May Minutes 2009

RLIA minutes, May 11, 2009

Board members present: Milt Strauss, Jim Colegrove, Larry Clark, Stan Smoniewski, Ron Niedfeldt, Scott Johnson
Guests: Patricia Cicero, Rob Waters

Meeting was called to order at 6:30 P.M. by the president, Milt Strauss.
Minutes of April 13, 2009, were approved.
Treasurer reported approximately 150 memberships. See attached financial report.
Correspondence:
RLIA received a request from UW-Madison to respond to a survey regarding grassroots organizations. Secretary will complete it and send it in.
WAL wants to know who the RLIA main contact person is. Jim will respond.
Rock River Coalition newsletter has information about the Send-Your-Legislator-Down-the-River event. It is somewhat like a town hall meeting. Patricia encouraged participation.
WAL has offered to send the Lake Connection to all RLIA members. This information will be included in RLIA’s annual summer newsletter. (along with the annual meeting notice and information about the new Lake Planning Grant) Johanna to write it, unless Margy can be located on her cruise.
Presentation re. storm drain marking:
Rob Waters, almost-an-Eagle-Scout, reported that the marking will take place May 30 (May 31, rain date) at 8:00 A.M., meeting at either Bartels Beach or the Legion Hall. Rob has organized five crews of Scouts and needs four more drivers. Jim and possibly Larry volunteered. RLIA will reimburse Rob for the markers and adhesive. ($169.90) Rob can be contacted at 648-3871 or watersR@live.com.
Joint Lake Committee:
Bids for the rain garden at the Boat Launch parking area were too high ($30,000 without plants) to engage a contractor. The idea is dead for now.
Bob Wardell is still researching the environmental impact of using bottom ash for winter roads instead of salt. There is some question about whether the mercury and arsenic content would be harmful.
Gypsy moths have been sighted at Tyranena Park, but Lake Mills does not qualify for aerial spraying by the state.
Bob Wardell has ordered 500 brochures (free) on invasive species from the DNR.
A DNR report assessed the dam at the Mill Pond as “high hazard” for the downstream area. The City was required to hire an engineer, who also classified it as a high hazard. The DNR must now review his report. There may be requirements for the City to, within ten years, either retrofit the dam or build a new one. A new dam would have to surpass standards for a 1000-year rain event. The current record for the area is seven straight days of substantial rain in 1850. Rock Lake watershed covers a large area and has a small outlet. City accepted the report.
Strand (the engineer) also wrote a storm water management plan, but there was no motion at the City Council meeting to accept that report.
Publicity:
RLIA will have a display at the May 20 market day. All non-profits in the area have been invited to participate. Town and Country days are June 26, 27, 28. RLIA table will be set up on Friday afternoon and taken down Saturday evening. Board members are still needed for the 11:30 to 1:30, 1:30 to 3:30, 3:30 to 5:30, and 5:30 to 7:30 shifts on June 27. Milt will contact appropriate people for the two displays.
Milt will take brochures to the Municipal Building for their display racks.
County:
Patricia will hold a training session for identification and monitoring of invasive species on June 6, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the Sullivan Town Hall. All are invited to participate.
Adopt-a-lake:
Only three students and five adults showed up for the clean-up, perhaps due to a simultaneous clean-up at RLAC property and lack of enthusiasm in the schools. Stan and Patricia will meet with school officials to try to get the district more involved. Milt and a teacher in the Cambridge district will also be invited.
Stan and Patricia gave a power point presentation to the Tyranena Ladies Club. A lively discussion followed.
Lake Planning Grant:
Thanks to Larry’s hard work, $9,944.38 was granted to RLIA by the state of Wisconsin to study the problem of sediment and pollutants entering Rock Lake via the Majola Shores channel. Ron, Scott, Tom, and Larry will implement the data collecting, under the direction of Dave Marshall and Patricia. Sampling will begin May 15 to measure levels, clarity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen, and will continue every two weeks, plus during several storm events, at ten locations.
Dave Marshall will conduct additional tests for flow intensity, phosphorus, e-coli, and fecal chloroform. [Patricia----spelling?] The weir on the Briske property is not in good shape and may be removed. Jim will set up a separate account for the grant and do the accounting. Milt and Larry will be the signatories for this account. Margy will be invited to write an article for the newspapers.
Meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
Next meeting: June 8, 2009, 6:30 p.m, Lake Mills Municipal Building