February 4, 2021

The meeting was called to order by Louise Lisac at 6 p.m. Cheryl Fain gave the invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

Secretary, Nadine Pope called the roll. Louise Lisac, Rory Marshall, Scott Soble, Nadine Pope, Cheryl Fain and Dave Emick were present. Rick Brothers was unable to attend.

Police Chief Will Roskos joined the meeting to discuss lake safety and police presence on Lake Roaming Rock. Once again, due to Covid, the chief feels that water safety training classes for his officers will be cancelled in 2021. Until the officers are certified in water safety, we will not be able have a police presence on our lake. Having police on the water is extremely important to both the chief and the RRA directors. In the event that the classes are once again cancelled, we will spend 2021 doing all necessary preparation, so once the training can be completed, we can have officers on the lake. The Lake Patrol boat will need to be fitted with special radios, signage and lights. We will need to have an agreement between the village and association outlining the use of the Lake Patrol Boat and determine the funds necessary to be budgeted for this project.

The chief also wanted to discuss updated parking regulations in a proposed village ordinance. He reviewed the areas of concern with the board and advised them of the need to ensure that vehicles parked on the side of the roadway allow room for emergency vehicles and normal traffic and that all construction zones are well identified and use cones and flaggers when necessary. The board agreed that these safety measures were necessary. The chief will continue to keep the board posted.

Motion: by Scott Soble, seconded by Cheryl Fain to approve January minutes – all approved

Motion: by Dave Emick, seconded by Louise Lisac to approve the December, 2020 Treasurer’s Report – all approved.

Scott Soble also reported that collections for the month of January were higher than those of January 2020. The board feels the Early Bird Drawing is a huge motivation to pay dues and assessments early.

Legal – Louise Lisac reported that the contract for EnviroScience to act as our Lake Advisor will be signed and returned to EnviroScience on Friday. The board, our maintenance manager, Randy Ruebel and representatives from various committees will meet with EnviroScience via zoom during the week of February 15^th.

Financial update – Nadine Pope reported that our legal council has been given an updated list of collection letters to be sent to some members with delinquent accounts. He will also reinstate liens on some of the properties where previous liens have expired. If these properties are sold, then the RRA can recoup some of the delinquent dues and assessments.

Lake Management – Our plan for improving lake health will be formulated with our new Lake Advisor, EnviroScience.

Lake Safety – The next meeting will be February 18^th at 5 p.m. Louise advised Rory Marshall that Randy Ruebel will contact him regarding relabeling the buoys appropriately and placement of extra buoys at hazardous curves.

Amenities – No current report but the board would like to schedule a meeting in the near future to discuss items such as the resurfacing of the basketball and tennis courts and upgrading the appearance of areas, such as flower beds and signage.

Personnel and Compensation – The committee met with maintenance manager, Randy Reubel earlier today to review pricing for culvert installations, fees for tree removal from the lake and probable succession of equipment replacement over the next several years. The committee also met with our office staff to discuss scheduling interviews for hiring a part time office employee.

Dredging – The plan for 2021 will be discussed and implemented with our Lake Advisor, maintenance manager and directors.

There were no club reports.

Old business:  none

New Business: Dave Emick suggested installing an ice rink to provide some winter recreation. Better use of open land, not currently being utilized in any way, was also discussed. The board will follow up with this discussion during an upcoming meeting of the Amenities Committee.

The meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.

The RomeRock  Association held their January meeting on January 7^th at the clubhouse following social distancing.

The meeting was called to order by Louise Lisac at 6 p.m. Cheryl Fain gave invocation, followed by Pledge of Allegiance. Nadine Pope called the roll – all directors were present except Treasurer, Scott Soble.

 Cheryl Fain made a motion, seconded by Rick Brothers to approve the December meeting minutes, which were unanimously approved.

Financial update – Nadine will reach out to David King to see if he has sent out collection letters to the list of members with delinquent accounts that were sent him in November.

Lake Management – Dave Ernes called into the meeting to explain the Lake Advisor Survey results and advise the board regarding making the choice between the RFPs received to choose a company to serve as Lake Advisor. Mr. Ernes explained that we need to look for a company that has the management experience to help us determine both short and long term goals for the health of the lake. The board will discuss this further with Mr. Ernes and those present at the Lake Health Strategy round table to be held Saturday, January 9^th before a final decision is made. Proposals were received from EnviroScience, AquaDoc and Princeton Hydro. Princeton Hydro, however, is not local and would require our testing to be done in house and then sent to them.

Lake Safety – Louise Lisac advised the board that Police Chief Roskos will attend our February meeting to discuss a strategy for having a police presence on the lake this summer. Our plans last summer had to be postponed. The training class that our officers were to attend last April was cancelled due to covid restrictions.

Rick Brothers has ordered samples of key chains that will be given out with boat registrations. These will have both the Lake Patrol and Marina telephone numbers on them. This will enable members to have these numbers at hand in case of an emergency.

Amenities – Rory Marshall reported that the Polar Bear Club is looking into alternative ways to raise their scholarship funds because the plunge cannot be scheduled as in the past due to COVID restrictions.

Rick suggested that the board sponsor quarterly “New Member Orientations”. He feels it would give new members a way to meet residents and club members as well as learning more about our lake and our community. He will take the lead on this as soon as COVID restrictions are lifted.

Personnel and Compensation – will meet next week and discuss a job description for the part time office employee to be hired this spring. We will also meet with our maintenance manager and office staff.

Dredging – the board will hold a meeting with our maintenance manager, Lake Management representatives, EAC, our Lake Advisor and others from the Strategic Advisory Committee to discuss the dredging plan for 2021.

There were no club reports.

Old business:  none

New Business: Dave Emick introduced a motion that chemicals can only be used in the lake every other year.  Louise and Nadine explained to Dave that we need to wait to formulate the plan for the health of our lake with our Lake Advisor. There was no second to the motion.

Nadine discussed an email from a member who recently purchased a lot at 496 Eagle Point. The lot is lakefront with about 41 feet of frontage. Both neighbors have boardwalks and it appears  that there would be no room for him to get a boat out into the water if both neighbors had their boats at their docks. Rory will meet him at the lot to review and discuss the situation.

The meeting adjourned at 7 p.m.

The RomeRock Board of Directors held their November board meeting on Thursday, November 5th at the clubhouse with all directors present. Both Pat Sowry and Treasurer, Scott Soble attended via zoom. Louise Lisac called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. The meeting was held meeting social distancing guidelines and was closed to the public due to COVID-19 meeting guidelines.

The meeting opened with Cheryl Fain giving the invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

Minutes of the October meeting were approved. Treasurer, Scott Soble, reviewed the September financial statement. He again explained the importance of collection of past due accounts and their impact on our ability to meet our financial obligations. Nadine Pope advised the board that 20 registered letters were sent to delinquent property owners, as well as another group of letters sent regular mail as reminders to property owners who still have not paid their 2020 dues and assessments. Pat is compiling a list of delinquent accounts to forward to our legal counsel for review and recommendation as to our next step in securing collection of these accounts.

The board further discussed dues and assessments for 2021 and the cost for boat registration fees in 2021. This is all part of the budgeting process which is currently taking place. Our Maintenance Manager is compiling a list of potential equipment replacement and necessary repairs. We know these items will need to be prioritized over a period of time, but we are dealing with seriously aging equipment, some of which was already used when it was purchased. Another area of concern are our aging roadways, which haven’t been paved for 20 years.

Louise discussed plans to implement a new Strategic Planning Advisory Council to help the board plan for our lake community’s future. Several more residents came forward showing interest after last week’s article in the eblast.  We need a plan for the health of our lake, dredging, our pools, paving of our roads, equipment replacement and many other areas. Our community is too important to leave all of these details to chance and hope that they take care of themselves.  We have to plan for the future of our infrastructure and how to maintain and pay for it. Louise will be scheduling the first meeting in mid November.

Louise also advised the board that Maintenance Manager, Randy Ruebel has begun the interview process to add a new member to our maintenance team. He was very pleased with the response to our ad and hopes to have a decision very soon.

Lake Management – The committee has been extremely busy reviewing possible solutions for our lake’s battle with algae. They are looking at many natural remedies that will help filter unwanted toxins from entering our lake, such as buffer zones and RL lots not being mowed, especially along the waterfront, which will allow the grasses to help filter what enters the lake.  We have listened to many possible solutions for increasing the health of our lake, while controlling invasive weeds and algae. The most important thing is to be sure we do it right. Therefore, the board will be sending out Requests for Proposals to several companies to hire a Lake Advisor to help us sift through the possibilities and come up with the right solutions for us.

The response to the Aqua Doc survey was extremely positive and this too will be looked at as part of our overall plan.

The board is also planning to have a dredging planning meeting for 2021. Several questions have been asked as to how it is determined where and when to dredge each season. The board, along with the maintenance manager will be meeting to come up with a plan to share with our property owners.

Lake Safety – Rory Marshall reported that all citations issued this season were paid. The most important thing though is that the person committing the violation learns from the experience and does not repeat the same behavior. We all need to look out for each other on the lake. If you see something unsafe, say something. We are hoping to have police presence on the lake next summer. The continuing pandemic is still making our plans unclear but we will be meeting with Chief Roskos to come up with a plan that we hope will be viable for next boating season.

Fishing Club – The Fishing Club has pulled the fountain by the clubhouse for the winter. Thanks to Dave Emick for finding a way for the fountain to efficiently operate this summer. Josh Baitt won the award for largest Bass caught this season. It was 5.36 pounds and 21 inches long. Congratulations Josh!

Our next meeting will be held Saturday, December 12^th at 10 a.m. This meeting will be open for members to attend via zoom. Details for joining the meeting will be published in our eblast in the beginning of December.

The RomeRock Board of Directors held their October board meeting on Thursday, October 1 at the clubhouse with all directors present. Louise Lisac called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. The meeting was held meeting social distancing guidelines and was closed to the public due to COVID-19 meeting guidelines.

The meeting opened with Cheryl Fain giving the invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

Minutes of the September meeting were approved. Treasurer, Scott Soble, did not have the September Treasurer’s report available for review as yet. He again explained the importance of collection of past due accounts and their impact on our ability to meet our financial obligations. Nadine Pope is compiling a list of delinquent accounts to turn over to our legal counsel for review. These members will be sent letters and given one last opportunity to either pay their accounts in full or make payment arrangements before legal proceedings are implemented.

Louise reviewed plans to implement a new Strategic Planning Advisory Council to help the board plan for our lake community’s future. We need a plan for the health of our lake, dredging, our pools, paving of our roads, equipment replacement and many other areas. Our community is too important to leave all of these details to chance and hope that they take care of themselves.  We have to plan for the future of our infrastructure and how to maintain and pay for it. We are pleased that several of our community members have volunteered to take on this responsibility and the council will be meeting in the near future.

We want to thank everyone who came to help out with Community Clean Up Day on September 26. A special thank you to maintenance employee Darren Savel for his assistance manning the frontend loader. He made everyone’s job easier.

Lake Management – The committee has been extremely busy reviewing possible solutions for our lake’s battle with algae. They are looking at many natural remedies that will help filter unwanted toxins from entering our lake, such as buffer zones and RL lots not being mowed, especially along the waterfront, which will allow the grasses to help filter what enters the lake. Lake Management is creating a survey for residents who participated in the Aqua Doc invasive weed treatment program this year. LMC is also looking at limiting dredging during July and August which should help to keep phosphorous levels from skyrocketing during the hottest months. Aeration is also extremely important and the many fountains that are popping up around the lake are helpful.  Please be sure to read the information that LMC posts in the eblast. It contains valuable information for all property owners. The decision was made not to lower the lake this year. Several factors were considered. Currently the lake can only be lowered a foot per week due to EPA requirements. It has not been successfully lowered in several years. Lake Management recommended not to lower it in order to better control algae blooms for next year. Finally, with Covid being such a stealer of activities, keeping our lake available for as long as possible for recreational use is a priority. Discussions will be scheduled for all pertinent parties to determine how a real lake draw down, like the ones that longtime residents remember, might be achieved.

Lake Safety – Rory Marshall reported that he was very pleased with the Lake Patrol performance this summer. They tried to educate those they stopped and explain what they were doing wrong. Some residents were not receptive, but for the most part, those who were issued citations at least understood why. Our hopes for next season are to have a police presence on our lake. This year the pandemic put a halt to our plans due to the necessary training for our police department being cancelled.

Our next meeting will be held Thursday, November 5^th. Unless guidelines are changed, this meeting will not be open to the public. Our December meeting, however, will be held via zoom for members to attend virtually.

By Tom Sopko
The following is a summary of the President’s Comments for the November 2015 Board Meeting.

1. The Lawsuit filed against the Association by Neighbors for a Better Roaming Shores, Barry O’Connell, Joseph Petraus, and Pat Long.
   1. The Lawsuit Docket can be viewed at:
      http://courts.co.ashtabula.oh.us/eservices/home.page.2 And then following the prompts. In the Search Box for Company, insert “neighbors”. For the Start Date insert “March 20, 2014.” It should bring you to case: 2014 CV 00234.
   2. The case is listed as Closed, however, the Settlement Agreement may lead to further activity being reported on the docket.
2. Dredging.
   1. 5790 cu yards removed so far for the year 2015.
   2. The excavator equipment, which can be used for more than dredging, can now be used from land to continue dredging if the weather and the Lake drawdown permits.
3. Board Member – updated. One seat was vacated when a Board Member moved from the Community
   1. The Board interviewed four candidates.
   2. Several Ballots resulting in a tie. A coin toss was considered.
   3. Two leading candidates were interviewed after the November Board Meeting.
   4. John Lindemann is the new Board Member. Welcome aboard John.
   5. Matt Conway will be the Chairman of the newly formed Amenities Development Committee. (the official committee name to yet be finalized).
4. Office – updated
   1. There will be a public presentation of the locations options. Scheduled for December 10, 2015, 7:30pm, Clubhouse.
   2. The Office on Route 6 had been the Office for about 46 years.
   3. Board is thinking long term and in the best interest of the Association.
5. Collection of back Dues, Assessments and Late Charges.
   1. We continue to work with David King and Kaman & Cusimano on collecting back Dues and Assessments.
6. The Friends and Neighbors October Dinner
   1. Well attended. Hope all the attendees had a good time.
   2. The Board considers Committee functions like the Friends and Neighbors Dinners important to bringing the Community together. Thank you F & N.
7. Comments on Ohio Lakes Community Association, OLCA
   1. RRA is the host for OCLA in September 2016 Meeting
   2. 20 Lake Communities will be invited to Roaming Shores.