MWLA Meeting Minutes


Monday, October 11, 2010   Koller Library

 

Karen Dixon, President, called the meeting of the MWLA Board to order at 9:32 a.m.

Members present:  Karen Dixon, Marilyn Gabert, Barry Hopkins, Jean Rein, Merry Perkins, Tom Joseph, Tom Kramer, Greg Holt, Eleanor Butler, Jim Reichert,

Members absent:  Fred Theisen, Jim Banovetz, Bob Becker

Approval of Agenda

 Motion made by Merry, second by Jim R. to accept the agenda as presented.  Motion passed.

Approval of Minutes

Motion made by Greg, second by Tom J. to accept the minutes of the September 20, 2010 meeting as corrected.  Motion passed.

Approval of Financial Report

Motion made by Merry, second by Tom K. to accept the financial report as presented.  Motion passed.

Correspondence

- 9-28-10 Sent thank you card to Rita Mazur for use of Blue Bayou dock

- 10-2-10  Received thank you from Jodi McMahon re: Colorama pontoon cruises

- 10-7-10 Received thank you from Camp Jorn re: $500.00 donation

- 10-8-10 Received thank you from Discovery Center re: $50.00 donation for water quality programs.  The donation was sent in time to be eligible for the Center’s matching grant so they received another $50.

 Old Business

Committee assignments – A couple changes were made to the committee assignment sheet.  Karen will revise the list and email it to the board.  It was noted that committee members do NOT need to be board members.  We should keep this in mind as we think of people who may like to be involved as a volunteer on any committee.

Board member contact– Karen passed around the sheet for board members to update their contact information.  She will revise the list and email it to the board.

Liability insurance – Our current policy does not specifically cover board members.  Jim R., Tom J. and Eleanor will look into our current policy for more detail on what is covered.  Bob was absent but can report at our next meeting on possible insurance through the town.

Fish cribs – Tom K. looked into information to build fish cribs for the lakes on the chain.  To build 12-14 cribs, logs would cost about $800, hardware about $500, permits $50 per lake.  The cribs would be built in the winter and set out on the ice.  The depth would need to be at least 4’ under the low water mark.  This winter 6-7 cribs could be placed in two of the lakes on the chain. Tom K. will also check into dropping trees in specific areas to provide spawning grounds for the fish, and will try to get some or all of the logs donated.

Motion made by Barry, second by Merry to start with the fish cribs and spawning areas this winter with the total expense not to exceed $1,500.  Motion passed.

MWLA resolution regarding Rest Lake Dam  – Karen handed out the revised draft resolution.  We are getting closer to a consensus, but it still needs work.  Karen will email the resolution to the board so it can be worked on over the winter months.

New Business

Bylaw amendments – There was discussion on proxies and one-month residence requirements listed in our bylaws.  Tom J. will check any legal requirement for lakes association members.  Karen will put this back on the agenda for next spring.

Change AIS motion to resolution? – The board decided to leave it as a motion. 

Committee Reports:

 Public Communications

October Newsletter – Newsletter is ready to mail.  Greg, Karen, Tom J., Marilyn, Jean and Julie King will help stuff envelopes after today’s meeting.

May Chamber flyer  - One side of the flyer will be to notify the public of the Annual Meeting date.  There was discussion on what to include on the other side.  Marilyn will work on it this winter.

Membership renewal letter  - A section with volunteer information will be added to next year’s membership renewal letter.

Community Outreach:

Colorama – This year was a great success.  The weather was great, T-shirt/hat sales were up, lots of information was given out and 121 people showed up for free pontoon rides.  We had 3 pontoons offering free pontoon rides but could use 4 pontoons next year.  It worked very well to go in on Friday and bring all the supplies up from the basement to the Community Building back room so it was ready to go on Saturday morning.

Water Ecology and Safety:

Town AIS Strategic Plan (TAISSP)  - We had a successful season with more than triple the hours required for lake monitoring with the help of 60 people.   We also had 175+ hours logged in for Clean Boats Clean Water.  Discovery Center will send a bill to us for $1,800 toward AIS hours. Tom J. will present the plan to the Town Board on Tuesday, October 12.  It was such a successful program that we hopefully will get support money from the Town again.

Vilas County AIS Partners Meeting update – Karen and about 40 other people attended this meeting run by Ted Ritter.  They had a full day of going through all their accomplishments and sharing information.  It was so helpful that Karen will suggest to Ted that hold three partner meetings next year.

Government Relations

Plan Commission – Nobody was able to attend the September 21 meeting.

Town Board – There is a Town Board meeting tomorrow night.  Because the white arrow sign issue is on the agenda, many people have said they are attending the meeting.  

Joint meeting – The Town Board and Plan Commission will have a joint meeting on October 26 at 6:00 p.m. for a hearing for a Conditional Use Permit for a garage.

Administrative

Annual Meeting – Karen asked the board to think about our raffle for the Annual Meeting and Picnic Party.  If we have something we would like to donate to the raffle, or know somebody who is willing to donate or somebody that would be willing to ask others for a raffle donation we should contact Marilyn. 

MW Alliance – Jim R. reported that the Alliance is still working on fine-tuning their strategic direction.  Instead of just writing out checks to area organizations, they would like to use the money toward specific items that would help these groups.  They are trying to not duplicate efforts of other organizations, but will certainly join in where needed.

Kings –The board members made a personal donation for upkeep of the Bill Lambrecht Interpretive Trail at  the Discovery Center in the King’s name in recognition of  their 17 years of volunteerism to the MWLA.   Karen will total the money and send it to the Discovery Center.

Budget – Next spring the Administrative Committee will revisit the current budget and work on the 2011-12 budget.

Next Meeting -

The MWLA will meet on Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 9:30 a.m. at the Library. 

Motion by Jean second by Merry, to adjourn the meeting at 11:10 a.m. Motion passed.

Respectfully submitted,

Marilyn Gabert, Secretary