President Larry Nokes called the meeting to order at 10:30a.m. All board members were present with the exception of Jason Johnson, Larry Hersom, Darrell Rung and Virgil Standerfer. Guest speakers present were Lavonne Webb, Undersheriff for Stevens County, and Tony Delgado, County Commissioner.
Undersheriff Webb presented some good news and some bad news. The bad news: because of the economic challenges in our county, the sheriff's office has taken some hard hits in terms of staff and equipment. The good news: the state has passed HB6050 which has given our county a new funding source ($653,000). This has allowed the sheriff to purchase seven new patrol cars, which is short of the needed 29 cars, but it is a start.
In the area of record keeping, Webb reported that the current system is not capable of adequately pulling up statistics from specific areas (a new and better system will be in place next year), but to the best of her knowledge the sheriff's office received 108 calls from the Deer Lake area in the past year. Thirty were traffic related, twenty were for criminal activity, there were two water complaints, and the rest were for domestic problems.
For the boating program the sheriff has two boats to cover six lakes and limited staff for patrolling. There is a marine fund derived from boating registration fees which allows trained officers to patrol on an overtime basis, but still there is not enough manpower to handle all the problems. To report boating problems, call the dispatcher at 684-2555.
On the subject of unlicensed vehicles on county roads, Webb said this is a difficult issue and is generally handled on a case-by-case basis. Problems with vehicles having unsecured loads?--write down license numbers, vehicle descriptions and specific location where load was lost, then call the dispatcher. Vicious dogs?--There is a state statute on potentially dangerous dogs, but it is unenforceable where no county ordinance exists (as in Stevens County). Truly dangerous dogs can be handled without an ordinance through a hearing process. Animal problems in the county are a huge issue--especially abandoned animals, and the county simply does not have the manpower to deal with them. What recourse do we have if we catch a burglar on our property?--Webb advised against confrontation. Calling 911 and reporting a robbery in progress is the best avenue of response.
Next, Tony Delgado apprized us of county news . He spoke of the public meetings for discussion of the County Comprehensive Plan beginning the week of June 13. He spoke also of HB6050, saying that Stevens County received more money than any other county in the state. He spoke briefly of the County-Wide Fire Plan which includes a plan for emergency evacuation. Federal funds are available for the institution of this plan. After the Comprehensive Plan is adopted, the county will look at the big problem of junk cars in our area. When will the dirt roads around the lake be paved?--Tony said that the most heavily traveled roads get the most attention. The county does not have enough money to fix all the roads. East Deer Lake Road is scheduled to be paved in 2008.
Gerry Block spoke for Fire Chief Riley, saying that Station 5 has three qualified volunteer firefighters. Next, she introduced us to a young man (name forthcoming) who has provided the new sign in front of our fire station as an eagle scout project. His service is greatly appreciated.
Scott Ballou, representing Air-Pipe , reported that broadband DSL through his company is now available in this area. Contact him at scott@air-pipe.com.
In the treasurer's report , Pete Clark said that our total assets amounted to $76,000. Our income for the year is $9500. Those wanting a copy of the report should contact Pete at 233-8000. The treasurer's report was approved, as was the secretary's report.
Committee Reports:
Fourth of July -----Larry Nokes said that the celebration will begin with our annual Sunday breakfast on July 3rd. The kiddies parade will start at 10:00am on July 4th. The boat parade will begin at 7:30pm on the 4th and will travel in a clockwise direction this year. The fireworks will follow the boat parade at 10:00pm. We are still searching for docks for staging the fireworks. If you have one, please call Larry at 233-2088.
Fisheries-----Jim Santora said that his triploids are starting to show around the lake and fishing has been good. Two extra pens are available for anyone wanting to raise fish for the lake. Call Jim at 233-8300. John Gregerson said that he will be getting 90,000 silvers for his pens this year.
Newsletter-----Claudia Otis reported that over 700 newsletters are sent out, but that most of those letters go to non-dues-payers. Should we continue to do this? It was generally felt that the information in the newsletters is important to all, whether they are DLPOA members or not, and for the benefit of the lake we should continue the practice.
Clean-up-----Mike Phillips said that 1100 pounds of trash was collected on our last road clean-up. Our next clean-up will be September 17th. Year-round clean-up is encouraged. Bags for this are available at the transfer station and at Deer Lake Resort.
Membership-----Dean Crump's illness has hampered his work on this committee this year, but he has called for volunteers to help him with his pet project: picture-histories of the Deer Lake area. Contact him at Deer Lake Resort.
DLPOA Property -----Larry Nokes reported that we have acquired the 80'x100' piece of land on North Deer Lake Road for use as a community center, etc. Tony Delgado thought that the county might have funds available for this project through the state Economic Development Program. Larry will check into this.
Road Safety -----Larry Hersom is the person responsible for getting Undersheriff Webb to attend our meeting. He is also instrumental in getting the sheriff's department to increase patrols around the lake. His newsletter questionnaire about oiling the roads met with little response, and so that subject has been dropped. Anyone still interested should contact Larry at 233-9122.
Water Quality -----Mike Phillips reported that Deer Lake will be tested free of charge by the state for milfoil every other year. Water quality testing has already begun. Final results will be available in November. We have a potential problem with man-made phosphorus (caused mainly by lawn fertilizers and beach burning). Duck itch is a growing problem in our lake. One good way to stop it is to quit feeding the ducks and geese. Also, remove unused docks where waterfowl congregate. Children should rinse their bodies immediately after swimming. Epsom salts baths are also effective. An article on this subject will be in the fall newsletter.
Dock Demolition -----George Renner reported that the dock demo will take place on June 18th at Sunrise Point Resort. Have your docks there by noon, but the earlier the better. The charge for this service is $2.00 per linear foot.
Comprehensive Plan -----Larry Twitchell said that this plan is available on the internet (200 pages) at www.co.stevens.wa.us/landservices/planning.html . Paper copies for $40.00 and CD's for $4.00 are also available. Contact the County Planning Department for these. A public meeting on the plan is scheduled for June 15th at 6:00pm at the Chewelah City Council Chambers, 301 E. Clay St. All Deer Lake property owners are encouraged to attend.
Woodcutting-----Virgil Standerfer is in the process of finding wood for cutting this fall. Watch the fall newsletter for more information.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 12:30pm.