ROGERS LAKE AUTHORITY
~MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF MAY 8, 2013
A meeting of the Rogers Lake Authority (RLA) was convened at the Rogers Lake Clubhouse at 7:30 pm on May 8, 2013.~ The following members were present: Robert Recor, Richard Smith, Tom Mondelci, Tom Baehr, Mike Secord and Dennis Overfield. Liz Sunshine, Secretary and seventeen attendees were also present.
The meeting was called to order at approx 7:35 pm. There was not a quorum for the April meeting and there were no minutes to be read.
Dick Smith opened the meeting with a statement intended to correct any misconceptions that may have come about by an email circulated last month. This email suggested that the RLA was supporting the use of chemicals to control the weed population in the lake. This is not the case! The situation was that the RLA had put forth a budget request to the towns requesting funds for harvesting and bottom blankets for weed control. This budget request was denied. The operating portion of the budget was approved however there was no money approved for the requested weed control methods of harvesting and bottom blankets. Upon specific request from the board of finance for information regarding chemical use and cost, Dick provided the information requested. This information was provided without
endorsement or recommendation for use by the RLA.
Memorial Bench
The Fred Holth Memorial Bench is complete. Many thanks to those who worked so hard to make this a beautiful long lasting memorial to Fred for his many years of service to the lake community. The area surrounding the bench is a sample Buffer Garden. This garden includes plants which help filter runoff water from land contaminants and keep the soil from eroding into the lake. The garden includes plants such as Red Dogwood, Winterberry, Sweet Aspire, Econatia, Virginia Rose and other buffer plants. Signage for the buffer gardens to educate the public of the type and use of the plants is in development. A dedication of the Memorial bench is being planned. Benthic mats have been placed at the end of the park by the peninsula in an effort to prevent spring growth in the area of
the Memorial Bench.
Police Patrol:
The Police patrols are just getting started, last weekend was opening day of fishing season. Mr. Mike Payton of DEEP will make recommendations for markers and buoys on the lake. The RLA patrol has begun and will continue through the summer for approximately 30 hrs per week. Including; on the weekends for 10 hrs on Sat and 10 hrs on Sunday and the remaining 10 hrs broken up Monday through Friday. There have been some complaints regarding oversize motors and Mr. Payton will be looking at registrations. A question was raised regarding what to do if someone places buoys improperly. Mr. Payton is the one to contact, he will remove the buoys and then have the homeowner follow the proper procedure to have buoys placed and ensure that the appropriate buoys are used. The signage will be approved
and replaced at the boat launch by Mr. Payton. He said the simpler the better.
Weeds:
Tom introduced our guest speakers: Warren and Paul Grosgean. Mr. Grosjean spoke of his life history of living on lakes all around the United States and the weed issues encountered in each location and time of his life. He spoke of the causes and the "cures" as there is no real cure to the weed issue as it is an ongoing maintenance issue. He spoke of the management of the entire watershed and watching carefully what goes into the lake. He explained that Rogers lake has 7 major inlets their maintenance is important. He spoke of road sand and cleaning out the catch basins on a regular basis to ensure it does not end up in the lake, either to contaminate or to fill it in, as a shallow lake will grow weeds. The best way to permanently combat the weed issue is to deepen the lake. Mr. Grosgean also
spoke of the importance of neighborhood awareness. Through his many years of life on the lake he developed a lake bottom blanket that he claims is an eco-friendly way to stop weed growth when deployed on the lake bottom. These mats are made of three ply polyethylene and are weighted down by rebar, they weigh about 40lbs total and are very easy to install. Mr. Grosegean says they are easy to use, move and deploy and they will work for years. They can be removed and relocated several times a year to get a larger area weed free. The mats come in stock 10'X30' and 10'X40' ft lengths. In his years of experience people will experience about a 12% regrowth the following year and 40 to 50% regrowth after two years in an area that had been covered by the lake bottom blanket. His biggest suggestion was to deepen the lake but short of that or in the mean time the lake bottom blanket works well to provide a safe and effective weed free lakefront
area.
Benthic Mats:
Old Business:
State testing occurred last week checking the size of the fish population
New Business:
It was suggested that a postcard to area residents may be a good way to remind people of the expectations of the lake use and care. In addition follow up with email blast to lake association e-mail lists. Roger Breunig agreed to look into the neighborhood postcar/email idea.
Following the presentation a motion to adjourn was made by Dick Smith and Seconded by Mike Secord. The vote to adjourn passed by unanimous decision. Meeting adjourned at 9:21 pm.
Respectfully submitted
 ~Elizabeth Sunshine
Secretary for RLA
The next meeting of the Rogers Lake Association will be on June 12, 2013 at 7:30pm at the Rogers Lake West Shores Clubhouse:
Agenda for 6/12/13 Meeting:
Budget
Police Patrol
Weeds
Benthic Mats
Boat Launch
Dam - Drawdown
Website
Memorial Bench
New Business
Old Business
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