MINUTES OF A MEETING
OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF THE BLACKWATER LAKE ASSOC.

September 27th, 2020

A meeting of the board of directors of the Blackwater Lake Association (“the BLA”) was held via video conference and hosted by Carolyn Dindorf on the above date. Lloyd Thielmann, Carolyn Dindorf, Linda Burns, Dodi Sletten, Barbie Laughlin, Becky Seemann, Tim Marr, Shannon Klundt, and Scott Agre were present at the meeting.  All board members were present at the meeting.

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 8:37 a.m. by Board Chairman, Lloyd Thielmann.

Approval of Agenda

Lloyd distributed the agenda prior to the meeting which, upon motion duly made and seconded, was unanimously approved. 

Approval of Prior Minutes

The minutes of the June 28, 2020 BOD’s meeting minutes were distributed by Dodi Sletten previously via email and reviewed by the board prior to this meeting. After review by the board which, upon a motion duly made and seconded, the minutes was approved unanimously.        

Treasurer’s Report 

      Linda Burns provided an email to the board prior to the meeting with the summary of the budget with a comparison of prior years from 2018 to date. The current membership is at 99 which is down and likely a result of not having an annual meeting where most members elect to pay their dues. Lloyd and Becky will draft an email to those who have not paid their annual dues to encourage them to do so.

      The balance in the General Account is $4096 and the Lake Protection Fund is $7592. Linda reported that $725 was received in donations for lake protection as of July 1, 2020. The Blurb remains the highest expense. Becky proposed giving Judy Leeds a $100 gift certificate in appreciation of her work on the Blurb. The board approved this unanimously. Lloyd will purchase and will include this expense along with others that he will submit to Linda.

       Linda will contact Pat Schwerin to see if she would be willing to audit the books.

           After review by the board which, upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Treasurer’s report was approved unanimously.                        

 New Business

1. Electronic Blurb: Prior to the board meeting, Becky Seemann emailed the board requesting suggestions for delivering the Blurb all electronically beginning in 2021. Lloyd and Becky asked for feedback on the content of the Blurb and the board overall liked current format and content. Becky opened the discussion on electronic delivery by relaying what other lake associations have done. She reported Webb Lake is close to 100% electronic and others including Women Lake are offering both print and electronic. Lloyd stressed the need to gain permission from the members to send electronically which is how he’s positioned this when requesting an email delivery. Lloyd has done a great job of getting 100 members to receive the Blurb electronically.  The board discussed the obstacles in moving to all electronic which included; not having e-mail, don’t want to receive via e-mail, or prefer print. Scott suggested raising dues $5-10 to help defer some of the cost of the printing and postage. The board’s position after discussing options, is to continue to gain more members approval to send via email but provide both options at this point. Lloyd and Becky will draft a letter to be sent via email that will outline the benefits of receiving the Blurb electronically and also mention the reduction in costs to the lake association by doing so.
   
   
2. ACCL Meetings: Lloyd reported on two of the ACCL meetings he attended which have been held virtually this year due to Covid-19.  He also reported that the Chair – Linda Blake has resigned and her position is open. He relayed that zebra mussels had been found on both Woman and Wabedo lakes. A zebra mussel had been found on a dock pipe on Woman Lake and possibly on a boat trailer on Wabedo.  Divers went into Woman Lake to determine infestation and they were not able to detect more. Divers will also go into Wabedo to follow-up but as of this date, neither lake will be listed as being infested without further discovery. Lloyd mentioned that the divers are doing this voluntarily. Carolyn updated the board members on treatment of zebra mussels and she noted there are not yet good methods to control them. Copper Sulfate can be used in small contained areas but she also pointed out this kills native mussels. Lloyd reported that starry stonewort has not moved significantly into our area lakes but gave an update on the cost to Koronis Lake who has major infestation. Koronis spent $794,000 over 6 years in an attempt to control it without much success.      
   
   
3. Beaver Control: Lloyd reported that 17 beavers were trapped thus far and the trapper is doing a great job. The trapper will start trapping again this week. The grate in front of the culvert was stolen and will need to be replaced by the county.  
   
   
4. BOD Elections: As approved by the BLA BOD’s in the May 3, 2020 board meeting, an extension of a year was added to the service time for board members who were up for election. Since all board members will be up for reelection in 2021, it was proposed and approved by the board that we obtain approval at the Annual meeting for all members to add one year to their service.
   
   
5. Lake Stewart Program: Carolyn reported on a program the Gull Chain of Lakes has implemented which focuses on protecting water quality by managing and protecting the shoreline and reducing the amount of pollution that enters the lake. She indicated they have a quiz on their website for the lake owners to use to determine and learn how to best protect their shorelines including testing septic systems. The website also has tips on best practices, native plants to use for the area as well as helping members learn of grant programs. Those members who complete shoreline restoration receive a Lake Stewart sign to put on their shoreline. Carolyn asked whether the board should consider a similar program for Blackwater. Carolyn sited the work that Craig and Barbie Laughlin had done and Barbie reported that they had gotten a grant from Cass County that covered 50% of the work they implemented. The board recommended we approach this by putting an article in the Blurb that will show the before and after shorelines pictures from Craig and Barbie  along with tips for shoreline care and the process for applying for a grant. Carolyn will write the article for the spring Blurb.        
   
   
6. Bass Fishing Regulations: Lloyd reported that members will have the opportunity to share their opinions on Blackwater bass regulations with the Walker Area Fisheries-DNR in a public meeting in October. Lloyd will send an email to the members notifying them of the meeting details and the process to share their input.                              

  New Business

7. Wakeboard Boat Study: Lloyd reported on a University of MN study that is currently underway on Wakeboard boats and their impact on lakes. He noted that Tim Maar’s son Jeffrey is key in this study. This study noted that Maar is working with St. Anthony Labs to analyze the results. Donations have funded this study to date. Tim shared an interview Jeffrey had with MPR detailing the aspects of this study.  Lake Independence is being used as the study lake. Linda asked what could be done to enforce slower boat traffic when there were recommendations for slow wake. Lloyd noted the sheriff’s office would be the one to respond to complaints.    
   
   
8. Shoreline Restoration/Repair: Lloyd noted that all restoration and shoreline repair require a permit.
   
   
9. Walleye Restocking: Lloyd reported that Walleye stocking is a year out due to no egg harvest this year. 2022 will be the first restocking for Blackwater.
   
   
10. Seedlings Program: Lloyd reminded the board that an email will need to go out on the seedling program to coordinate that effort.
    
    
11. Membership List: Shannon suggested dividing up the membership list amongst the board to help solicit folks to sign up for electronic Blurb delivery. Lloyd will coordinate getting a listing to all of us.
    
    
12. Blackwater Craig’s List: A request was made to the board to consider opening a Craig’s list for Blackwater. As there are currently other options for the lake residents to utilize, the board declined to move forward with this suggestion.

   Next Board Meetings and Annual Meeting 

         The Board of Directors meetings for 2021 will be held on May 2^th, June 27^th, and September 26^{th .}The annual meeting will be held on 7/17/2021.

Adjournment

There being no further business to come before the Board, and upon motion duly made and seconded, the meeting was adjourned by unanimous approval at 10:03 a.m.

Dated as of the date first written above.

       ____________________________________

         Dodi Sletten, Secretary

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