DLPOA Board Meeting November 13, 2003

Larry Nokes called the meeting to order at 6:58pm. Visitors present were Lee Bayley, Laurence Kolar, Ron and Barb McKenzie. Larry welcomed back Pete Clark who has decided to remain as Treasurer of the Board. The minutes of the October meeting were approved. The Treasurer's report showing an income/outgo difference of +$297.76 was also approved.

ZONING VIOLATIONS In the next order of business, Laurence Kolar, representing a group of concerned Deer Lake residents, presented documentation of zoning violations with regard to property owned and being developed by Mr, Kurt Young. Mr. Kolar is asking DLPOA to support his group in efforts to put a stop to this illegal development. After some discussion it vas suggested that Mr. Kolar call the Cleric of the Board of Commissioners to request a hearing on the matter. DLPOA will write a letter of support and board members will be present for the hearing. A pre-hearing meeting will be held at 7pm on Wed. Nov. 19 at the home of Larry Nokes.

NARROWS PROPERTY Larry Twitchell announced that the document depicting the advantages and disadvantages of selling the DLPOA property at the Narrows is now complete and ready for publication in the next DLPOA Newsletter. Larry noted that the items in the document are factual in nature and they present a clear picture for voters to study. In discussion following, it vas generally felt that the price for the land should be set only after voters' approval to sell (so as not to detract from the major issue of whether or not to sell). The asking price would then be fixed at a level not less than the amount we have invested into it (approx. $20,000). John Gregerson asked if it vere possible to lease the land. Larry N. stated that the issue had been discussed previously with people at the Soil Conservation District and with Fish and Wildlife, and it was found that leasing is not a viable proposition.

NEW PROPERTY Concerning the new property, Tim DsChaak said that Lloyd Nickel {Stevens County Dep. Pros. Atty.) is still researching, but is of the opinion that Mrs, Matthews probably owns the property. If so, when all taxes past and present are levied on the land, it is possible that she will donate it to DLPOA. But the situation is still in limbo.

TONY DELGADO Commissioner DelGado arrived and was told of Mr. Kolar's concerns about zoning violations. He suggested that we contact George Renner about the problem. In the meantime, he (Tony) will discuss the matter with Paulette Yochum and the other commissioners and get back to us.

Tony reported the highlights of the last County Commissioners meeting:

(1) Stevens County needs a new jail. The cost would be approx. $12,000,000. One way to raise the money would be to increase the sales tax 1/10 of 1%;

(2)The Deer Lake Transfer Station Is an antiquated system that does not handle the increased traffic efficiently. A new system is in planning, but the cost would be around $1.5 million.

(3)The County is allowing docks on properties adjacent to Deer Lake Resort which formerly were not allowed.

RESIGNATION Larry N. announced the resignation of Chris Forney. We need to fill the vacancy and Larry would like board members to make a recommendation by January's meeting.

JULY 4TH Larry N. would like us to continue thinking about ways to shuttle children from the other side of the lake for participation in the parade.

MEMBERSHIP Tim D. asked Lee Bayley to identify ways to increase DLPOA membership. Lee suggested we talk to people-possibly have board members bring in 5-10 new members per year; have board members visit other organization meetings to promote DLPOA and to develop a sense of community of the whole lake rather than of small groups and neighborhoods.

MEMORIAL Larry Hersom suggested the proposed memorial for departed Deer Lake residents be placed either near the future new building on the "new property- or near the fire station. However, the memorial idea will be tabled until the outcome of the "new property" is settled.

PATROL BOAT Presently the boat is under cover and Pete will resume patching work in the spring. Larry W. asked if we should sell the boat and buy another. Pete believes the boat is good enough for our purposes. John Q. has a friend who welds aluminum and might be able to help us.

FIREWORKS Just for clarification, Larry H. tells us that Stevens County does NOT have a ban on fireworks-but the fire marshal! may declare conditions too dry to permit fireworks.

LETTER TO EDITOR in new business, Larry T. proposed that we have a forum in our newsletter for people to express personal opinions on lake-related subjects -- a Letter to The Editor section. The idea met with unanimous approval.

NEGATIVE WORDING Larry H. objected to the choice of words in one section of Larry T's above-mentioned document. He felt that "dismal failure" (referring to past efforts to get clean-up volunteers on the Narrows property) was too negative. Following discussion, a motion was passed to leave the wording intact.

FOOD BANK Pete Clark asked that DLPOA contribute cash to the Loon Lake Food Bank for the holiday season. A motion to donate $300 was passed.

Meeting adjourned at 9:37.

 

DLPOA Board Meeting October 9, 2003

The meeting was called to order at 7:01 PM. Minutes of the Sept 11 meeting were approved as read.

There was no treasurer's report. Larry N. announced the resignation of Pete Clark as treasurer and board member, and asked the remaining members to consider a replacement candidate. Larry would like to have a candidate in line by the next board meeting.

John G. Reported that Fish & Game has recently deposited Easter Brooks into the lake and will soon be depositing Solvers and Rainbows into the net pens for the winter. He also stated that Deer Lake will receive a larger allotment of Solvers (approx. 200,000) in the spring.

In old business, Tim D. discussed the proposed 3-way stop at the West Bay entrance to the lake. It was felt by County officials that this would be a waste of time and energy. It would only serve to anger motorists and create more problems. Instead, we need to direct our energies to persuading the sheriff's dept to enforce the speed limits around the lake. This led to a general discussion of speeding problems. It was suggested that the problems would be greatly reduced if the police would be present randomly for just a couple of hours a week. Possible action in the new year: 1) letters and phone calls to exert pressure on sheriff's dept; 2) use of trailer w/ automated speed sign.

It was agreed that the July 4 Kid's Parade will be moved to Saturday. John G. Asked if we could somehow transport kids from the east side of the lake so they could participate. Possibilities: pontoon boat, bus, flatbed. Pickup and delivery schedules would be needed. Later the question of liability was discussed. It is something to think about.

On the subject of the proposed purchase of the 80' X 100' lot, Larry N. presented a document from Stevens County Title showing that the land in 1998 was conveyed from the previous owner to his wife. However, the previous ownership is in question. There is no record of property taxes every being paid on the land. From consultations with the county, Tim D. stated that DLPOA has two courses of action: 1) hire a real estate attorney to execute a "quiet title action", or 2) obtain a quit claim deed from the attorney representing the Mathews estate. The question of the viability of such a small piece of property was raised - parking being a major concern. Mike P. stated that the Salvation Army might be open to a long term parking agreement.

Gerry B. stated that the Fire Dept. is working toward greater enforcement of fire restrictions, No Burn meaning NO BURN!./ This may apply to fireworks as well (as fireworks are illegal in Stevens County). Larry N. asked Tim D. to get the fireworks law from the County for publication in our newsletter.

Larry N. introduced his letter re: "Sale of Property at North End of Deer Lake" in preparation for the proposed vote to be discussed in the next newsletter. This was followed by a very heated debate on the vote at the last annual meeting. When all was said and done, Larry Nokes and Lee Bayley agreed to meet for the purpose of hammering out a document stating the advantages for selling and for keeping the property. The document will include a statement from Fish and Wildlife as to their short and long term plans for the property, as well as the lake. Document to be ready by the end of November for publication in the next newsletter.

The motion was made to adopt this plan. It was approved and the meeting was adjourned at 9:43.

 

DLPOA Board Meeting Sept 11, 2003

The DLPOA meeting was called to order at 7PM. Minutes of the May board meeting and the annual meeting were approved as read.

The treasurer's report was given by Pete and approved. As of 8/31/03 we have had $9950.59 in income and expenses of $8717.21. We currently have $5133.83 inour checking account. Pete also gave a summary of our assets. He lowered the value of the patrol boat by $500 because of the condition of the boat. He is currently using epoxy to try to repair the bottom. Total assets are $51848.68.

Larry Nokes introduced Jack Low, our new director.

Larry opened a discussion of the annual meeting and asked for opinions of what happened there. Pete addressed his concerns about how a small group of people could completely take over a meeting and force through an issue. His concerns were such that he purchased a copy of Roberts Rules of Order and did some research on the legality of the proceedings. He pointed out that the property in the narrows represents 40% of DLPOA's assets and the special interest group had effectively frozen that amount. He also brought up liability in the event someone was hurt, or worse, on that property and we would be liable as owners.

Larry T. would like to see both the Pro's and Con's put in a newsletter and have a written vote of the entire membership to resolve this once and for all. KenR. Suggested that we have a Parliamentarian for future annual meetings and as he has experience in that area, he volunteered. Larry N. will write an article and he will address the general apathy of the members as well as talking to Lee B. for his facts, not suppositions. Larry T., Larry N., Dean C. Bruce B. will get together at Noke's on Wed 9/17 to write the article.

Larry N. asked for the letter from Mike resigning the secretary position and after it was read Jack Low was asked and agreed to fill this position. He requested Mike get with him to let him know the duties.

John G. was excused from the meeting as he was attending a net pen meeting, but he asked Bruce to request we pursue a ban of PWCs on the lake. He also asked Bruce to bring up the possibility of having a 3 way stop sign as the N. Deer Lake Rd and West Bay. Discussions of both issues followed. Tim D. will have the county engineer check out the possibility of the 3 way stop. Tim also thought we should not ban PWCs but spend more resources on the patrol and control of them. That means we have to get our citizens patrol boat fixed and out on the lake.

Pete brought a request on Jack Bassett's behalf that we construct some sort of a "Memorial Board " for Deer Lake residents. Perhaps erected on the property we are trying to get. Larry Hersom was assigned to this, and work with Jack Bassett and Mike P. since he is our historian.

Larry went over the committees and asked for suggestions on what could be deleted or added.

The 4th of July was discussed and Ken reminded us that next year it wall fall on a Sunday and will that change our parades, etc? It was thought that the boat parade and fireworks would be OK, but think about the kids parade, for a discussion next month on whether to change it to Saturday. Ken had good participation from the youth in his church this year and would like to see it continue.

Bruce wanted to drop the fire hydrant issue, Dean did not. Tim suggested a notice by the PUD in their billing explaining to the property owners of the possibility and cost (about $1000 for every 4 houses) and residents could put them in at their own expense. Bruce will write a newsletter article on this and talk to the PUD.

The E. Deer Lake Road rebuild has been postponed to 2006.

Meeting was adjourned at 9PM.

DLPOA Board Meeting May 8, 2003

The meeting was brought to order at 7:00 pm.

The Pine Bay group came to us with a request for money to oil the road above the bay. That area puts dust into the lake, which causes pollution. We gave them $1,000.

Fish and Wildlife : Curt Vail from Washington Fish and Wildlife came to discuss the possibility of opening the lake to winter fishing. They talked to the resort owners and had no resistance. They also said there would be minimal impact on the fishery. Curt said it would be best if we applied for the winter opening. There will be a meeting in Spokane to inform us on how to apply for the change. Russ Armstrong brought up the need to train fire and rescue in ice rescue and the need for cold-water gear if the season is extended. Jim Santora will go to the meeting in Spokane after our annual meeting.

County: Tony Delgado filled us in on the financial problems of the county. The county is using up their rainy day fund at a fast rate. There is nothing left to cut from the budget.

To avoid a superfund cleanup with the federal government involved and all the headaches that would come with it, the seven counties around Lake Roosevelt are working together to clean up what the Canadians have dumped into our river. This is mostly mining debris that is hazardous to our health. If the superfund thing were to happen there would be a big impact on our economy. Tourists, fishing and property values would be impacted negatively.

Russ Armstrong told us about the possible ways of reducing the smoke problem in the southern part of the county. He also talked about illegal burning that happens when there is a burning ban on. One possibility to help control illegal burning is to make it possible for trained fire personnel to write tickets to put some bite into the law.

The fire dept . will come to your home to assess fire safety if you request them to. The dept. would rather educate people on fire safety than have to enforce the law by ticketing.

There were reminders about the activities coming up in the near future. Those items are: roadside cleanup and chili feed, annual meeting, 4th July parades and fireworks and dock disposal. We seem to have enough money for the fireworks if we kick in some from the general fund. More contributions are expected at the last minute. There are openings on the board of directors.

We put the newsletter together then adjourned the meeting at 9:45 pm.

DLPOA BOARD MEETING, APRIL 10, 2003

The meeting was brought to order at 7:06 pm. The minutes were read and accepted. The treasurer's report was read, discussed and accepted.

Dennis Durbin, solid waste manager , gave a presentation on the improvements they expect to accomplish this year. The building of a new road through the old dumpsite and the setting of another scale will help keep traffic off Grouse Creek Rd.. The days it is open may change which will be a big improvement. The committee will take their proposal to the county commissioners the week of April 21.

Bruce Hughes from West Bay told us of the plan to put one or two net pens in our lake. He is representing the N.E. Washington Wildlife Group. They help establish hunting and fishing rules. They plan on raising Kokanee.

A couple of gentlemen representing a group interested in building a motorcycle race track gave us their presentation. They described the grounds and the activities that would occur there. The location would be 275 acres, 2 ½ miles east on Garden Spot, on the north side of the road. Basically it would be well controlled and would happen only on weekends. It would include snowmobiles during the winter. There were a lot of questions from the board. Most were about traffic and noise. The congestion at the intersection of 395 and Garden Spot could be very dangerous and the traffic backup could cause lengthy delays getting across or on 395. They expect 300-500 people on weekend events and they hope for up to 30,000 at one event each year. This track would not be open for general public use, only for racing events. The group says the noise level would not be bad. The people that live close to that area might think otherwise. The group expects to take their plan to the county commissioners in the next few weeks. There will be a public response period. We could not establish when that will be. Most of the comments from the board were negative. We will discuss it more during the next meeting.

Larry Nokes will put together an agenda for the annual meeting . The agenda will be included in the May newsletter. The meeting will take place at the east side fire dept. on June 14th at 10:30am with a picnic to follow. Anyone wanting to bring potluck type food, may. The main course will be German hot dogs. DLPOA will also supply chips, pop, coffee and condiments.

There was an exchange of ideas for the annual pancake feed on July 6th, from 7-12 am. Ideas for the raffle were discussed. All income goes to the ladies auxiliary to be used for things like the food pantry and a Christmas fund. Several people on the board volunteered to help with various aspects of the feed.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:45pm.

DLPOA Board Meeting  March 13, 2003

The meeting was brought to order at 7:03 pm. The minutes were read and accepted. There was a suggestion that we include any thank you notes in the minutes. That will be done.

The treasurer's report was read and accepted. It was noted again that we are way short on donations for the fireworks. General donations are on par with previous years. We will try to clarify which monies are for general donations and which are for the fireworks by changing the wording in the envelopes provided for dues and donations. The next newsletter will only be asking for fireworks donations. We may do some phone solicitations if help is not forthcoming.

4th of July: Larry Nokes contacted the entertainment company re: the fireworks for this summer. We will be getting 13% more than last year for the same amount of money. Charm will work with West Bay to put together the picnic. Larry and Charm were given thanks for their help as Mr. And Mrs. Santa by the board of directors.

Fisheries: The beaver situation was tabled until next meeting. The money that was set-aside for an automatic fish feeder was canceled due to a doubling of the price.

Roadside cleanup: The cleanup will be May 17th. There will be a chili feed to follow. The usual people on the board will make chili. Jerry Block will coordinate the chili feed.

Membership: Pete Clark will try to get an address update from the PUD.

Fire Station property: Charm will be talking to the proper county officials to see what they think can be done with the situation outlined in the previous minutes.

EMS: The Deer Lake station received a better truck for our terrain. It has a shorter wheelbase and 4-wheel drive. It is a "WONDERFUL" truck according to Jerry Block. Chris Forney says he will run the pancake feed if Jerry Block will oversee the work. Several board members said they would help too. If anyone reads this and would like to help in the annual event, contact Mr. Forney at: 233-8983. There may be more on this subject in newsletters to follow. The feed is on Sunday, July 6th.

Signs: Virgil Standerfer volunteered to help Larry Nokes keep the info signs up to date with appropriate information.

Water Quality: Mike Phillips will be going to the Washington State Lake Protective Association annual meeting in April. There are a number of subjects being covered this year that are pertinent to our lake. At the next meeting Mike will cover the highlights of a Dept. of Ecology letter that covers the data collected during 1998 and 1999. It seems to take a long time to compile this information but the letter is about ten pages and the whole state data covers 600 pages.

DLPOA property: It seems there are a number of property owners that are opposed to the selling of the acreage to the Fish and Wildlife Dept. There was considerable discussion both pro and con. Since those opposed were quite persistent, it was decided to encourage them to write an article for the May newsletter presenting facts and arguments showing their point of view. There will be another vote on this subject at the annual meeting on June 14th.

The annual meeting will be held at the fire dept. building on the east side of the lake. It will be on June 14th at 10:30 am.



The board spent time during the meeting to put the March newsletter together. The meeting was adjourned at 9:25 pm.

DLPOA Board Meeting, Feb. 13, 2003

The meeting came to order at 7:00 pm. The minutes were read and accepted.

The treasurer's report was read. Pete brought up the problem of donations for fireworks not covering the expense. We are way short. Larry said he would put an article in this newsletter and next to try to get donations. If we don't get donations, we will have to suspend the annual fireworks until we get more interest.

4th of July: The problem of fireworks and parties going on at the public launch was discussed. There was also a large mess left by those involved. The F&W have control of that area. We will inform them of the problem when the time comes. Having a color guard for the parade was brought up with approval. Parking has been arranged with the majority of the vehicles parking in front of and to the left of the gate. We need to block off roads better as latecomers caused problems trying to get into the line at various points along the way. We are looking at ways to solve this problem.

Road cleanup: May 17th is the day.

Signage: Some additional letters are needed for the info signs. A motion was made for $120 to buy more. It passed. Mike Phillips will assist Larry N. to keep the signs current.

Fire hydrants: Standpipes vs. Hydrants. Russ and Bruce will look closer at the 7 locations previously discussed. One of the problems with standpipes was the freeze up problem. Larry N. thought they make a frost free type that is more expensive but might fit our needs if standpipes are what we go with.

Water safety: 2 deputies are being trained to do water patrols this summer. No volunteers can be involved. We were reminded that you have to be 16 yrs. or older to operate a pwc. The phone number to report problems on the lake is: 1-800-572-0947.

Fire Safety: Re: proposed property for fire station. Bruce found there is no chain of title for that piece of property. It means there is no owner on the county records. There are ways to correct that situation and he is looking into it.

The meeting was closed at 9:15 pm.

DLPOA BOARD MEETING JAN. 9th, 2003

The meeting was brought to order at 7:00 pm. The minutes were read and accepted. The treasurers' report was read and accepted.

Three representatives from the Fish and Wildlife Dept . were in attendance to discuss several issues. Those representatives present were: Allen Palmanteer, Pam Taylor and Mike Charron.

We think there are too many beaver in the lake and the biologist says they can trap and relocate some of them with our help. Jim and Bruce said they would work with Pam Taylor to get this done.

The Fish and Game Dept. control the hydraulics of the lake. Any work done along the shore below the known high water mark has to have a permit. The lake associations seem to be doing most of the shoreline improvements that require a permit. The permit has to be on site during construction and the permit is free. It is " one form covers all".

Styrofoam logs are no longer legal as dock flotation. They deteriorate with age and animals burrow into them for shelter creating little pieces that clutter the shoreline.

An enforcement officer handles enforcement of all F&W laws. If you need to contact that branch of State F&W call the district office or the State Police.

There have been sightings of black bear and cougar around the lake. Please report all sightings and problems to the F&W. They need to compile statistics to show a need to act in certain areas. Please remember to store garbage in a way that will prevent bears from getting into it. Bears will go where there is food. Report cougar sightings in residential areas especially if they appear to be stalking.

Skip Wells gave a presentation on fire protection. He talked about the pros and cons of fire hydrants, draft hydrants and standpipes. He gave the pros and cons from several points of view such as from the insurance companies, the fire department and the water dept.. If anyone is interested in the contents of this report you may contact any of the board members or Skip Wells. 467-8955. e-mail: tritech@icehouse.net.  (See also the Fire Protection article on this web site.)

4th of July: It was decided after some discussion to contact the company that did our fireworks last summer to secure them for this summer.

Fisheries: Bruce said he needed an automatic feeder due to the unsafe nature of his climb down to the lake. It will cost about $300. There was a motion to spend that amount. It was passed.

Newsletter: Articles are due next meeting.

Fire protection: Russ told us about the smoke problem in Suncrest and what they are proposing to do about it. Possible solutions are restricting burning to certain dates, chipping yard waste or working with Waste Management to dispose of some of the waste. It will probably come down to a combination of all of these.

Property: The small piece of property we thought we would have donated to us is in limbo. There is an ownership question we have to resolve. Bruce is working on it.

The DNR situation is on hold until they can prove they have ownership of the lakeshore. So far they can't prove anything.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:45pm.