable to be present. His report was read by Secretary Harting.
"I regret that I am unable to be present this morning, however, a family obligation dictates that I should be elsewhere. The reports that have been submitted in the past 12 months fairly characterize the security duties that have been performed during the last year. I have nothing particular to report to this meeting. I do wish to express my appreciation to my fellow board members for their support during the 24 months I served on the board. I believe that we have accomplished a great deal on behalf of the lake's property owners. Also I want to offer congratulations to those candidates who are competing to serve on the board during the coming year. Whoever is chosen will be joining at least several incumbents. As anyone knows who has attended the monthly meetings in the past 12 months there has been some acrimony expressed during various discussions and decision making efforts. Nothing good can occur if these sentiments continue with the incoming board. Hopefully for the benefit of the property owners there will be an effort for all to work harmoniously and thus allow for meaningful decisions which will be for the betterment of our community. Once again, thanks to all of those who have offered encouragement and support."
Building Director
Larry Kimmel said that he had nothing to report.
Maintenance Director
Kevin Seelbach unfortunately was on duty at the fire station. President Sansone said that plans were underway to make repairs on the road. Following this the roads would be sealed. This bid had been finalized last year and the contractor had held to his bid. This was for approximately $57,000.
Web Site
President Sansone thanked Janet Hirsch for her work on the website and also for her outstanding job on the newsletter.
Old Business
President Sansone opened up the floor for comments.
The first comment was that the floor should be opened up as this was the only meeting most people attended, any comment from anyone should be allowed to be aired. The "Signed" letter from the concerned citizens of Lake Tishomingo was discussed. Various lake residents expressed their negative views on the present board.
Bill Reininger who lives at D35/36 who is Parks Operations Manager for Forest Park Forever and holds a degree in Forestry and Horticulture was introduced by Marilyn Meyer. Marilyn explained that he had been asked to make a master plan for improving the lake front in 3 yearly stages. Copies of the renderings were available for inspection. Questions from the floor included the silt problem and when it is again dredged what will be done with the silt. President Sansone said that one of the items on the ballot was the lowering of the lake. He said that financially it would be better to lower the lake at certain times so that silt could be trucked out. He said that most of the lakes in this area do this on a regular basis. Bill Reininger explained how the plan allowed for silt removal. Marilyn also explained that it was essential to have a plan on where you were going to put the silt before it was dredged out of the lake. She said that other lakes never store in "on site".
Concern was expressed at lowering the lake with a view being held by some that the lake had only just come up again. Larry Kimmel explained that this would not be done until after September 1 when it normally is at its lowest and when boat usage is beginning to stop. He appreciated the concern of the lake not filling back up for the summer but pointed out that as low as the lake was last winter a couple of rains brought it back up again. He said that due to the creek, silt would constantly be a problem and a mechanism had to be in place to control it and lowering the lake was one solution. The question of fire hoses was also discussed. The new dry hydrant by the community house now works well. Goldman fire district asked to be informed if the lake was low so that they could bring tankers should there be a fire. A comment from a former fire fighter was that there was little difference to the fire fighters whether the lake was low or not and Lake Bono Del would also have ample water. Larry Kimmel said that the lake would typically be lowered 6-8 ft depending on the contours. A discussion followed on how quick the lake would come up and getting boats in the lake at various levels.
The main reasons for lowering the lake was for silt removal and seawall and dock repair. It was not possible to estimate how long it would take for the lake to dry out enough for this to be accomplished. There were too many variables. That is why the end of the year was being chosen as the date to lower the lake as this would not negatively impact the use of the lake. The removal of silt and trash from the pipe under the causeway was also discussed. Joan Johnson I27 & 28 said that the reason she did not come to meetings was because of all the pettiness that was aired. She said that the volunteer boards did the best they could and we should all be grateful to them for donating their time for the betterment of the lake.
Election Committee
Mary Leiweke, election chairman reported that everything was ready for the election. She introduced her election committee. She said that they had made every effort to be fair to everyone. There had been a change in the criteria for voting. You could now vote if your 2005 regular assessments were paid in full, not the 2006 as previously stated. Mary said that sample ballots were available. Write ins were permitted. Please ensure you tick those you wish to vote for. She said that everyone had to be out of the building while the counting was being executed. Only those 4 elected would have the number of votes listed on the bulletin board.
There were 1 one-year term and 3 three-year terms being voted on.
Election of Nominees
Mary Leiweke asked for any write-in nominations.
Marilyn Meyer read a signed letter from Janet stating her wish to be on the ballot which had been previously read at the last board meeting. Nominated by Marilyn seconded by Pat Harting. Kathy Hopfer stated that Janet Hirsch had to be there and an effort was made to discredit Janet Hirsch being placed on the ballot by Chris Townsend He was unable to show any documentation or reason why this should be so.
Stan Schweiss nominated Joe Hejnal, seconded by Larry Kimmel.
The following candidates then made their two-minute candidacy speeches: Chris Townsend, Al Ferrell, Kathy Hopfer, Dave Fitzgerald and Brad Lewis.
Following their speeches, President Sansone asked for motion to adjourn, motion made by Marilyn Meyer, seconded by Larry Kimmel, motion passed. There being no further business the meeting concluded at 1 p.m.