Minutes of the Oak Terrace Improvement Association-December 4, 2013

Board members present: William Yarbrough, Dina Lepczynski, Dan Griffin, Jim Loring, Greg Denny, Radu Roman, Tracy Kleinschmidt, Ramona Triebold, and Colleen Hodges.

Members at Large present: Jody Matza

The meeting was called to order by President Greg Denny at 7:04pm.

The minutes of the October board meeting were read by Secretary Colleen Hodges.  William Yarbrough made a motion to accept the minutes as read.  Dan Griffin seconded the motion and the motion passed. 

Dan Griffin reported that he had no treasurer’s report for this meeting but he will present his report at the February meeting. 

The first order of business was to clarify the terms of those board members elected at the November General Meeting.  All those elected will serve a two year term.

The removal of the stairway at Lakeview Park was discussed.  Radu Roman and Jim Snyder discussed the best way to get this done at the lowest possible cost to the subdivision.  They believe it can be done with volunteer effort.  Jim is trying to get the cost of a dumpster donated.  Dan Griffin checked with our insurance company to make sure that the volunteers would be covered in the case of an injury.  We should be covered barring the use of large machinery or power tools.  Radu would like any of the funds designated for this purpose that are saved by using volunteer labor be used for lake cleanup.  Ramona Triebold added that the board needs to remember the promise to the members to cut costs and save money wherever possible.  Dan Griffin wanted to know what portion of the $3,000 budgeted would be considered for use in the cleanup process.  Radu would like to see some of it used in harvesting the milfoil in our portion of the lake.  Radu also said that the removal of the stairway would need to be done as soon as possible before the weather worsens. 

Dina Lepczynski stated that she believes we need to lay out a plan for lake management going forward.  Greg Denny suggested we form a subcommittee dedicated to lake maintenance.  Radu Roman and Tracy Kleinschmidt have volunteered to attend the Mundelein Park and Recreation District meetings to make sure Oak Terrace has a presence in discussions about the lake.  Greg Denny handed out information on a workshop for training to become a part of the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program.  Al Johnsonbaugh brought up exploring the possibility of having MPRD pay for the entire invasive species of the lake as we are members of the MPRD and our tax money goes to support that organization.

The calendar for 2014 was discussed.  Dates were set for the following events:

                Easter Parade and Egg Hunt- Saturday, April 19, 2014

                Spring Cleanup- Saturday, May 3, 2014 with a rain date of Saturday, May 10, 2014- We will                            meet at Lakeview Park.

                Spring Garage Sale- Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18, 2014

                Summerfest- Saturday, August 2, 2014 with a rain date of Sunday, August 3, 2014

Greg Denny announced that the Indian Creek Watershed Organization will be donating $2,000 for the maintenance and upkeep of the wetlands and rain gardens in the subdivision.

We discussed the need for a split rail fence at property line by the wetland in Hansen Park.  Al Johnsonbaugh will get pricing for this.  Greg Denny will send a letter to the property owners adjoining Hansen Park and the wetlands informing them of their encroachment on subdivision property. 

It was suggested that a copy of the open burning rules be attached to the next newsletter.  They are available on the Countryside Fire Protection District website also.

Al will be the new liaison to our webmaster.

Tracy Kleinschmidt brought up the process of developing a five year forecast for the subdivision’s finances.  Greg will put together a preliminary forecast to use as a starting point for the board. 

The sign at Hansen Park will be replaced with a sign that is consistent with the signs at the other parks in the subdivision.  Colleen Hodges will contact Sign-A-Rama as this company handled the other signs.  The original wood sign will be refinished by Colleen and given to Rita Hansen.  Greg will send a letter from the subdivision to Rita to let her know these plans are underway.

There being no further business, Radu Roman made a motion to adjourn.  Jim Loring seconded and the meeting was adjourned at 8:11pm.

Respectfully submitted by Colleen Hodges-OTIA Secretary