The winner of Early Bird Drawing #9 for 2015 and recipient of $100 is Alan & Carol O’Donnell, Lot 1930!
Congratulations!
Our final drawing for 2015 will be next week!
Spring Cleaning (Lake-Responsible Style)
By Dick Hurwitz – Lake Management Committee
Alright, so you’re looking out your window at the snow and cold and wondering when spring is going to come again to Roaming Shores. Then—just maybe—you start thinking about all the cleanup chores associated with spring and you think Maybe a little more snow and cold won’t be so bad. You soon remember, though, how good you feel when your house and deck and dock are clean, and how proud you are when you hit the water with a shiny boat; and you actually start looking forward to some of those cleanup chores. This year, however, you also start thinking about our Roaming Shores’ Love the Lake campaign and ask yourself how you can make your spring cleanup as “green” and lake-friendly as possible. The purpose of this article is to provide some answers to that question, to recommend some eco-friendly products, and to let you know where you can get more detailed product information. So get comfortable, take another quick look at the snow and cold, dream again of spring, and read on.
Powerwashing
There are a lot of cleaning products recommended for use with the powerwashers we use to clean our houses, decks, docks, watercraft, outdoor furniture, and probably other things as well. A number of them claim to be “eco-friendly” or “environmentally safe.” However, the labels also include directions for what to do if the products are ingested or get in your eyes; and they recommend you do not use them where the water they are mixed with may run off into a pond or lake. In this case, the safe thing to do is use the powerwasher without any additional cleaning products. Water alone, under the proper pressure and with the proper nozzle setting, should do a fine job.
General Cleaning
Look for products that are biodegradable, plant based, and free of phosphates, chlorine, and petroleum distillates to clean your outdoor things. (It is probably a good idea to use them inside too!) The following are a few recommendations:
- Bon Ami Liquid Cleanser
- Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Glass Cleaner
- Method Floor + Surface Cleaner
- Bill by Eco-Me All-Purpose Cleaner
- BOULDER® Citrus All-Purpose Cleaner
- Sun & Earth All Purpose
- Green Works Natural All-Purpose Cleaner
- Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner
- Advantage 20X Cleaner – all natural multi-purpose cleaner
For more information on these products, refer to the Lake Management link on the Rome Rock Association website (http://www.roamingshores.org/RRA1/). Look for “Recommended Cleaning Products.”
Boat Cleaners
The following products are recommended for marine cleaning in a lake-responsible way:
- EcoDiscoveries All-Purpose Boat Wash (removes dirt, salt, and stains from boats)
- EcoDiscoveries Boat Seat Cleaner
- M2 from EcoDiscoveries (for mold and mildew)
- EcoDiscoveries Marine All-Purpose Boat Cleaner (designed to cut through grease, stains and other soils)
- Spray Nine All Purpose Cleaner (for removing mildew or stains, preventing mildew, removing black streaks or marks from fiberglass and vinyl boat seats)
- Simple Green Marine All Purpose Boat Cleaner (multiple uses)
- West Marine Pure Oceans Crystal Boat Soap (for cleaning all marine surfaces)
- West Marine Pure Oceans Hull Cleaner
- West Marine Pure Oceans Nanotec Fiberglass Cleaner Wax
- West Marine Pure Oceans Aluminum Pontoon Cleaner
- West Marine Pure Oceans Citrus Bilge Cleaner
- West Marine Pure Oceans Non Skid Deck Cleaner
Additional information on most of these products can also be found on the Association website.
Now it is up to you. Make the decision to follow the recommendations in this article when you are planning and doing your spring cleaning. Decide to BE LAKE RESPONSIBLE.
Association Meeting Highlights – March 2015
by Richard D. Gainar, CEBS – Secretary RRA
The RomeRock Association Board of Directors met on March 5, 2015 with all Directors present. Eight residents were also in attendance.
Dell Rogers discussed this year’s poor road conditions due to weather and asked residents to call the RRA Office if they spot unsafe conditions. There is a single candidate running for one of the two open Board of Director positions this year. Even so, ballots will be mailed as usual until the Board can amend the By-laws to find a better way to deal with such a unique event in the future. The Board will appoint and interim Director to fill the last position. The Board thanked Rick Gainar for his service to the Board and the community. Dell announced his intention to seek Board approval to set the pool hours of operation at 10AM to 9PM starting this summer and invites interested Members to comment at the next Board meeting.
Tom Sopko introduced Katherine Bushey, an attorney with Kaman & Cusimano, LLC specializing in bad debt collections. Ms. Bushey met with the Board earlier to discuss her firm’s ability and procedures and how it could help the Association collecting bad debts.
Maintenance Director Dan Mullins reported that work fabricating wings for the new bulldozer has been completed. These wings will allow the bulldozer to more efficiently handle the soupy dredge materials at our Crosby-Cook property where lake sediment removed in our dredging operations this summer will be dried and stored. The repair of Clubhouse kitchen was also completed. Two more plow pump failures were repaired in-house getting our plows quickly back on the road. Dan asked residents to be careful of the winter’s rippling effect on our roads due to extreme cold weather.
Lake Management Sub-Committee Chairman Tim Langer reported on his committee’s activities to encourage residents to consider minor household changes that have significant positive effects on our lake’s water quality. Residents will also be asked to support his committee’s efforts to convince our elected state representatives to take action that limits the excess nutrients and sediment from entering our streams and lake from our watershed. Village Liaison John Ball, RSV Mayor, reported that the lake drain will be opened again at the Association’s request due to expected ice melt at week’s end. Also the Village Council is working to hire a new police officer. Building & Facilities Committee Chairman Jim Swartz announced another work session meeting on 3/6. Jim’s committee also plans to meet soon with an architect for building design plans in order to proceed with his committee’s investigation of a permanent RRA Office.
In the Club Reports section of the meeting, Ron Morris reminded us of this month’s Friends & Neighbors winter dinner at Clay St. Grill on March 20 at 6:00pm.
A question was raised during the Member Comments section of the meeting regarding whether an appointed interim director is first required to attend three Board meetings (no such requirement). The meeting was adjourned at 8:20pm. The Association Board’s next meeting will be on April 2. Hope to see you there!
2015 Polar Bear Plunge
The 10th Annual Roaming Shores Polar Plunge is Saturday, March 14th! The event will begin at 1 pm at the Roaming Shores Clubhouse/Main Beach. The actual plunge will begin at 3pm.
The Polar Bear Plunge will include brave students from Jefferson, Grand Valley and Pymatuning Valley Schools, as well as wild and crazy local area residents. Last year’s event was a huge success as we raised over $6700.
This year, the money we raise will be used to benefit the Jeff Meddock Memorial Scholarship, Jefferson Area Schools Falcon Academic Boosters, Grand Valley Schools, and the Roaming Shores Breakfast with Santa event. Jeff Meddock was a resident of Roaming Shores and the beloved principal of Pymatuning Valley High School. He died unexpectedly and the money we raise helps to continue his pursuit to educate. The Falcon Academic Boosters strives to reward students for academic success. Grand Valley Schools plans to award academic achievement. Also, a portion of the money we raise is also used to host the Roaming Shores Breakfast with Santa event.
There will be a DJ and a 50/50 raffle! We’ll be serving hot dogs, chili, popcorn, chips and soda. You can purchase items before and/or after the plunge. First come, first serve.
Last year, the ice was 22 inches thick! Will we beat that this year?
Even if you are not participating in the Plunge, come out and show your support!
Change Your Smoke Alarm Batteries
State Fire Marshal Larry L. Flowers is reminding Ohioans to make a potentially lifesaving change when they move their clocks forward one hour on Sunday, March 8: Change the batteries in your smoke alarms!
The Rome Fire Department encourages all residents to make a habit of changing the batteries in their smoke detectors at least twice a year – at the beginning and end of daylight savings time. If smoke alarms are more than 10 years old, you should replace the entire unit.
“We’re still finding that many homes in Ohio don’t have working smoke alarms,” said Marshal Flowers. “Many times, fatal fires could have been prevented with the help of the early warning a smoke alarm provides. It gives people time to escape.”
For the greatest protection, install a smoke detector on every level of your home and inside each sleeping area. Also, develop an escape plan with two ways out and make sure every family member knows what to do and where to meet outside if the fire alarm sounds. Take time to practice both a primary and secondary escape plan, so that if a real emergency occurred, you and your family know what to do.
Please follow these additional tips:
- Test smoke alarms at least once each month to ensure that they are working properly.
- Vacuum the dust from inside the detector at least once every year.
- Never “borrow” a smoke detector’s battery for another use.
- Change batteries twice a year or if a detector “chirps” to signal low battery power.
- If you have a smoke alarm that was installed before March 8, 2005, completely replace the unit this weekend.
Early Bird Drawing #8
The winner of Early Bird Drawing #8 for 2015 and recipient of $150 is Vincent Mucci, Lot 87!
Congratulations!
Next week’s drawing will be for $100
Road Conditions
Driving down our roads, one can’t help but notice that it’s anything but a smooth ride. Why are the roads so bumpy? When moisture under the roads freezes, it expands. This leads to the heaving and rippling you see on the roads, especially in the areas where waterlines and culverts go under the road. This heaving also makes it difficult for our plow drivers to remove snow from the roads as their plows only have so much clearance.
What can be done about it? Unfortunately, not much other than waiting. In the springtime when everything starts to thaw, the roads will begin to settle back down. Unfortunately, this also means potholes, as they don’t settle down evenly. This is why there is a ban on heavy equipment on our roads from February 15th to April 15th. The ban helps prevent damage to the roads.
Algal Blooms 101 – Part 2
By David Ernes – Lake Management Committee
This is the second in a series. This is not meant to be a comprehensive overview, but is intended to give the reader some basic information on this important lake management subject.
Algal blooms obviously have an aesthetic concern – they just don’t look nice. But the recent news regarding the Toledo bloom brings up another issue – toxins (aka cyanotoxins). These toxins are not associated with common green algae but with cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Cyanobacteria blooms, as a result, are often called “Hazardous Algal Blooms” or HABs. The good thing is that not all cyanobacteria produce toxins. However, some species of cyanobacteria can produce more than one type of toxin. Obviously, this issue is complex. In spite of all of this attention, the US EPA has not yet set advisory thresholds above which exposure to these toxins should be avoided. The advisory thresholds that you see in the news and elsewhere are either the early World Health Organization (WHO) values, or those set down by the OhioEPA. Most, but not all states have cyanobacteria or cyanotoxin thresholds for exposure, and they differ from state to state. The thresholds for recreational exposure (like for our lake) are typically less severe than those for drinking water (like the Toledo issue).
Exposure to toxins can result in everything from a mild rash to a more serious condition depending on the toxin concentration and exposure. Since it is not possible to tell visually if a bloom is due to cyanobacteria, or if the cyanobacteria have released any toxins, it is best to avoid contact with an active bloom. The tag line on the OhioEPA site is “When in doubt, stay out”.
The only way to determine if toxins exist is to test. Reliable test results require careful sampling and analysis in a qualified lab, both of which are expensive. On the RRA web site, the toxin level results from our two beaches are published. The values for our lake continue to be below recreational advisory thresholds. If the level were to exceed these recommendations, signs will be posted at the two beaches to warn of the advisory. With hard work, good lake management, and the help from our neighbors, we hope to never have to use those signs.
The OhioEPA website (one of the sources of the information in this article) has a lot more information on this topic.
BE LAKE RESPONSIBLE
Early Bird Drawing #7
The winner of Early Bird Drawing #7 for 2015 and recipient of $200 is David Zenker, Lot 823!
Congratulations!
Next week’s drawing will be for $150
Please Write and Let Your Voice Be Heard
By David Ernes and Richard D. Gainar, CEBS – Lake Management Committee
If you think elected officials pay little or no attention to your letters and phone calls, think again. A concise, thoughtful letter from their constituents has a significant influence on elected lawmakers. Your vote helps elect them — or not — and that fact alone carries a lot of weight. A staff worker may read and answer your letter because hundreds of letters are sometimes received. But, be assured that your point is communicated and will influence the lawmaker. If you fail to make your interests known, your thoughts will not be represented.
In a recent “In the News” article, it was mentioned that House Bill 490, which would help to reduce nutrients flowing into Lake Erie, failed to come to a vote. In a surprisingly rapid pace, the Ohio Senate has drafted SB1, which will address the same issues, without the pork that doomed the previous bill. Unfortunately, the new bill has the same issue that was pointed out in the last one – it applies to only a few watersheds which directly feed the western side of the state around Toledo. We need to suggest that the bill be modified to include all watersheds which feed Lake Erie, including ours. Therefore, the LMC asks that you help us and write to your state representatives and ask that they consider this change. A few suggestions for content are shown below.
- The intent is to improve water quality in Lake Erie, but SB1 ignores most of the Ohio coastline. All watersheds which feed the lake can affect the overall Lake Erie water quality.
- As a resident of Ohio’s largest private lake, we would also like to insure that the water quality is protected where we live. Our community is actively addressing fertilizers and cleaners that we control. We cannot affect the farming practices which have the greatest effect on our lake.
- Although the blooms are currently worse on the western basin, that does not mean that, with time, the problem can extend to the rest of the lake, especially if nothing is done in the central or eastern watersheds.
It’s usually best to send letters to your state representatives for local issues such as improving water quality. Our Ohio District 99 House representative and Ohio District 32 Senate representatives are:
| Salutation for Ohio House rep: | Salutation for Ohio Senate rep: |
| The Honorable John Patterson District 99 77 S. High St 10th Floor Columbus, OH 43215Dear Representative: |
The Honorable Capri S. Cafaro District 32 Senate Building 1 Capitol Square, Ground Floor Columbus, OH 43215Dear Senator: |
Your letter does not have to be long or eloquent. It also helps personalize your letter by providing some non-emotional detail and facts in your own words. If a certain bill is involved, cite the title or number (in this case, Senate Bill 1) whenever possible and explain how it affects you and others. Be sure to include your name and address. Keep it short and simple and include evidence to support your position. Close by requesting the action you want taken: a vote for or against a bill, or change in general policy. Don’t forget to thank them for taking time to read your letter.
Questions? Please email David at: ernesdl@yahoo.com or Rick at: rdgainar@yahoo.com. We believe your letters in support of keeping nutrients and sediment in the fields and not in our waterways will have a significant benefit for Lake Roaming Rock. If you agree with us, pick up a pen. For the price of a postage stamp, you can affect our future.
BE LAKE RESPONSIBLE
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