MINUTES OF A MEETING
OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF THE BLACKWATER LAKE ASSOC.
May 3, 2025
A meeting of the board of directors of the Blackwater Lake Association (“the BLA”) was held
on the above date at 3058 4th Avenue North, Longville, MN 56655, at the home of Lloyd
Thiemann. Board of Directors; Chairman Shannon Klundt, Lloyd Thiemann (former
Chairman), Carolyn Dindorf, (via WebEx), Becky Seemann (via-WebEx), Brian Roos, Rick
Zbikowski, Dodi Sletten, Tim Maar, and Scott Agre attended the meeting. Barbie Laughlin
was not present. A quorum was present for the meeting.
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 8:39 a.m. by Board Chairman, Shannon Klundt.
Approval of Agenda
Shannon Klundt distributed the agenda prior to the meeting via email which, upon a motion
duly made and seconded, was unanimously approved.
Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes
The minutes of the September 22, 2024 BOD’s meeting were written and 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 were approved
unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Brian Roos reported the membership at 116. The balances in the accounts are as
follows:
General Checking $6,334.21
Walleye Stocking $10,105.00 ($5,188.19 CD matures 5/9/25 )
Lake Protection $25,195.07 ($4,150.48 CD matures 5/9/25) ($10,000 CD matures
6/21/2025) (6027.07 CD matures 6/21/25).
CD Interest earned estimated at 679.47 at maturity.
Income received includes $3,800 from membership dues, $2,195 in Lake Protection
donations and $2,995 in Walleye donations.
Expenses totaled $546.09 which included Website hosting $110, Membership MLR
(Minnesota Lakes & Rivers advocates) of $185 and a donation to MN COLA of $50.
A discussion was held on suggested changes to the 2025 membership form that will be
included in the May Blurb. Brian indicated he will stamp the blurb (paid) for those members
who have paid for 2025. Becky noted the cost of printing of the blurb should go down
substantially with one publication a year. After review by the board which, upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Treasurer’s report was approved unanimously.
NEW Business
- Annual meeting: Shannon reported the Woodrow Town Hall will be reserved for the annual
meeting on July 19, 2025. We will have a silent auction this year and Barbie Laughlin, Dodi
Sletten, and Kathy Zbikowski will spearhead this for the Annual meeting. The proceeds will
go to the Lake Protection fund. Shannon asked the board if using Super 1 for sandwiches
etc. again will be acceptable. Discussion was held on finding a speaker and it was suggested
a speaker from either the DNR or Forestry would be good. Lloyd and Shannon will follow up. - 4 th of July Boat Parade: The boat parade will take place again this year. The prize will be
$100 and Brandon and Cindy Larson will chair the parade. - Blackwater Blurb: A big thank you to Becky Seemann and Judy Leeds who have been
working hard on the spring Blurb. Becky sent an email to the board with the planned articles
and topics that will be included. Articles include: turtle article, contributors lists, a
membership form, and more. Shannon wrote an article on otters. A request for an AIS
volunteer will be included. Becky recommended we thank Judy for all her design work by
giving her $200.00. The board approved this expenditure. - DNR Walleye Stocking: The DNR will not stock this year. Shannon worked with the DNR to
gain permission for BLA to stock. The planned expenditure is expected to be $6720 along
with some delivery costs. Timing to be determined on when stocking will take place. - BOD Elections: Up for election this year are Tim Maar (Director), Rick Zbikowski (Director)
and Scott Agre (Director at Large). Tim Maar will be stepping down and has recommended
Pat McKee take his place. Director at Large is no longer a position, that position is now a full
Director. - ACCL Meetings: These meetings are the last Friday of the month; May-August. Board
members are encouraged to attend as it’s a great opportunity to meet other lake association
members and exchange ideas. - AIS Early Response Team: Carolyn reported on the need for one AIS volunteer around the
lake. She will also be confirming with the existing volunteers they will continue to do their
monitoring. - Water Testing: Rick Zbikowski and Brian Roos will take over water testing duties from Jim
Sletten. The first kit is picked up at the ACCL meeting in May. Jim will coordinate that pickup
and facilitate training with Rick and Brian for the June testing date. - New Member Packets: Dodi will send the known new members to Becky.
- Beaver Control: Lloyd reported that 11 beavers have been trapped this year along with 7
last fall. Part of the trapper’s job is to keep the flow open and to clear out any dams and he’s
done a great job again this year. The trapper reported that there has been some interference
with his trapping equipment and that blocks of wood had been placed in the creek to keep water in the creek. Lloyd asked that we keep an eye open to anyone who might be interfering in that way. - Year End Membership. This mailing was sent out to all lake property owners in January
with a letter and a membership form. 116 memberships were sent back which suggests this
was a successful mailing. A membership form will be included in the spring Blurb as well
encouraging lake owners to become members. - Loon signs: To date, the loon signs have not been placed at the access/landing. Shannon
will check with the folks who were designated to put up the signs. - Cabin Coffees: Becky spoke to the future of Cabin coffee. She relayed that we are learning
there are only so many people that have the option to host along with the timing on when
they are held. She will reach out to the Web Lake folks to see how they work through this.
Pat McKee will host July 11 th and Brian and Sharon Roos will be hosting on August 8 th . - Blackwater Lake Association By Laws Update: Shannon and Tim sent out revisions to
the Blackwater Lake association by laws in February of 2025 and again prior to the May 3 rd
board meeting for review by the board. It was recommended that we not list the amount of
the dues to allow for ease of adjusting them in the future. Carolyn suggested we clarify the
committees and what they entail and cover. Some committees will be eliminated or merged
under another committee. She will put her suggestions in an email as to what was discussed
and distribute. Shannon will make those changes and resend to the board for us to approve
at the June meeting. The final approval of the revisions will be at the annual meeting.
Shannon will send these revisions to the email list email to members prior to the annual
meeting. - Election of officers: Shannon noted that the election years for officers and directors were
really challenged during the Covid years and will be putting together an election chart to
track when terms are up and distribute to the board. - Blurb mailing: Lloyd reported that 350 Blurbs will printed in color to be mailed out to lake
owners and local business and other associations. Becky is targeting Memorial Day for the
Blurb to be completed and printed for mailing. Lloyd asked for volunteers to help fold and
stamp the newsletter. Several board members agreed to help. - June 21 st Board meeting: Lloyd asked for a volunteer to host the June meeting and Carolyn
agreed to do so at her lake place. - MN lakes and Rivers: Lloyd reported that they have a map on their website that displays
Minnesota lakes and the wake boat distance and depth they are expected to stay from
shore. - Libraries Love Lakes Program: Carolyn introduced a program that NALMS (North
American Lake Managing Society) promoted which involves hosting and sponsoring an
event at a local library aimed on youth to teenager’s lake education. This includes providing
the local library with books focused on the importance of lakes along with some art and craft
activities. Lloyd volunteered to contact the library to gain their interest.
Next Board Meetings and Annual Meeting
The remaining Board of Director’s meetings for 2025 will be held on June 21st, 2025 and
September 20 th , 2025. The Annual meeting will be held on 7/19/2025.
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 9:54a.m.
Dated as of the date first written above.
Dodi Sletten, Secretary