Annual Meeting June 2019
The Annual Lakes Association member’s meeting was called to order at 9:00 am by Board Chairperson, Angela Willenbring. Thanks were extended to Allan and Johnne Bierdeman for the use of their storage building for the meeting once again.
Other board members were introduced. Present were Jim McLeod, V.P., David Dunning, Treas., Joan Covington, Correspondence Sec.,Kathy Anderson, Recording Sec., Barbara Strand, and Garry Griffin. Brad Helmeke and Sue Eckes were unable to attend.
Old Business:
Secretary’s minutes from 2018 meeting were presented with the agenda. There were no additions or corrections. Al Bierdeman motioned to approve. Dave Edvall seconded. Carried.
Treasurer’s report, also with the agenda, was reviewed by Dave Dunning. On May 31st, the General Fund balance was $26,935.68 and the CD was $5456.74. Membership was at 61%. More memberships came in at today’s meeting. There is $4720 in the fireworks account. Jim Haider motioned to approve the report and Blair Anderson seconded. There were no additional comments or questions. Motion carried.
New Business:
Water Level Update - Dave Wenzel reported that on Nov. 26, 2018 water level was 12” above OHW, freeze-up was Dec. 7th. Pumps were on most of the winter but were shut off for the spring melting season on March 23, 2019. Water level was at 8.5” above OHW on April 27th and is at 13.5” now. Pumping will resume when it is determined by the County that all lakes downstream from us involved in the contract are at or below the designated levels.
Water Clarity - Jim Haider and Larry Mollins reported on water clarity. Little McDonald in May was 12’ and June 14th was 16’ with Kerbs being 15.5’.
Board member elections - Joan C., Jim M. and Kathy A. terms were up. All 3 agreed to run again. There were no additional candidates from the floor so those 3 were put forth for re-election. Motion for a unanimous ballot was made by Roger Neitzke and seconded by Bonita Haider. Motion carried.
Fireworks - July 5th is the date set for the display starting just after sundown with July 6th being the back-up date. Volunteers are needed to help Jim McLeod bring supplies into the site and to pick up after. Several members volunteered.
Long Weekend Sportswear - Some board members wore samples of the shirts available. They seem to fit true to size and are of good quality materials. Shirts are available to order only from the web-site and come in many styles and colors with 2 logos to select from and a variety of sizes. Information was in the annual newsletter. Shirt selections can be seen and ordered from: https://lilmckerbslake19.itemorder.com. Orders must be placed before June 20th for delivery by July 4th and before Aug. 4th for delivery in Sept.
Lake Road Speeds - our population around lakes in the county increases from around 60,000 to 250,000 during the summer and with it comes an increase in traffic and an increase in speed- ers. This is a continuing problem for which there are no easy fixes. The township has denied our request for additional signage and the use of speed bumps since both interfere with routine road maintenance. As individuals, we can post our own signs on our personal property, we can ask contractors to be careful about obeying speed limits or give them a letter written by the LMKLA Board of Directors, available on the Association website, mcdonaldkerbs.org, to contractors doing work on our property, and we can call the sheriff’s office to report violators and re- quest additional patrols. The board investigated the cost of moveable speed monitors. To buy a trailer costs $7000, smaller moveable signs are $2500, and to rent for 28 days is $570. Angela W. asked those present if they had any interest in pursuing the monitors. No interest was expressed. Members are asked to monitor their own speeds and request visitors and workers to do the same.
Neighborhood Watch - This is an effective way to increase security/safety around our lake. By watching out for our neighbors and being aware of activity around us we can all help deter criminal activity. Report suspicious activity and if desired, use motion lights and/or cameras. Keep driveways plowed in the winter. Extra “watch” signs and clings were available today.
Natural Gas Line - Guest Speaker, Dan Hustad from Lake Region Electric, reported on the natural gas pipeline soon to be brought to lake residences. The north side of the lake on both sides of the road will be done this summer with work beginning in mid-July. Once the mainline is put in, residents can request branches to their homes. A run of 200’ from the mainline to the house is at no charge. It will cost the resident $5/foot after that. Once connected to natural gas there will be a $10 monthly facility charge for metering in addition to the charge for natural gas used. Conversion of appliances to natural gas from propane is the residents’ cost. It is recommended that if you are not currently going to connect to natural gas you should at least have the branch to your home put in for future use and possible resale of your home. Mr. Hustad thought that the 200’ free will be offered for several years but it is easier to put in at the time the main line goes through. The south and east sides of the lake will be done when Hwy. 34 is under construction. Once the bike path dirt work is done the gas line will be trenched in before the paths are paved and then the mainline will be trenched in along the east shore road. Time frame for the south and east sides will depend on the road construction. All questions and concerns can be addressed on on-line at www.lakeregionenergy.com or by calling 866-367-5732.
Road Construction/Lake Pumping - Rick West, the Public Works Director from Otter Tail County, reported briefly on our current “pumping” situation saying that waters downstream from us are still high so pumping will not resume until they are lower. For those interested, water levels of the various lakes can be checked by visiting the county website and looking under “official projects”. He reported that the pumping has been very successful.
Regarding road construction, the Hwy 34 project is working on land acquisitions, right-of-way conclusions and permits at this time. Bid opening could be in September and, if weather permits, prep work could begin this fall but most likely work will begin in the spring. Audience members expressed concerns about the current condition of Hwy 34 and safety factors. Mr. West stated that patching will be done as needed and that he would check the road after the meeting and relay concerns to the necessary people.
Kerbs Lake Access - Dawn Edvall summarized activities related to the possible dredging of a navigation channel between Kerbs and Little McDonald lakes. Since water levels are down, access between the two lake has been cut off. A sub-committee of the LMKP LID was formed to gather information related to this. A survey was done of residents of Kerbs to determine their feelings with most being in favor of having a channel. When asked by a member of the audience, Ms. Edvall reported that residents of Little McDonald were not surveyed yet. The question of cost was also raised and Angela W. reported that $1.3 million dollars is being requested from the state to cover cost overages of the current venting project and for further research and possible dredging between the lakes. There was no bonding bill in the legislature this spring so we will need to wait until next year. More information will be discussed at the LID meeting in July as the channel will would come under LID jurisdiction rather than the lake association.
Shoreline Restoration - The Director of Land and Resources for the county, Chris LeClair, reported on shoreline restoration. His department is in charge of regulations of shoreline, septic, wetland conservation, and AIS program (he acknowledged Roger Nietzke for his great service in the area). Currently there is a moratorium on shoreline restoration for the lakes involved in the outlet project. Because of the great reduction of water we have had, people are interested in making repairs to their property. There is concern that if too much is done too soon there could be a negative impact on the lakes. Permits are required for all work done on, in, or near the shoreline. If a project involves anything below the OHW mark such as rip/rap, a permit from the DNR is required. If a project is above OHW such as removing trees and stumps and rip/rap or moving earth within 50’ of the shoreline or work related to fish houses or gazebos or rain gardens near the beach, permits from the county must be obtained, as does work related to septic system repair or replacement. In most cases, removing rip/rap requires permits from both agencies. To obtain permits, people can go to the county offices. There will be a cap of $250 rather than the usual $500 cap for permits relating to our properties. Mr. LeClair reported that a re- quest of the county board will be made in early July to allow permitting once water levels are within 6-12” of OHW.
AIS - A decontamination station for boats is being piloted on the east end of Ottertail Lake and is open to the public for use during scheduled times. Please continue the practices recommended for reducing the spread of invasive species when moving items (boats, jet-skis, docks, lifts, etc.) between any lakes. The county has hired and trained 25 boat inspectors who will move around the county lake accesses to check watercraft and to educate people about AIS. They will visit several lakes per day. It was reported that large snails over 1” in size are increasing around Little McDonald. They are not zebra mussels but look more like faucet snails and are quite large. They wash up on beaches and have a strong smell. These will be investigated future.
Other Business: Some board members took a cruise around the lake to check on conditions along the shoreline, noting a lot of erosion resulting in logs and even trees in the lake, especially on the south shore. Boaters should be aware that now that lake levels are down, these logs as well as rocks can be a danger to boaters. Drive safely.
A motion was made by Blair Anderson to adjourn the meeting and it was seconded. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 10:05 am.
Angela Willenbring, Chair Kathy Anderson, Recording Secretary