July 2, 2020

The RRA Board of Directors met at the clubhouse on Thursday, July 2 using appropriate social distancing. Present were Rick Brothers, Rory Marshall, Louise Lisac, Nadine Pope, Cheryl Fain, Dave Emick and Scott Soble. Also present was Dan Mullins.

Louise called the meeting to order and Cheryl Fain gave the invocation. The board observed a moment of silence in remembrance of Kathy Crandall, who recently passed away. Rory Marshall moved to approve the June minutes and Dave Emick seconded the motion. All approved.

Cheryl Fain moved to approve the minutes from the reorganizational meeting held June 22 and Nadine Pope seconded the motion. All approved.

Scott Soble reported that reported that collection of dues and assessments was down by about $10,000 from this time last year. All totals from the end of June are not included. Late fees will be assessed to all accounts that have not been paid by July 1, 2020. Letters will begin to be sent out by the end of the month.

Dan Mullins gave his Operations Manager report. Dan submitted his resignation to the board last Friday, June 26, stating he did not wish to renew his contract, which ends July 31, 2020. His report consisted of a review of his challenges and accomplishments over the past seven years. The board thanked Dan for his service and wished him well in the future.

Louise and Rick will prepare a President’s Report to be published in lieu of the annual meeting which has been cancelled this year. A 2019 year end financial report will also be published.

Louise reviewed the Board Focus for 2020, which includes: Board oversight and involvement; Factual updates to our members; Transparency between board members and association members as well as employees and board members; to be proactive, not reactive; to create cost effective efficiencies; to create an infrastructure vision and plan as well as an amenities pie chart. These are all items the board has been and will continue to work on.

The board made the 2020 assignments to our Standing Committees and had reports from:

Lake Safety: Rory Marshall met with the Lake Patrol and discussed their current challenges. The biggest challenge is communication during an emergency. The board will purchase a cell phone that can be programed with all emergency numbers for their use. They have issued seven warnings and one citation to date. Most are for jet skis using excessive speed. The board will try to make sure there is a larger presence of the lake patrol on our lake and ODNR will also be patrolling the lake more frequently.

We are very fortunate that the jet ski accident victims are all doing well. It could have had a much different outcome. This is why we are continually stressing safety on our lake. It is so vital to have proper training and certification before driving a boat or operating a jet ski. No other information is available concerning the accident because it is still an open investigation.

Lake Management: Dave Ernes is gathering information to refine water testing. The board is considering testing at the dam and Plum Creek as well as the beaches because many people are in the water in those areas.

In club reports Cheryl Fain reported for the Community Preparedness Club that food has been removed from the pantries due to the excessive heat. It has been moved to the lobby of Pasta Oven. Donations can also be dropped off there. There are toys, games and books in the pantry at beach 1. The pantry at beach 2 has been removed.

Great News!!  Effective tomorrow, Tuesday, July 7, through Sunday, August 16, 2020 both pools will be open an hour later each evening.  Instead of closing at 8:00 p.m. they will now close at 9:00 p.m.   Many residents have expressed their opinions regarding this year’s pool requirements that were implemented to ensure compliance with our State of Ohio pandemic mandates.  Please know that all letters and suggestions are reviewed, and consideration is given to each and every request.  While we can’t always implement every recommendation, this one was heard loud and clear.  Thanks to the flexibility of both our Board members and our Gate Guard Team there is now another hour at the end of the day to find a good way to beat the heat.  A big thank you to Barb Buckley and each gate guard who has handled their new COVID-19 responsibilities without complaint.  Please continue to treat them with respect, understand the need for the restrictions in place and enjoy this wonderful summer weather with a little fun in the water.  Unfortunately, the no guest rule will remain in place through the end of the 2020 season.

For Roaming Shores residents looking to get into shape this summer. Mark Gray of Xtreme Physique Personal Training is offering a free program for this summer.

The first Meeting/Workout will be held this Wednesday, July 1st beginning at 6pm at the Pool 1 Pavilion.

First 20 min or so will be a meeting to discuss nutrition tips, motivation, questions, whatever topic being covered that evening followed by about a half hour high intensity interval training workout.

Dress to workout! All ages, and fitness levels welcome! Each movement can be scaled for any previous or nagging injury or any fitness level! Again this transformation program is FREE of charge! Show up, have fun, stick to the plan and let’s get in the shape of our lives as a community!

Lake Safety Committee
By: Bruce C. Bower

It was not if but when! There was a jet-ski accident involving two jet-skis. One reportedly cut in front of the other, they hit and one person was thrown off the ski, resulting in a broken jaw. A pontoon came by pulled the person out, took her to the marina where she was life-flighted to the hospital. I will not write about any of the details, it’s enough to know that someone got hurt for what appears to be NO good reason. There appears to be a serious constant problem with careless and reckless operation of these skis. Your Board is working to get this under control.                                                                                                                                       

I have moaned about people with VERY young children on their jet skis in the last article. Well I saw the ultimate champ of ultimate careless and non-thinking parents on 6/24 in the early evening. He has a black and red ski and had two little blond girls in front of him on a two person ski. He was not bashful or careful about his driving with his two precious passengers. I would guess one little girl was under 4 and the other one was under 2 years of age. He wasn’t taking it easy on speed, was doing S turns to, I presume, give the little ones a thrill. He topped off his fatherly entertainment for the night by doing several donuts just at the entrance to his cove. I won’t preach any more, I’ve seen the worst and told you about it. Maybe the other parent can try to speak sense to these people, who the ODNR says is uncommon. And I’ll add unique to our Lake! If anyone can help me understand this deranged practice, call me, help me!

As I mentioned last time, I called ODNR Columbus and asked what was happening with the possible law to limit this activity. Here is what I got back: “there are no current proposals to set a minimum age or size for a passenger on a personal watercraft. The situation you describe is fairly uncommon so a law change would likely not be supported”.

As always, call me if questions or comments. Bower out 216.906.2301

Louise Lisac – President RRA Board of Directors

This past week there was a flurry of activity on social media questioning the reasoning and the communication previously provided regarding the postponement of our Fourth of July Fireworks.  Listed below is what I posted on facebook in response.  I feel it important to share with those of you who are not facebook users.  In addition, the question was asked?  Are the fireworks going to take place on Labor Day?  The answer to that is “if possible”.  It is dependent on what is happening with the pandemic and what restrictions may be in place.  The same process will be in place to make that decision.  Joint discussion with the RRA Board, the Stars Club (who sponsors and raises funds for this event), the Roaming Shores Police and the fire department.  Safety of our community will be our number one priority.  We will communicate whatever the decision is once it is made.  Let’s all keep our fingers crossed and hope the world is opened up a bit more by summers end.   

Fellow Neighbors, 

I was just elected by the RRA Board as President of the Board of Directors.  I normally do not respond to facebook dialogue but, in light of all the comments regarding cancellation of the fireworks, let me take ownership of the decision.  Any blame can be put my direction.  Please feel free to contact me directly if you so choose.  It is not because I hate fireworks but because I love this community.  Yes it was a group decision based on many hours of conversation between the RRA Board, The Village Police Department, our local fire department and the Stars Club which sponsors the show.  The entire community worked together on this one and will continue to work together going forward regarding areas and issues that affect all.  Not one person involved in this decision was anxious to cancel them.  We all tried to find a way that would keep everyone safe and in line with pandemic risk mitigation.  It just wasn’t there. 

DO NOT BLAME THE FIRE CHIEF, ED KOZIOL FOR THIS DECISION!!  It this was interpreted, please accept my apologies for that error.  There was discussion of obtaining a permit and the difficulty it would present but Ed never said “he wouldn’t sign it”.  

Was it an easy decision?  Absolutely not.  Was it the right decision based on our pandemic situation, I believe it was.  Am I disappointed as a resident?  Certainly.  Am I comfortable as a community leader that it is the right decision for the community.  YES.    Can I say with certainty that if the fireworks were held there would be a problem with the pandemic or crowd control.  No.  I only know that we are far from the only community that has postponed or cancelled their fireworks for the year.  It was our understanding that all other fireworks scheduled in the county were cancelled.  Based on this the potential increased traffic went into the equation. 

Was the community intentionally mislead regarding the reason.  ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!   We are not in a finger pointing game nor are we on any power trips.  We are not professional politicians or communicators.  We are all simply your neighbors who are trying to donate our time, energy and talents for the betterment of this community.  Believe me, there are no power trips, money or anything else of value except knowing you are giving back for some of the blessings we have received in our lives.  It’s called “doing the right thing”.   

Your community leaders are no better or no less than each resident who lives here.  We will continue to make tough decisions as required.  Some of you will like them.  Some of you will not.  I ask each and every resident to consider volunteering your time the next opportunity presents itself to serve.   You can blame me if you want.  You can thank me if you want.  You can vote me out of office .   It doesn’t matter because I know in my heart the intentions of all who participated in this decision were totally focused on what is best for this beautiful community and the beautiful people who live and play here. 

Open communication, spirited debate, strong dialogue are all part of what makes a good community better.  What goes a long way with that is respect.  I’m asking everyone, myself included, to make respect part of our activity and actions each and every day and with each and every communication. I also ask that you celebrate this Fourth of July and remember how lucky we are to live in a country and a community that we are free to express ourselves. 

Thank you. 

The RomeRock Board of Directors held a reorganizational meeting at the clubhouse on Monday, June 22 with appropriate social distancing. The board thanked Rick Brothers for his service as president for the past 14 months and for leading us to form a united team of directors dedicated to providing the best possible service to our residents in the future. Rick had decided not to continue as president because he felt that the president should be a full time resident who would be more available on a regular basis. We truly appreciate all he has accomplished during his tenure.

Louise Lisac was elected President, Rory Marshall will continue as Vice President, Nadine Pope as Secretary and Scott Soble was elected as Treasurer.

The board voted to cancel the annual meeting that we were hoping to be able to reschedule. We are unsure of state mandates going forward and will publish the annual financial report from 2019 and a President’s report in the weekly eblast in the near future. The board will once again hold a closed meeting for July but are hoping to be able to begin holding open meetings again in August. A recap of the July meeting will be published in the eblast on the Monday following the meeting.

The board again discussed the need for those using boats and jet skis to follow both the Roaming Shores and ODNR rules. Each year when purchasing their boat sticker, residents are given a copy of the rules and regulations and must sign a form stating that they have read and understand them. Residents should be aware that in order to operate a jet ski or boat, if a person was born after January 1, 1982, they are required to have completed an authorized Boater Safety Course and passed the test given at the end of the course. This course is offered online and Roaming Shores is also offering a course that will take place at the Village Office on July 18^th from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. The cost for this class is $35.00 and you can register by calling the RRA Office at 440-563-3170.

Accidents happen but most can be prevented with proper training and common sense. Please take the time to get the proper certification. It could save you from being hurt or hurting someone else. The board also stressed the  importance of high visibility of our Lake Patrol and ODNR on our lake in the future to be sure these rules are followed.

Over the weekend, there was an accident involving jet skis on the lake. There was an injury. All of the details are not known at this time. For the safety of you, your passengers and everyone on the lake, make sure to educate yourself and your visitors about the State and RomeRock Association Boating, Skiing, and Swimming Rules before allowing anyone to operate your watercraft on the lake.

Ohio law requires all motorized boat and PWC operators born after January 1, 1982, who will be operating a vessel over 10 hp to pass a boater safety course and to carry a boater education card. Do not allow anyone to operate your watercraft who has not successfully completed this course.

RRA Boat, Skiing, and Swimming Rules

Ohio Boat Operators Guide

2020 Dues and Assessments were sent out after the 1st of the year and were due May 1st. Due to COVID-19, the RRA Board of Directors voted to allow a grace period before late fees were assessed. This grace period’s end date is July 1st and is fast approaching. If you have not paid your Dues and Assessments in full yet, please do so ASAP. If you are mailing your payment, make sure its postmarked July 1st. If you haven’t received your membership cards yet but believe you have already paid your Dues and Assessments, please call the office 440-563-3170.

New bills reflecting this late fee will be mailed.