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Greene Acres News

August, 2009

Spread the Word and invite all your friends -

GREENE ACRES LAKE FESTIVAL

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 10 AM – 6 PM

Post the enclosed poster where you work and

send an invitation to everyone on your email list!

Contact thelakefestival@yahoo.com or call any of the following people:  

Gina Sullivan:      985-8314                       Help at GAPOA ticket booth/ flea market table

Betty Carlson:     985-1886 after 7pm       Help with children’s games

Heather Vail:       985-6275                        Help with teen games

Lynn Wagner:     996-8003                        Help with GAPOA drink and food sales         

Bob Marcus:       990-5737                        Help with parking, morning or afternoon

Ken Weiss:         990-0910                        Boat Rentals and Boat Auction

Carol Weiss        990-0910                        Flea Market Space and/or donations & anything else!

 Donations and Bake Sale items wanted for GAPOA Flea Market Table

(or rent your own flea market space for $10 donation)

·         Can you bring baggies of cookies (3/4 to a bag) or other baked goods for sale?

·         Do you have items you can donate to the association table?  Please price them “to sell” and deliver to the association table by 9:30 am Saturday morning.  

Boats wanted for Festival auction and rentalsCall Ken Weiss 990 0910

·         Do you have a boat you don’t use anymore? Put it in the festival auction and name your reserve price.  Anything over your reserve will go to the association.  Auction scheduled for 10:30 am.

·         Do you have a boat and life preservers you will lend for the day for short rentals?  

Teens Make Great Volunteers.  Volunteer your teen to help with kids games! 

Association Business Update

The idea for the Lake Festival fundraiser was introduced to a large turnout at the annual meeting on July 25.  Funds raised will be used to restock the lake and improve the recreation area.  Treasurer Kathy O’Brien reported at the meeting that due to a high rate of unpaid assessments this past year, the association’s operating account was very low.  In addition, the association’s reserves (association savings that are mandated by the state) must be rebuilt since they were drawn down during the dam crisis.  So there is very little money for anything other than bare bones operating necessities. 

Ken Weiss, who has been heading up the Lake Committee for several years, spoke at the annual meeting about the need to restock the lake in order to keep it healthy and inhibit mosquito infestation.  Greene Acres Lake was always noted for its exceptionally clean water in the past and that was due to having a healthy balance of habitat.  Fish and wildfowl ensure that nutrients are recycled, keep water moving, and eliminate algae buildup on stagnant water – which is where mosquitoes lay their larvae.  Because the mosquitoes hatch in April, Ken urged that restocking be done as soon as possible.

Several association members requested that improvements to the bath house* be made as well.  So the idea for a fundraiser seemed to be the answer to making these improvements.  Board member Carol Weiss introduced the idea of the Greene Acres Lake Festival, saying that its success depended on volunteer support from the community.  Many people came up after the meeting to volunteer.   

GA resident Eddie Medeiros stepped up and purchased a Festival Sponsorship for his company, Never Dark Whole-House Generators, and offered to grill hamburgers too! Thanks for getting the festival off to a great start Eddie! 

Election of  Officers

At the annual meeting, Debbie Baugher, Ken Weiss, and Gina Sullivan were elected to 3 year terms on the Board of Trustees.  At the August 17 board meeting, Eric Bolton and Marc Anderson were elected to fill uncompleted terms.  The 2009-2010 board officers are: Ken Weiss, Chairman; Debbie Baugher, Vice-Chairman; Lisa Goodwin, Secretary; Kathy O’Brien, Treasurer.  Other committee chairs are Gina Sullivan, assistant sec/treasurer; Eric Bolton, environmental; Carol Weiss, legal and insurance; Marc Anderson, roads; and Marc Beifuss; safety and services.  Debbie Baugher was initially elected as Chairman. However, on August 18, Debbie learned that her oldest son, who had already served two tours in Iraq, was being deployed to Afghanistan on a dangerous mission that would require him to be incommunicado for at least several months.  Debbie felt that, under those circumstances, she had to be relieved of the pressure of the chairman’s position and asked the board to allow her to switch positions with Ken Weiss.  The board voted to do so, and offered prayers for the safety of Debbie’s son on behalf of all property owners.   

2009-2010 Assessment: While it’s wonderful to see the lake nearly full again, the association has only been given a one-year temporary permit to operate the dam.  The state engineer said the association must prepare a new inundation report which will require engineering plans based on expensive digital topography studies. The plans must chart how water will discharge safely out of the lake in case of disaster in the future.  This could be another sizeable expense the association must face next year.  With that possibility, and recognizing that the association must maintain revenues to meet rising operating costs, the board passed a motion to increase the general assessment to $140 per lot from $132, 4%less than the 10% called for in the long-range financial plan.  The assessment will be sent out in late October along with the special assessment of $55.   

*  Since the annual meeting, the rusty bathhouse sinks have been removed, new faucets installed, a  new water heater hooked up, the showers were repaired, and years of accumulated trash were hauled away. Many thanks to John Ferrito for spending his day off doing this, and to Ken Weiss for assisting him for many hours as well.    

The security gate will be installed by the end of August. However, operation will begin early next spring after the bar-coded passes are sent to all owners who are current with their assessments at that time. Each family will receive two passes which they will keep forever.  

Next Board of Trustees Meeting: Thursday, October 22, 7 p.m. at the county administrative building.

Please remember:

  • If you sell your property, notify our Treasurer, Kathy O’Brien at gapoatreasurer@ yahoo.com.  The county does not notify us, and we will update our Greene Acres property owners’ records.
  • Before you clear your property, your site plan and house plans must be reviewed by the GAPOA environmental committee and your building fee ($1000) must be paid.

 

 

January, 2009

Important Dates:        January 31, 2009          Annual Assessments are due.

                                                                        $132.00 per lot & $35.00 late fee applies.

                                    February 7, 2009         Board Meeting – 10:00 a.m.

                                                                        Greene County Administration Building

                                    March 15, 2009           Special Assessments are due.

                                                                        Annual amount per lot is $55.00.

                                                                        Total assessment amount over five years per lot is $275.00.      

Priorities 

  1. Build Greene Acres reserves by reducing unnecessary expenditures.
    • Encourage and promote community work days and volunteer efforts to minimize costs.  Contact a Board Member if you would like to volunteer your time to benefit the community.
    • Temporarily discontinue the Property Manager Position and contract necessary services on an “as-needed” basis.
    • Reduce the amount of delinquent assessments. The Board will be unable to accept community labor in exchange for a reduction in assessment fees.
  2. Address and improve Greene Acres road conditions.
    • Four contractors have toured the roads, with various Board Members, to provide opinions and estimates on the best and most cost effective course of action to improve them.  In February, we will share their ideas with you and listen to your suggestions, as well.    
  3. Continue to make improvements to community property.

Accomplishments

The work on the Dam is complete! Weaver Works of Madison completed the Dam repair in late November. The ground that was excavated has been seeded and covered in straw. The framework for a pier is in place and will be used in the future for fishing and to access the dam valve.

 

The Silt Removal Project was completed and 30 years of silt were removed from our beloved lake bed.  Over 3500 cubic yards of silt were removed and used to create the berms that now border the lake entrance.

 

The Community Work Day in November was a huge success.  The current community project is the construction of fish habitats for the lake.  Several more habitats need to be built and installed. If you are interested in volunteering your time, or have questions, please contact Bruce Morris @ 434-985-2377.

The Board is grateful for the numerous volunteers both inside and outside of the community who have participated in preserving the health of Greene Acres.

Board Update

  • Lisa Goodwin, Treasurer, has resigned from her position due to health issues.
  • Kathryn O’Brien, former Secretary, has agreed to assume the Treasurer duties.
  • Bruce Morris has agreed to serve as the Roads Chairman, temporarily, in Paul Accardo’s absence. 
  • Cory Quinn, Environmental Chairman, is returning to school in pursuit of his Masters Degree and has requested the Board find a replacement for him. He will continue in his role until his position is filled.

 

As always, July will be the time to elect Board Members.

Anyone interested in running for this election should contact Jim Mathis, Nominations Chairman.

 

--“This should be a community of Joint Effort”

 Bruce Morris

 

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