Minutes of the Oak Terrace Improvement Association Board-August 2, 2017
Board members present: Ken Hohs, Greg Denny, Alfonso Contreras, Jim Loring, William Yarbrough, Ramona Triebold, Tracy Kleinschmidt, Dan Griffin, and Colleen Hodges.
Members at large present: Rich Reick.
Meeting called to order at 7:00pm by President Greg Denny.
A motion was made by Ken Hohs to accept the minutes as reported and seconded by William Yarbrough. The motion passed.
Treasurer’s Report- William reported that there was a total of $39,746.87 in all accounts as of
June 30, 2017. A total of $2,148 in back dues were paid since the last reporting. He also shared that more launch keys were sold this year and there were 5 boat slips rented for the season. Itwas suggested that a notice announcing the availability of ramp keys and boat slips be sent out in March to maximize the income from these assets. There is a little more than $3,000 owed on the pier account and there is a possibility that the pier will be paid off in the next 2 years.
Ken brought up for discussion the possibility of mailing more of our notices to residents so that we are sure they are received. We will include this idea in our budget talks before our next annual meeting in November.
Lake Issues- Tracy shared the issue of the lake being no wake after the heavy rains. Many lakefront owners’ property could incur damage if the waters rose further. She shared that MPRD will be placing a red flag on their boathouse in the case of no wake periods. All boaters need to be made aware of this system. Tracy also informed us that Clark, the company that treated the lake for invasive species of plants, came and checked out the lake. They said the treatment was successful for the invasive species, but the beneficial plant population of the lake is much less than desired. Currently, our water conditions on the lake are not favorable for a healthy body of water. Greg Denny has been testing the lake and reporting to Lake County. He shared there are far less rooted plants than should be present. He stated that this situation may result in a very heavy and unhealthy algae bloom this year. At present, we do not know what has happened to the plant population. It was shared that if people would like to help improve the health of the lake, they might consider planting a rain garden. There is a productive and flourishing garden at the corner of Hickory and Lakeview for an example.
Restoration Areas- Jim stated that there was some buckthorn removal. The native plants in the rain gardens are blooming beautifully and they should fill in with color over the next two years.
Hansen Park is looking good right now. The shoreline at Lakeview Park needs to have rock placed as a breakwall to protect our property from further erosion. Jim will get a price to create the breaker. It was also suggested we get a price for a breakwall between the beach and the community pier at Beach Park. Jim will also get three bids for the removal of a tree at Lakeview Park.
Summerfest- Plans are set for a pig roast on Saturday, August 5, at Beach Park. Anyone available to help with set up needs to be there around 8:30am.
Legal- The property on Oak Shores that is encroaching on OTIA property will be sent a letter to have the structure moved as soon as possible or face further legal issues.
New Business- There was some discussion on the CN Railroad closure and the impact on the subdivision. Maple and Elmwood bore the brunt of the traffic issues. Several shared seeing people move barricades and completely disregard closures. We were grateful for the help from Fremont Township and Lake County Sheriff for their help with traffic control.
The paddle board buoys used for a program by MPRD have been moved off of Oak Terrace property in accordance with our attorney’s advice.
There was some discussion of the buoys placed near Lakeview Park to protect the shoreline from boats coming into the shallow water there. Boats have been ignoring the buoys and going behind them causing damage to plants, the lake, and the shoreline. Ken Hohs made a motion to move the buoys to a three foot depth. Jim Loring seconded. This motion failed. After further discussion, second motion was made by Ken Hohs to move the buoys to a distance of approximately75 feet from the nearest shore (25 feet back from their present location), but not less than four foot depth. Jim Loring seconded and the motion passed. Dan suggested that the Board put more pressure on MPRD for stricter policing of the lake to avoid dangerous situations in the future.
There being no further business before the Board, a motion was made by Ken Hohs to adjourn.
William Yarbrough seconded and the meeting adjourned at 8:23pm.
