ROCK LAKE IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION,

President’s Report, 2006

Annual Meeting at 10 a.m., Aug. 26, 2006
Lower Rock Lake County Park

RLIA board members present: Vice President Johanna Chworowsky, Treasurer Jim Colegrove, Margaret Krueger, Stan Smoniewski, Milt Strauss and President Karl Vonderohe.
The meeting was called to order at 10:10 a.m. Board members and officers were introduced by Karl Vonderohe.
Secretary’s Report:
Minutes of the Aug. 24, 2005 minutes, submitted by Larry Everson and read by Margaret Krueger, were approved with one change.
Treasurer’s Report – Jim Colegrove
            Treasurer’s Report showed current assets of $11,366.45 as of Aug. 15, 2006, including $2,428.94 in Lake Management Account; $4,830.29 in RLIA Checking Account; and $4,107.22 in RLIA Savings Account.
            Treasurer Jim Colegrove said because the RLIA is now a 501c3 non-profit organization, accounting has been changed from August to August to the calendar year. He also presented a report from Jan. 1, 2005 to Dec. 31, 2005, showing total assets of $11,077.51.
President’s Report - Karl Vonderohe
            The lake looks clearer this year which might be the early results of zebra mussels in the lake. Zebra mussels eat green algae but with no green algae the blue algae will increase, making the lake cloudier.
Watch for nutrients going into the lake such as phosphorous in lawn fertilizer. In most cases it is not needed in lawn fertilizer. RLIA supports an effort by the Lake Ripley Management District and Jefferson County to restrict the use of phosphorous in lawn fertilizer.
To prevent more nutrients from flowing into the lake, RLIA successfully recommended that the Lake Mills City Council change ordinance language for boat houses from 550 square feet and 20 feet high to 400 square feet and 10 feet high.
In regard to Long Range Plan for Rock Lake, a priority is changes to the county parking lot on the north end. The town and the county are working on a new plan for specified parking for cars and trailers which may cut down on the number of boats on the lake on weekends.
The annual Lake Clean-Up Day was held May 20 with the help of 45 students who helped clean up efforts in several parks around the lake including Korth Park.
Annual goose count was done on June 29 with a count of 362 geese, up 100 from last year. RLIA will talk about solutions.
Rock Lake Joint Committee Report – Glen Zastrow
The lake was 2-1/4 inches above the maximum as of an hour ago; state regulations regarding piers did not go anywhere; the city is considering purchase of a leaf  vacuum so leaves are not raked into gutters and there will be less run-off into the lake; the committee agrees with RLIA on phosphorous, zoning and boat house placement; the city is willing to accept more input; the development on the north side of I-94 is a dead issue; need to do a better job of educating the public through newspapers and handouts because people need to know more about rules and issues regarding the lake; committee was involved with Patricia Cicero in Long Range Plan; the committee meets at City Hall the first Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m.; and plans are under way for an osprey nest in Korth Park.
When an attendee asked about water running through the Fish Hatchery, Zastrow said no study was done and he said he thinks the water table has more to do with the lake level than the number of boards in the dam.
Publicity Report – Milt Strauss
            Committee has been working since last February to review the by-laws using the Wisconsin Association of Lakes as a model; tee shirts have been redesigned and sold; RLIA membership brochure was revised and mailed; home owner packets with rules and ordinances are distributed to new lake property owners; an exhibited was displayed two days at Town and Country Days; RLIA entered a float in Town and Country Days parade; two tee shirts were donated to Relay for Life silent auction; exhibit was on display at last year’s Fall Festival and will be set up at the Fall Festival on Oct. 1; two newsletters are distributed each year in March and August; a post card was sent to members thanking them for their membership and support; Power Point presentation for schools and other organizations is being edited; an exhibit was held at Beach Bash but was a bust.
            Any changes to by-laws must be done at annual meeting. The revised by-laws were passed with a vote of 21 to 0.
Long Range Plan Report – Patricia Cicero
            A management plan is being set forth for the future, listing possible action and priorities; handout was given for Goals and Recommendations of  the Management Plan for Rock Lake; county has hired a firm to develop a better parking plan for the county north end parking lot and deal with storm water run-off; there is concern about the number of boats and the plan will try to reduce the total number of car-trailer parking spots; bids are out for a leaf vacuum for the city which means less sediment with phosphorous will be draining into Rock Lake and Rock Creek.
            Attendee asked why leaves were allowed in gutter. Leaves have been picked up with an end loader. City is working on a grant to deal with storm water issues.
            Steps are being taken to address lake pollution from sediment from the west channel and sediment samples will be taken this year. Clean Boat, Clean Water Workshop was held to educate perspective volunteers to provide invasive species information at boat launches. Zebra mussels and milfoil are in the lake but boaters should still be educated so they do not introduce invasive species to other lakes. There is a law against launching if any invasive plants or species are on boat and tickets can be issued.
            Phosphorous should not be allowed in lawn fertilizer unless there is proof of need; handout was given regarding water levels on Rock Lake; handout was given regarding results of Rock Lake survey mailed to residents; and county is working on beautification at Korth Park.
            Attendee asked about a finding high levels of Atrazine in lake which could harm amphibians in lake. RLIA will find out more about what can be done. Research was done by Cambridge Environmental Club.
            Attendee asked about plans for Korth Park. Cicero said trees and shrubs will be planted, more trails are planned, and additional shelters off Korth Lane and on top of hill. Korth Park shoreline has been undergoing restoration for past three years with the help of two DNR grants and county staff and volunteers.
Lake Enforcement – Scott Erwin and Dave Walz
            Town of Lake Mills Police Officer Erwin said Boating Safety Program for the lake is funded by the township with $12,000 of which a fluctuating percentage (usually over 50 percent) is reimbursed by the DNR. The city looks to the town to provide enforcement; an average number of contacts and citations were made this year as in the past; there are fewer slow-no wake violations than in the past; he talks to skiers and tubers to tell them the rules; and people pass the signs at the boat launches and don’t read them.
In response to questions by attendees, noisy boats can’t be ticketed at current noise levels. No noise maximum is set for stereos on boats.
Erwin said he suggests that buoys be moved out near Elm Point to keep boat turbulence from tearing up aquatic plants which keep out milfoil; more citations are being issued than years ago; there is no noise limit for ATVs on the lake in winter, but they must travel a maximum of 10 miles per hour within 100 feet of shacks and can’t go over skating rinks. Snowmobiles are radar-monitored on Glacial Drumlin Trail from the bridge to the city because of a set speed limit; and he checks boats for invasive species.
DNR Warden Walz said he is not on Rock Lake much because the lake is well patrolled by others; over July 4 there was a push for increases awareness of aquatic invasives; buoys missing from Schultz Bay were found in the marsh and brought back; ski buoys are illegal; and most violations he sees are for slow-no-wake and skiing within restricted buoy areas.
Election of board members and officers:
A slate of board members was approved. Board members are Jim Colegrove, Johanna Chworowsky, Bob Jeffers, Margaret Krueger, Ron Niedfeldt, Tom Pezzi, Stanley Smoniewski, Milt Strauss, Karl Vonderohe and Russell Wagner.
Officers elected to serve the organization are Vonderohe, president; Chworowsky, vice president; Krueger, secretary; and Colegrove, treasurer.

Meeting was adjourned with a second by member Dan Baker. Attendance sign-in sheet was signed by 29 people.
            These minutes, submitted by Margaret Krueger, are unapproved. The next annual meeting will be held in August 2007.