PRESIDENT’S CORNER

We have rented a tent for the summer to replace the pavilion at beach 2. Because of delays getting permits and prints, we did not have enough time to build it without causing a considerable amount of congestion in the beach 2 pool area. The pavilion will be rebuilt this fall.

The Weed harvester got a good start on the weeds this year. However a leak developed in the hull and we had to remove it for repairs. We hope to have it back in service in a few days.

The July Board Meeting shall be held in the RRA Clubhouse. The meeting will start with a public meeting regarding amending Section 1547.52 of the Ohio Revised Code, rule 1501:47-7-19. This would allow boats to be “beached” at a specific area of beach 2. The regular Board meeting will start immediately after the public meeting.

Please welcome Lee Shaffer as my part-time office assistant. Lee is a recent college graduate with a degree in communications. He will be working with me on the dredging project plus other various office projects.

Barry O’Connell

The fireworks display is scheduled for the evening of June 30th. As an added safety feature, we will be using buoys to create a safe buffer zone between the launch site and the boaters. The buoys will be positioned across the lake from the east side to the west side of the lake. A “safe pass” corridor along the west shore of the lake will allow boaters to pass from one end of the lake to the other. The buoys will be installed the afternoon of the fireworks (June 30th) and removed the next day (July 1st). Thanks for the help and suggestions of Carol Delli, Bruce Bower and Ed Koziol for their ideas and input.

On Tuesday, 5/21/2012, five members of the Board of Directors and two committee members visited Grand Lake St Marys in western Ohio to learn more about how they are dredging their lake. GLSM is larger than our lake – about 17,500 acres vs. our lake at 500 acres. It is surrounded by farmlands, much the same as our lake and suffers the same kind of problems( but to a larger degree): Algae, water turbidity, and major siltation problems.

We met with Tom A. Grabow, Regional Dredge Supervisor, Canal Lakes Region of the ODNR. He is responsible for approximately 13 individual dredges in the western part of Ohio, with three operating dredges in Grand Lake St Marys. He told us his actual dredging costs : approximately $2.00/ cubic yard of sludge removed from the lake. I had estimated our expected costs to be around $5.00 per cubic yard. He then discussed mechanical dredging costs and told us to expect over $10.00 per cubic yard if we went in that direction. He confirmed the Board’s choice of using hydraulic dredging as the most economical approach to lake cleanup.

We then visited the actual dredging site where a dredger was operating in a very narrow cove in close proximity to a residential area. The dredge we watched was slightly larger than what we had planned to purchase. We were about 30 feet from the operating dredge and it was about as loud as a small lawn mower. We were absolutely astounded at how quiet it was! It is quieter than some of the motorboats we now have on our lake.

We then visited the DMRA (Dredge Material Relocation Area). We were less than 10 feet from the end of the 10” discharge pipe….close enough to get splashed by some of the spray from the pipe. THERE WAS VERY LITTLE ODOR from the sludge discharge pipe and NO ODOR coming from the DMRA. This DMRA was located about 200 yards from a residential area.

We learned things that will definitely save us a considerable amount of capital dollars on the dredging project. During the next few weeks, I will be working on a new cost estimate for the dredging project and I will share it with you when I have completed it.

The Board members invited Tom Grabow to visit Lake Roaming Rock and lead a discussion about his dredging experience. He indicated that he would be happy to do that and indicated he would visit us in about a month. I will keep all of you informed about the time and location of that meeting.

I would like to discuss with you my thoughts of a siphon system. You may remember I was the committee chairman of the siphon committee two or three years ago. We had a quote at that time for 300 to 500 thousand dollars for such a system. The committee made significant changes to enhance the proposed siphon system including the following: a two pipe system to be used to blend the anoxic deep water with the surface water to remove as much of the anoxic water as we could from the lake without violating EPA guidelines, a lake level operated siphon valve to maximize the flow of water through the siphon system, and a “branched” end for the siphon pipes to eliminate logs and other debris from entering the system and rendering it inoperative.

It was obvious then and it still is today, that the main function of the siphon system would be to assist in controlling the lake level during periods of high rainfall. It also had some side benefits of removing some anoxic water, some phosphorus, and improving the dissolved oxygen levels in the lake.

The main problem with the siphon system is that it would only operate intermittently and almost never in the summer. When it is operating, the improvements in the turbidity and oxygen levels, and the subsequent reduction of the anoxic water would only be realized in a very localized area near the dam. It would have no overall effect on these levels the farther one gets away from the dam. It would almost certainly have no effect at the south end of the lake and in the coves.

In my mind and the majority of the board’s minds, the siphon system’s priority always came below the priority of the lake dredging. It’s not that the board is against the siphon system. It’s a matter of priorities. The project with the biggest benefit to our lake gets the highest priority. That’s as it should be. Dredging will improve the whole lake, that why it has the higher priority. That’s why I continue to support the dredging project.

Barry O’Connell, President
RRA Board of Directors.

The Treasurer’s report shall be submitted to the Shores News for monthly publication. The Monthly Revenue/Expense Budget Report and The auditor’s report will be available on-line on our web site and at the office.

There will be a special membership meeting at the Village Hall on Saturday, May 26th at 1:00 pm. The topic of the presentation will be the possible leasing of oil and gas rights under the Association’s property. There will be representatives of the oil and gas industry, Youngstown State University, and an attorney present to answer your questions and address your concerns. Notices of the meeting will be posted in the Clubhouse, Village Hall, Beach 1, Beach 2, and published in the Shores News and on our web site. Please plan to attend.

The search for suitable property for the construction of retention ponds continues. We have investigated 7 properties, wetlands surveys have been conducted on 6 of these properties and four (4) have been found suitable for our needs. The Board is currently evaluating each of the suitable sites and their respective impacts on costs. Some of these properties are for sale and some are for rent. The Board hopes to have the land issue resolved before the end of September.

The Board has authorized a “bridge” line-of-credit to be opened from the Andover Bank in the amount of $150,000. This is a temporary measure to ensure we have funds available to construct the retention ponds this year without having to borrow the bulk of the money for the dredging project until absolutely needed (it saves a lot of interest). When the time comes for borrowing the bulk of the dredging money, this bridge loan will be incorporated into one of the other two loans.

Some of you have asked what happens if the association defaults on the dredging loans…will the individual homeowner have a lien placed on his/her house. The collateral for the equipment loan is the equipment we buy,i.e., the dredger, the work boat, the pumps etc.. It is much like a car loan. If an owner of a car doesn’t pay the monthly payment, eventually the bank reclaims the car. If the Association doesn’t pay the monthly loan payment, the bank reclaims the equipment.

The other loan (the original roads and pool loan) has as its collateral the Association’s common property which is the clubhouse, pools , roads, and RL lots. Your homes and lots are not used as collateral for either of these loans!
Beach #2 pavilion has been removed and will be rebuilt. Smolen Engineering is currently drawing prints for the new pavilion. When the plans are complete, we will obtain the necessary building permits and start construction. Our plan is to have it complete before the pools open.

Some members may not be aware of the fact that not long ago we had an accident on the lake that resulted in a fatality. We do not want a repeat of that tragic accident. To that end, the board is exploring the possibility of having uniformed police officers on board the patrol boat this summer. Hopefully, this action will result in a safer, more enjoyable boating experience for all.

Have a Safe and Happy Summer!

Barry O’Connell, President
RomeRock Association

The financial reports presented in the Shores News represent a new 2011 YEAR END report (click here for list of reports). It contains four basic sections: Revenues, Operating Expenses, Other Expenses and Cash Position for the year. The Revenues and Operating Expense sections have been published previously. The section on Other Expenses needs a little explanation: These are legitimate Association expenses that are reported in the financial reports and not on the old income/expense reports with which you are familiar. Al rubosky, Gary Stamm and I thought it would be very helpful if these were reported to the membership. In addition, a brief statement of the Association’s cash position is reported on the bottom of the page. The Cash on Hand as of January 1,2011 (residual from 2010) was $3313. The gain in Cash during 2011, after all expenses were paid, was $26,260. Adding the two numbers results in the Cash on Hand as of December 31, 2011. This is commonly referred to as the RESIDUAL.

If you have any questions or comments about this report, you can contact me at the office by phone or email.

The Treasurer’s Report and a summary of our accountant’s report are also included.