The RomeRock Association held their December meeting on December 4th at the clubhouse with the following members present: Scott Soble, Rory Marshall, Bob McClintock, Louise Lisac and Nadine Pope. Also present was Pat Sowry.
President, Scott Soble called the meeting to order at 10 a.m. Louise gave the invocation and led us in the pledge. The November minutes were approved. The November Treasurer’s report was not completed and will be available for review at the January meeting. Scott welcomed the large group of residents in attendance and assured them that there would be time during the meeting for their questions and concerns to be addressed.
Under Legal, Scott reported that our legal counsel will prepare a final report as to whether lot #275 could be sold, should the board find it necessary to do so. It is a matter of concern to many residents that an RL lot could possibly be sold, but Scott assured those present that the board was only researching the possibility of selling one lot should the need arise financially.
Under Financial and Collection, Nadine reported that she was pleased with the response to our efforts to collect past due member accounts and that the board would continue to make this a priority in the New Year. Members who pay their fees should not be responsible for carrying the debt of those who do not.
Dave Ernes reported for Lake Management that the final report of the flow study should soon be available. Once completed, Dave will write articles for the weekly eblast explaining the results. Testing procedures for next year may be changed. We are working with AquaDoc to have a larger presence on the lake so they can monitor it more closely and are considering having them do the weekly testing. He also explained that he is preparing a RFP (request for proposal) to be sent out to potential companies for the fish study to be done next spring. Dave also briefly discussed biomanipulation, which could naturally help the lake rid itself of algae by having the food chain of the lake allow the zooplankton to eat the harmful algae. Many ideas are being considered for the long term health of our lake.
Under Lake Safety, Rory reported that the committee would be meeting with Chief Roskos to discuss the availability of training for police officers, so we can finally have a police presence on the lake next summer. A resident questioned safety on the lake due to overcrowding and that many unregistered boats were on the lake. Jim Fell, who worked on Lake Patrol, assured the resident that both RRA employees and Lake Patrol had canvassed the lake and issued citations to members without current stickers. Members who allow friends to use their key fobs contribute heavily to unregistered boats on the lake. Rory also felt having a gate guard at the ramp entrance deterred unregistered boats. This was done last July 4th and may become a more common practice in the future. Rory also reported that a Boater Safety Course will again be offered next spring.
Under Board of Review, Mike Peterson reported that the board heard one appeal last month and that it has be settled.
Under Administration, Nadine reported that the board will conducting interviews along with Darren and Randy for a new maintenance employee. The maintenance department has begun servicing equipment and has many projects to complete during the winter months when not plowing snow. It is their plan to refurbish many of our picnic tables so they will be available once the new entertainment pavilion is completed.
Under Amenities, Bob reported that some quotes are coming in for the remodeling of the bathrooms at Beaches 1 and 2. As we know, contractors are running severely behind schedule due to lack of availability of materials. This was the case last year when we contracted to have the tennis/pickle ball court resurfaced. This project will be requoted early in 2022 to make sure it is part of the contractor’s schedule early in the year.
Steve Kaufman reported for the Strategic Advisory Committee. He will no longer be co chair once he assumes his duties on Village Council, but will still be a member and hopefully liaison between the village and the board. The committee is gathering information for a 10 year plan and beyond, but find it difficult to get many members to respond to their attempts to gather input necessary to make recommendations.
Fishing Club president, Dave Emick approached the board about the possible installation of a handicap dock near the clubhouse. He would like to raise the club dues $5.00 per year to start a fund for the construction of this dock. The board agreed that this is a good plan but because it involves ADA, we need to research what it entails before any construction can begin. We will get back to Dave at our January meeting with more information concerning this project.
There were no other club reports. Nadine, however, wanted to be sure to thank Friends and Neighbors, the Polar Bear Club and all those who helped decorate the clubhouse for Christmas. They did a wonderful job.
Under New Business the board passed a motion to suspend theThree Meeting Rule for anyone who wishes to run for the Board of Directors in 2022. Because of the pandemic, many residents were unable to regularly attend board meetings.
The board then opened the meeting for Members Comments.
There was concern at the possibility of selling an RL lot, which Scott explained was only a possibility should the need arise. There was also concern about the lack of maintenance of RL lots, which are not being mowed to provide a buffer zone for run off into the lake. The board will look into modifying this procedure so the lots will be more usable for members.
Residents of Flame Lake are concerned about low water levels. Maintenance Manager, Randy Ruebel will address this concern.
There was concern about lack of signage on the take back lots that are for sale. The board will be replacing the signs in the spring, so they are more visible and include the necessary contact information for interested parties.
Residents were also concerned about the short dredging season this past summer. They were made aware that this was done to be able to properly evaluate the treatment of the lake for blue green algae. Scott assured them that although the dredging plan has not been finalized, there will be a longer dredging season in 2022. We are working with lake management to determine the final plan.
Scott thanked everyone for coming today and hopes everyone realizes that the Board listens and is trying to address their questions and concerns in a timely manner.
The meeting adjourned at noon. Our next meeting will be January 8th at 10 a.m. at the clubhouse.
Nadine Pope, Secretary
