Free Event, Barnes Lake Launch Ramp, Saturday July 8th, Noon to 3:00 pm
The Lapeer Conservation District will be visiting Barnes Lake this Saturday from 12 pm to 3 pm to answer questions about our new cleaning station that we received through a grant that they were awarded, to help fight introduction of invasive species to Barnes Lake. There will be literature, Q & A and free give aways.
(Note: there was an article in Lapeer Co. Press, same subject (see excerpt and link below)).
LAPEER COUNTY — When it comes to fighting invasive species in Lapeer County’s waterways, it’s all about education. Thanks to sponsorship by the Lapeer Conservation District (LCD), through a grant distributed by the Great Lakes Commission, boaters will have the chance to learn what they can do to help slow down aquatic invasive species (AIS)
In addition, Saturday morning, Jessica Abelson, CISMA Coordinator for Genesee, Lapeer, Livingston and Shiawassee Counties will be at the Barnes Lake Club Annual Meeting on July 8th to also address invasive species problems that we are experiencing on many Michigan Lakes, including ours.
Please plan on attending both events this Saturday to learn how we as individual property owners can participate in preserving, maintaining and improving Barnes Lake.
Board Members Present: Del Shoopman, Pam Reid, Pat Betcher, Alex Nikora, Teresa Rolland, and Cece Stramsak.
Guests: Tom and Laurie Petts, Burns Rolland, Thomas and Mona Hauser, Rich Dickson, Kevin Johnson, Jamie Thompson, Reese Wentzloff and Linda Zukonik
Additions to the agenda: No additions
Moment of silence: There was a moment of silence in honor of three members of the Barnes Lake Community:
Thema Bertee, July 29, 2022
Joan Burress, November 8, 2022
Tommy Lynn Brown, March 13, 2023
Minutes of Last Meeting:Cece Stramsak made a motion to accept the minutes from May 3, 2023, board meeting and was seconded by Alex Nikora. All said “Aye”, Motion carried.
Treasurer’s Report: Teresa Rolland made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report and was seconded by Pat Betcher. All said “Aye”, Motion passed.
Membership Update/PayPal: Received 185 completed memberships forms, which is the normal amount for this time of year. PayPal is working well.
Special Events Reports:
A. Discussion took place on the June Mailing to all community members, which went well. The goal was set to get this mailing sent out by June 15th. Eight documents will be placed in the mailing: Golf cart Ordinance, membership application, Deerfield Road complaint form, several documents for the July 4th, annual meeting letter, and annual Barnes Lake Club Members Picnic Flyer.
B. Everyone believed this year’s annual community wide garage sale went well. It was reported that we had 35 homes participating compared to 12 homes in 2022.
C. 4th of July fireworks, All is set for the event, nothing new to report. Balance is due after the fireworks.
D. The concert at the beach, June 10th went well. There was a good turnout on land and in the water. The band was great!
E. Pat Betcher and Linda Zukonik will begin working on the BLC picnic and raffle prizes. Linda reported that Wally Dotson has donated a full-size table with Barnes Lake carved into the top for our raffle. Linda will begin selling tickets for this item in June. Everybody knows Wally’s work; this is an item to have. Please contact Linda for raffle tickets. They also reported that they need help, so if anyone has time, please contact Linda or Pat. A discussion took place on ways to keep volunteers cool during the event. Last year we had 90-degree temperatures which made it very hard on our volunteers.
F. A discussion took place in regard to the Annual Barnes Lake Club Meeting topics and elections. Alex will be contacting the Sherriff department to discuss water safety and golf cart safety. We will have coffee and donuts at the meeting. The setup for the annual meeting will take place Friday prior to the meeting at 3:00 pm.
Beach/Pavilion Maintenance Report: Alex reported that he has been struggling with Geese waste. That it is difficult to keep up with cleaning the mess up.
Park Lot Maintenance: Park Lot Maintenance has been limited, but he has been monitoring the parks to ensure all is well and safe.
Scouting Report: Theresa Rolland reported on scout activities. Attached is the informational letter provided by the Scouts.
Barnes Lake Improvement Board: A spray has been scheduled for the week prior to the 4th of July. Spray is still restricted by EGLE to only 25-30% of the lake. EGLE rules states that after May 1st through July 1st we can’t use copper sulfate on any more than 1/3 of the shoreline. These restrictions are removed July 1, 2023. The schedule spray prior to the 4th is to try to control the algae and weed growth. Once again, we are plagued with high temperatures with little rain or wind, which is recipe for algae growth. Additionally, the water is extremely clear this year with little turbidity which is allowing sunlight to reach the weeds resulting in heavy growth. In the last three weeks we were able to have good visibility at a depth of 21 feet.
Old Business:
A. Lawsuit: The lawsuit was facilitated in Imlay City on 10/14/22 and was attended by Pat Betcher, Pam Reid, and Burns Rolland. The BLC must be paid by 7/3 to allow the Thompsons agreed upon access or they will be in contempt of court, and it will go back to court at their expense. This information will remain on the agenda until payment is made, completing court requirements.
B. Overview of the Agreement:
1. The agreement was signed October 14, 2022, is between Jamie and Kelly Thomson and Barnes Lake Club and Patrick Betcher.
2. Thompson shall pay Barnes Lake Club an amount of $ 11,250.00 within 6 months of the entry of the Consent Judgment. The Consent Judgment was signed and entered on 1-3-2023.
3. Thompsons shall be granted by the entry of judgment a 10’ easement to the land of Thompson, over and across Park Lot D for the purpose of ingress and egress to land owned by Thompson.
4. The easement shall be over and across Park Lot D following the route and course of a certain “two track” access drive currently in existence and utilized by Thompsons for ingress and egress.
5. Thompson shall not be entitled to make such improvements to the easement as to materially change it character from a “two track drive”.
Thompsons are entitled to maintain the two tracks as necessary without changing character at Thompson cost.
6. Thompson nor any other person may park motor vehicles on the easement granted by this settlement agreement.
7. The Club shall not erect, place, or construct any barricades on the 10’ easement on Park Lot D or otherwise interfere with the free and uninterrupted use of that easement by pedestrian or vehicular traffic that Thompson does not park or store vehicles or other items of property on Park Lot D.
8. Existing Barricades shall be removed from the 10’ two track within 7 days once Barnes Lake Club received $ 11, 250.00.
9. Specifically, Thompson and other lot owners may use the easement to cross Park Lot D for pedestrian or vehicular traffic for ingress and egress.
10. Thompsons shall not park or store vehicles or other items of property on Park Lot D.
11. The agreement may be enforced by the contempt powers of the court if a breach of contract.
Brian Menard made a motion and was seconded by Pat Betcher. All said “Aye” Motion carried.
Motion approved is as follows:
Provide copies of the Consent Judgment to all neighboring properties of Park Lot “D.”
Approve posting the Consent Judgement on Barnes Lake Website.
Approve sending the violation notice as provided to the Directors to Mr. and Mrs. Thompson.
C. Message Board: A location was decided with the message board being installed prior to July 5th.
D. BLC Welcome Packet: Teresa brought sample packets for us to proofread. In proofreading the documentation comments were provided to Theresa. It is anticipated that the packet will be ready at the next meeting in July.
E. Park Lot Issues: P Lot will get the retainer wall repaired. Muskrats have made a home in P lot. They will be trapped between October and November.
F. Road Commission @ Lakeshore and Hillside: The road commission is beginning work at this intersection. The issue developed in that property owners assigned to Park Lot E are unable to access the water due to the work completed. A meeting will take place with the engineer and road commission to get this resolved.
G. Website Info Additions: Lacy was absent, no new information to report.
New Business: N/A
Correspondence: Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species Grant was approved. Details of what will take will be provided once we have all the information.
Cece Stramsak made a motion to adjourn and was seconded by Alex Nikora. The motion carried and the meeting adjourned at 8:05 PM.
The next meeting is July 5, 2023, at the beach pavilion.
Board Members Present: Del Shoopman, Pam Reid, Pat Betcher, Alex Nikora, Teresa Rolland, Derek Morey, Cece Stramsak and Brian Menard
Guests: Tom Petts, Burns Rolland, De Hartwell, John and Karen Codera, Scott and Teri Herrick, Thomas and Mona Hauser, Doug Macha, and Linda Zukonik
Additions to the agenda: Linda Zukonik requested to add the topic: Security gate and key cards.
Minutes of Last Meeting: Derek Morey made a motion to accept the minutes from the last meeting and was seconded by Theresa Rolland. All said “Aye”, Motion carried.
Treasurer’s Report: Derek Morey made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report and was seconded by Brian Menard. All said “Aye”, Motion passed.
Membership Update/PayPal: Received 130 completed memberships forms, which is the normal amount for this time of year. PayPal is working well.
Special Events Reports:
A. April Mailing to all community members went well, no issues were reported to Cece Stramsak.
B. The community wide garage will be held June 1,2, and 3rd. Brian will be putting out the signs along the roads and placing ads in local newspapers prior to the event. Additionally, fliers will be posted on Facebook and Neighbors website.
C. 4th of July fireworks will be held on July 1st. One half of the fireworks payment has been paid as a downpayment. The remaining half is owed on July 1st.
D. Concert at the beach June 10th. Derek Morey had planned on having a family night with karaoke and food trucks. The event entertainment was later changed to a live band “AM Radio Band” The fun starts at 7 P.M
E. Coffee Hour will be held May 27 at the Club House. Start time is 9:00 am – 10:30am. Hosts for this event are Tom and Laurie Petts. This is a great opportunity to meet your neighbors!
F. Pat Betcher and Linda Zukonik will begin working on the BLC picnic and raffle prizes. Linda reported that Wally Dotson has donated a full-size table with Barnes Lake carved into the top for our raffle. Linda will begin selling tickets for this item in June. Everybody knows Wally’s work; this is an item to have. Please contact Linda for raffle tickets.
G. Observer Mailing: Discussion took place on the number of mailings that will take place this year.
Brian Menard made a motion to accept the mailing process as provided and was seconded by Dell Shoopman. All said “Aye”, Motion passed.
o Motion approved on the number of mailings to all property owners in 2023:
1. April Mailing (Mailed no later than April 30th), Cece Stramsak: Calendar, President letter, Membership flyer and Membership application, and any additional information.
2. June Mailing (Mailed no later than June 15th), Cece Stramsak: Annual meeting notice, July 4th events, Boat parade, bike, and golf cart parade, BLC annual Picnic flyer, membership form and flyer. All other information that is informative to the community.
3. Summer/Fall Observer (Mailed November 1st), Brian Menard: To include overview of the following events:
Presidents Letter: Boat parade-4th of July, Home decoration contest-4th of July, Bike and Golfcart parade-4th of July, July 4th fireworks, Flotilla, Barnes Lake Golf Outing, Hallowing party, and Fishing contents, all other information that is informative to the community.
Beach/Pavilion Maintenance Report: Alex reported that he repaired the dock that was damaged by dredge boat. He also stained the dock. Beach ropes and buoys have been placed in the water. Alex also reported that next year the ropes and buoys will need to be replaced due to age and wear. The well has not been primed due to cold temperatures.
Park Lot Maintenance: Park Lot Maintenance has not yet started due to the cold temperatures.
Scouting Report: Theresa Rolland reported on scout activities. Attached is the informational letter provided by the Scouts.
Barnes Lake Improvement Board: Burns let us know that Aquatic Services has been sold to a new nationwide company (Solitude) but will keep all their employees. Our first spray took place on April 25 prior to the EGLE regulations starting that prevents us from spraying the entire lake. This spray was an effort to try to control the algae growth. Once again, we are plagued with high temperatures with little rain or wind, which is recipe for algae growth. A new rule states that after May 1st through July 1st we can’t use copper sulfate on any more than 1/3 of the shoreline. The April treatment cost more than anticipated at $ 10,000.00. On average we pay $4,000.00 for our first treatment with no sales tax added on. The bill we received had a 6% sales tax. Burns is working to resolve this matter. At the last BLIB meeting they approved a systemic treatment to the weeds at the beach. It costs more money but will be a good place to test the method. Burns reported that the water study has been completed.
Tom Petts reported that Goose Busters removed 11 nests and 58 eggs. Eggs are removed from April 1st through April 30th. The practice is to remove the eggs towards the end of the month, when the geese are less likely to lay new eggs. Geese could not be removed from the lake again this year due to the Bird Flu. EGLE would not issue permits for removal.
Old Business:
A. Lawsuit: The lawsuit was facilitated in Imlay City on 10/14/22 and was attended by Pat Betcher, Pam Reid, and Burns Rolland. The BLC must be paid by 7/3 to allow the Thompsons agreed upon access or they will be in contempt of court, and it will go back to court at their expense. This information will remain on the agenda until payment is made, completing court requirements.
B. Overview of the Agreement:
1. The agreement was signed October 14, 2022, is between Jamie and Kelly Thomson and Barnes Lake Club and Patrick Betcher.
2. Thompson shall pay Barnes Lake Club an amount of $ 11,250.00 within 6 months of the entry of the Consent Judgment. The Consent Judgment was signed and entered on 1-3-2023.
3. Thompsons shall be granted by the entry of judgment a 10’ easement to the land of Thompson, over and across Park Lot D for the purpose of ingress and egress to land owned by Thompson.
4. The easement shall be over and across Park Lot D following the route and course of a certain “two track” access drive currently in existence and utilized by Thompsons for ingress and egress.
5. Thompson shall not be entitled to make such improvements to the easement as to materially change it character from a “two track drive”.
Thompsons are entitled to maintain the two tracks as necessary without changing character at Thompson cost.
6. Thompson nor any other person may park motor vehicles on the easement granted by this settlement agreement.
7. The Club shall not erect, place, or construct any barricades on the 10’ easement on Park Lot D or otherwise interfere with the free and uninterrupted use of that easement by pedestrian or vehicular traffic that Thompson does not park or store vehicles or other items of property on Park Lot D.
8. Existing Barricades shall be removed from the 10’ two track within 7 days once Barnes Lake Club received $ 11, 250.00.
9. Specifically, Thompson and other lot owners may use the easement to cross Park Lot D for pedestrian or vehicular traffic for ingress and egress.
10. Thompsons shall not park or store vehicles or other items of property on Park Lot D.
11. The agreement may be enforced by the contempt powers of the court if a breach of contract.
§ Brian Menard made a motion and was seconded by Pat Betcher. All said “Aye” Motion carried.
§ Motion approved is as follows:
1. Provide copies of the Consent Judgment to all neighboring properties of Park Lot “D.”
2. Approve posting the Consent Judgement on Barnes Lake Website.
3. Approve sending the violation notice as provided to the Directors to Mr. and Mrs. Thompson.
C. Message Board: A location was decided with the message board being installed prior to June 1, 2023.
D. BLC Welcome Packet: Teresa brought sample packets for us to proofread. In proofreading the documentation comments were provided to Theresa. It is anticipated that the packet will be ready at the next meeting in June.
E. Park Lot Issues: The trees on E Lot were cut on 1/23. G Lot had cement dropped to secure the loose rocks on the culvert and barrier posts will be put up this spring. P Lot will get the retainer wall repaired. Muskrats have made a home in P lot. They will be trapped between October and November.
F. Road Commission @ Lakeshore and Hillside: The road commission is beginning work at this intersection. The issue developed in that property owners assigned to Park Lot E are unable to access the water due to the work completed. A meeting will take place with the engineer and road commission to get this resolved.
G. Website Info Additions: Lacy was absent, no new information to report
New Business:
A. Linda Zukonik reported that Max Card is not working and that she had only 5 key cards. Linda contacted Thumb Alarm to get Max Card repaired and to order an additional 50 key cards. The cost of each key card is $4.99. She did not know what the charge would be for service work to Max Card.
Correspondence: Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species Grant asked if Barnes Lake would participate in a grant application to receive a wash station and signage about invasive species. It agreed to join the grant application process. Updates will be provided as we receive information.
Cece Stramsak made a motion to adjourn and was seconded by Brian Menard. The motion carried and the meeting adjourned at 8:26 PM.
The next meeting is June 7, 2023, at the beach pavilion.
BARNES LAKE CLUB 