Category: Meeting Minutes

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Board Meeting—Barnes Lake Club

May 1, 2024

Meeting called to order at 7:03 PM

Board Members Present: Pam Reid, Lacy Minard, Cece Stramsak, Pat Betcher, Teresa Rolland, Brian Menard, Tom Petts, and Alex Nikora. Absent: Derek Morey

Guests: Dawn Gottschalk, John & Karen Codrea, Sue St. Pierre, Patty & John Eaton, Laurie Petts, Pat & Megan Crumbaugh, Linda Zukonik, Dough Macha, John Rickord, and Burns Rolland.

Additions to the Agenda: Pam showed us the flyer for the golf outing in September that was provided by Sam Bonner.

Minutes of Last Meeting: Cece Stramsak made a motion to accept the minutes of the last meeting and was seconded by Alex Nikora. Motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report: Our balance for the beginning of the year is $20, 175.36. Brian Menard made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report and was seconded by Tom Petts. Motion passed.

Membership Update: We have 146 members so far this year and 6 more need to be processed. We have received $2500 in fireworks donations as of right now and discussion followed about raising the fireworks budget. Cece Stramsak made a motion for the club to donate $6000 toward the fireworks with any additional funds to be added to the total at the board’s discretion. Teresa Rolland seconded, and the motion carried.

Special Events Reports:

· A. Observer (June): May 20th is the deadline for Brian to get articles for the summer Observer. Cece will have it in the mail early so that people can get the info on the fireworks, annual meeting, etc. in a timely manner.

· B. Coffee hour: The first coffee hour of the year will be on the Saturday of Memorial Weekend from 9 to 1030. After that it will be the 3rd Saturday of the month.

· C. Goose Egg Round Up: The DNR did come and destroy nests and collect eggs this year. We can’t do the round up yet again because of the bird flu.

· D. Yard Sale: The dates for this year’s community yard sale are June 6, 7, and 8. Brian will put up signs and handle the advertising.

· E. Concerts at the Beach: Derek was absent

· F. Christmas Decor Contest: The winners were listed in the March mailing.

Beach/Pavilion Maintenance Report: We are all set for the summer. New ropes and buoys were bought by the BLIB. The gate has been having technical difficulties which resulted in damage to Doug Macha’s car. It’s hopefully fixed now but we may need a wider eye for the sensor. Alex has had two calls regarding the building fund and will get quotes to fix the back wall this summer.

Park Lot Maintenance: A tree on G Lot needs to come down otherwise it may fall on a boat. We still need concrete on P Lot and the giant willow on B Lot was cut down. Tom Petts and Scott Herrick can fix the mower and said they will begin mowing the beach for free. Brian Menard made a motion to have the mower fixed and have Tom and Scott take care of the mowing for free and was seconded by Alex Nikora. Motion passed.

Scouting Report: Frank came and reported to us that the Scouts have had 7 campouts since September and made many different ranks over the winter. The troop came and put out the picnic tables for us and will help with tent set up for the BLC picnic in August. Unfortunately, they are down to 8 Scouts in the troop. Frank explained how they are out of younger Scouts for the older ones to mentor and are at risk of disbanding. This particular troop had been around since the 1960s and he is working with the organization to keep it going. If they do disband, we will have to decide what to do with all their gear since we are their charter organization.

Barnes Lake Improvement Board: Burns informed us that the first spray of the year was Tuesday and they treated 23 acres for starry stonewort. The budget stretched past $2500.00 because the algae bloom was out of control. There will be another spray before Memorial Weekend. He let us know that our budget for weed control is $50K and he will be looking for a new spray applicator this year. Solitude, being a big corporation, has been hard to deal with.

Old Business:

· A. Park Lot and Street Outstanding Items: Lady Liberty could not be moved due to lack of ice this year. We will have to wait until next winter. The barricades will go up on G Lot this summer. Park Lot P will be fixed with cement. There are still issues on Park Lot C due to road wash flooding onto the park and into the lake. Q Lot barricades got bent a bit over the winter.

· B. Lapeer County Road Commission Lakeshore/Hillside: The road commission is still working on issues the paving has caused. Scott Herrick installed a structure at the bottom of E Lot that will connect to the new stairs. It sounds like asphalt problems will be fixed soon but there is no definite timeline.

New Business:

· A. Barnes Lake Club By-Laws: 2008 was the last time our bylaws were redone. Pam read through the bylaws on some other lakes and took a stab at a review for us to proofread. The goal is to have the final copy done for the July annual meeting so it can be approved. The board should read through and give edits and comments to Pam by May 28th.

· B. Directory 24/26: We can take directory info until May 20th.

· C. Beach Buoy Payment: We would like to get a credit card so that we have an easier way to consolidate and keep track of payments for BLC items. Linda Zukonik had to purchase the buoys with her own money and then be reimbursed by the BLIB because there’s a round robin of approval needed between the BLC and BLIB when it comes to spending.

· D. Park Lot E Platform: Tom Petts made a motion to pay for the platform constructed on E Lot by Scott Herrick with funds not to exceed $700 and was seconded by Teresa Rolland. Motion carried.

· E. Welcome Packet: Teresa will get the bags assembled and deliver them to the new residents by June.

Correspondence: An email was sent from Judy stating that she felt that there are too many golf carts in the bike parade around the lake and not enough bikers. Discussion ensued about how to space things out better or get more people to bike.

The next meeting will be June 5, 2024, at 7 PM.

Teresa Rolland made a motion to adjourn and was seconded by Alex Nikora. The motion carried and the meeting adjourned at 8:37 PM.

Respectfully submitted, Lacy Minard 

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Board Meeting—Barnes Lake Club  

October 4, 2023  

Meeting called to order at 7:04 PM  

Board Members Present: Pam Reid, Pat Betcher, Lacy Minard, Tom Petts, Teresa Rolland, Cece Stramsak Absent: Alex Nikora, Derek Morey, Brian Menard 

Guests: Rachel & Kevin Johnson, Mike Beauvais, Linda Zukonik, and Burns Rolland 

Moment of Silence: A moment of silence was observed for Carl Ekstrom 

Minutes of Last Meeting: Pat Betcher made a motion to accept the minutes of the last meeting and was seconded by Cece Stramsak and the motion carried. 

Treasurer’s Report: Lacy Minard made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report and was seconded by Tom Petts. Motion passed. 

Membership Update: We have 234 members. It was noted that the dues increase needs to be posted to the website. 

Special Events Reports:  

A. Observer notes: Pam will contact everyone that runs an event and have them write a little blurb for the Observer. 

 B. Halloween Party 10/14: Pam has everything in order for the event and just needed     one more driver and trailer. Lacy Minard volunteered her husband if they could find a trailer to use. 

C. Barnes Lake Directory: This will be worked on over the winter. 

Beach/Pavilion Maintenance Report: Everything will be taken down after the Halloween party. Alex will have prices for new buoys in November. He’s also obtained all the fish stocking permits. 

Park Lot Maintenance: Alex was absent. 

Scouting Report: The Scouts will host a Handicapable campout on the 24^th and 25^th. They had a biking meeting at Richfield Park that was fun. 

Barnes Lake Improvement Board: Our spraying season has wrapped up for the year. Pam and Chuck did a lot of the lake samples this year and Pat was able to run the samples up to be tested. We have a good situation for nice lake water. Assessment postcards have been sent out and the meeting will be on October 21 at 8AM at the Deerfield Township Hall. We have a private company coming to evaluate whether the way we are spraying is the most effective. 

Old Business:  

A. Park Lot and street new and outstanding issues: Park Lot G has erosion that needs to be addressed, Park Lot P still needs a retainer wall, Park Lot B will have the tree removed when the company is able to, Park Lot C had the road graded by it but we won’t know if it’s effective until it rains, and on Park Lot Q the barriers are working well. 

B. Road Commission Lakeshore/Hillside Project: The meeting with Ray Hayes was productive. Cory will look at some new engineering options to fix the water flow issues. It will be about 5 weeks before any of that can be implemented. We have a storm drain on Lot E with no easement for the road commission to access it. A motion was made by Pat Betcher and seconded by Teresa Rolland to grant the Lapeer County Road Commission a 10-foot easement on Park Lot E to access the storm drain. Motion passed. 

C. New Website Items: Tabled until November. 

D. Legal Action Thompson vs. BLC: Still in litigation and can’t be discussed. 

New Business: none 

Correspondence: Pam received an email from Susan asking who put up a fence on the north side of Lot L between her and the lot. Everyone was confused as to what happened 

Upcoming Events: Christmas Home Décor Contest will be 12/16 between 7 and 10 PM  

Lacy Minard made a motion to adjourn the meeting and was seconded by Cece Stramsak at 7:58 PM. Motion carried. 

Respectfully submitted, Lacy Minard 

Meeting called to order at 7:03 PM

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:

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 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.

Respectfully submitted, Pam Reid

Meeting called to order at 7:00 PM

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.

Respectfully submitted, Pam Reid