President Larry Nokes called the meeting to order at 10:35a.m. A quorum of eight board members were present, including Gerry Block, John Gregerson, Jack Low, Larry Nokes, Jerry Paffile, Maury Paul, and Jim Santora. Absent members were Bill Bajadalli, Jason Johnson, Mike Phillips, George Renner, Ken Rozelle, Darrell Rung and Ivy Shaw. Three guest speakers were Commissioner Tony Delgado, Sheriff Deputy Mike Nolander and Fish Biologist Jason McClellan.
The first order of business was to ratify new officers and board members. These included Mike Phillips, new vice president, George Renner, new treasurer, and new board members Bill Bajadalli, Jerry Paffile and Maury Paul. All were ratified unanimously.
Next, Deputy Sheriff Mike Nolander spoke. He said the Sheriff's Office has made the current rash of burglaries a top priority and emphasized that our help is needed. We need to be very attentive and watchful, particularly at night and during the fall and winter. The Sheriff and the Commissioners are working to get more people in the department for better coverage. No one particular area or item is being hit. It is happening all around, and anything of value is at risk. There is a warrant out for the arrest of a Cedar Bay occupant related to some of this activity. Mike was asked about dock regulations. He suggested contacting the Sheriff's Office for this information. It would be very helpful to print these regs in our newsletter.
Tony Delgado discussed several County items. He attributed most of the local crimes to drugs. Five new police cars have been purchased in recent months. Because Stevens is a very poor county, we have received more state money than most other counties, but the federal government is taking more away--timber money, for example--presumably to help pay for the war. A Comprehensive Plan meeting will be held on June 12 in Colville to discuss changes in the plan brought about by public input. Higher oil prices have forced the need to cut back on road work in the county. HB2617 addresses the needs of four-wheeler groups who want access to county roads. County Commissioners will meet with these groups and work with the Sheriff's Department to accommodate the needs of these groups. Tony was apprised of the property damage and safety issue problems with the logging operation around the Narrows. He suggested writing a letter to County Engineer Jim Whitbread. Tony agreed to tour the area with concerned property owners. Jim Santora recommended calling Bernard Jackson at the DNR.
Fish Biologist Jason McClellan discussed the recent fish assessment of Deer Lake. With the quality of our water and the excellent food supply, one would expect an abundance of rainbows and kokanee in our lake. Instead, we have a super abundance of predator fish (bass and lake trout). He suggests the promotion of harvesting predator fish. Two proposals have been made to accomplish this: (1)open fishing season earlier (March first), and (2) increase limits on predators. Jason said that a half million kokanee were planted this spring--mostly in the middle of the lake to avoid predators. He fielded several questions. Are there plans for a follow-up fish assessment? Answer: There is no money available for this at the present time. Can we have winter ice fishing? Answer: No--too many problems: rescue, liability, threat of burglaries at vacant homes, to name a few.
Turning to regular business, minor amendments were made and the secretary's report was approved. Larry Nokes presented the financial report for newly appointed treasurer George Renner.
George is trying to simplify the format for future reports to make them more understandable to the rest of us non-accountants while at the same time meeting the criteria for the auditors. The report was approved as presented. The question was raised whether our organization had DNO (liability) insurance. We do not, but Larry Nokes will look into this. Considering the times, it would seem to be a good idea to have it.
COMMITTEE REPORTS.
July 4 Larry Nokes discussed plans for July 4th. Because the state no longer allows
reloading of fireworks, it is no longer practical to shoot off fireworks at a remote location such as the middle
of the lake. So this year our fireworks docks will be attached to land, specifically, "The Point" (above the
Narrows) which is visible from most parts of the lake. The fireworks will be presented on July 3rd, the
children's parade at 10:30a.m. on the 4th, and the boat parade at 7:30p.m. on the 4th. The route will be counter
clockwise this year, beginning at Deer Lake Resort.
FISHERIES-----Jim Santora is busy raising triploids. He called for more volunteers to set up fish pens. He was asked how he operates his pens in the winter. Answer: He aerates the water. "Winter batches are the easiest to raise by far," he says.
NEWSLETTER-----Dennis DeMattia said that people wanting to contribute letters to the editor can E-Mail him or dlpoa.com. Other ways: contact any board member; mail letter to P.O. Box 250. An audience member particularly interested in keeping abreast of property values suggested putting real estate information in the newsletter. Larry Nokes (a realtor) will check into the feasibility of this. Dennis said there is a spot on the DLPOA website for people who want to rent out their lake houses.
CLEAN-UP-----John Gregerson reported that we collected about 1100 pounds of trash on our spring clean-up. The fall clean-up is scheduled for September 16.
MEMBERSHIP-----Dennis DeMattia said that the membership committee is trying to find a way to reach all people who own lake parcels. This has proven to be difficult, as parcel information is often slow to be updated at the county after sales.
ROAD SAFETY-----Chairman Darrell Rung was absent, but he reports that our main problem continues to be the shortage of police manpower available to us.
EMERGENCY SERVICES-----Gerry Block introduced Skip Wells who presented information pertinent to the upcoming EMS levy vote (Sept. 19, 2006), including an overview of FD#1 today, recent accomplishments, goals for the future, and a fact sheet on funding. Skip further discussed the growth of our county, especially in the southern portion, and the need for more volunteer fire fighters. "We are not a small organization," he said. "We have 70 volunteers but would like to have 130." He said that there have been lots of problems with instability, but that is slowing down.
DLPOA PROPERTY-----Larry Nokes again asked for suggestions for the use of our new property. He stated the need for some kind of senior center on our lake. Members having suggestions should contact Larry or any board member.
WATER QUALITY-----A report by Mike Phillips stated that the water quality testing this year proved our lake to be in good shape. We had a two to three week flushing of the lake this spring, which helped us even more. This hasn't occurred in the past five years. Mike reported that the Regional Lakes Conference he and Dennis DeMattia had attended in February was extremely worthwhile. It helped them to understand how lakes and watersheds work and how water problems are solved in lakes similar to ours. Finally, Mike spoke of the lake tour in May to familiarize Tony Delgado and County Planning Director Clay White with existing building situations around Deer Lake.
DOCK DEMOLITION-----We have demolished over 70 docks since we started this program. Yet there are still several more that need to be removed from the lake. It was suggested that prior to dock demo day we take a tour of the lake to identify derelict docks.
WOOD CUTTING-----People interested in cutting wood for the winter should contact Jason Johnson.
In general discussion, the question was raised about the rumor of condos at Deer Lake Resort. Larry Nokes addressed this, stating that plans are in the works for 50 condos to replace the current trailer spaces at the resort. This will come up for public review, and Deer Lake residents should attend to verify that the new plans will be in lieu of the old plans--in other words, total replacement with no further development. Another question: What about condos above the Narrows? Larry said that one great benefit of the Growth Management Act is that there is a moratorium on any new development. Hopefully, when it is lifted, appropriate restrictions will be in place.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 12:45p.m.