The meeting was called to order by President Joe Hebert at 10:02 am
Opening: Joe welcomed everyone to the meeting. There were about 50 people attending. Ice-Out tickets were pointed out to be picked up by members. New members were welcomed to the meeting. Chris & Sharon DeWitt on Rt 2 W introduced themselves.
Board Actions: Louis Cassani, Peter & Paige Crosby were given a round of applause for the repainting of the Pavilion. The new bistro lights were also installed. New curtains for the Pavilion will be installed in 2022. The Board approved raising the rental prices of the Pavilion by $100 beginning in 2022. The Board is also suggesting beginning the social functions in 2022 in mid June instead of after the 4th of July. This will be an experiment to see how it works out. The Pig Roast dinner conflicts with the Danville Fair and by starting earlier with 3 weeks in between events will avoid this conflict of schedules. The Pavilion Dock was pressure washed. The members were also informed that sometime in October the new JPA website will be going down to transfer the site from Go Daddy to Weebly.
Secretary Report: Jamie Stewart left the July 3 report at home and begged for forgiveness. Meeting minutes are on the website.
Treasurer’s Report: Jack LaGue gave the report. We have $24,000 less money this year than last year due to the Tennis court improvements. There is $42,800 balance left in the bank. Jack gave the explanation for the appropriated surplus (Tennis courts) will be zeroed out due to the improvements.
Water Quality: Pam Hebert informed the members that the Boat Inspections will end next week. The annual invasive species survey to be done in 2022. Diane Sherwood asked if inspections could be done on the weekends also next year. Pam said it would depend on personnel and funds availability. Mike Yesalonia asked if people were aware that Point Comfort has their own boat launch and if any inspections occur there. There are no inspections done at this private property but also it is known that mostly Joe Turner’s boats are launched there and it is not commonly known to the public. It was mentioned that many kayaks get launched from the public beach.
JPA Events: Sue Bouchard thanked everyone for a successful summer with the events. She mentioned the Sunfish races were finished and noted that we still have boats cutting through the course during the races and asked everyone to get the word out.
Maintenance: Larry Rossi gave his personal thanks to Louis Cassani and the Crosby’s for their excellent painting job. New Curtains for the pavilion is a project for 2022 and will be made by Dane Turner from Pt Comfort. Another new project will be to tune up the playground fencing where required. Sue LaGue asked about venting the kitchen and storage room given the humidity. There was a dehumidifier placed in the kitchen to help this issue. Paige Crosby asked the members for any pictures of the pond to place in the newly painted bathrooms. The basketball court will get a new surface in 2022. Jack LaGue asked if and when the Pavilion asphalt is repaired or replaced to give consideration for the grade so that rain water will drain ‘away’ easier than what happens today.
JPA 100th Anniversary: Joe pointed to the slideshow being exhibited off to the side. This was put together by Jamie Dimick and is available on the website. Joe thanked all for their contributions of photos. Jane Brown gave a fascinating history of the JPA beginning in 1921 and the people involved who still have family on the Pond. A round of applause was given to Jane for this presentation. Members were fascinated by the two airplane wrecks known to be in the pond. One was pulled out as witnessed by Larry Rossi, Rick Hackett and others in the 1960’s. The second plane is in the deeper part of the lake and it was felt to be too deep to pull out. These planes went down in the 30’s or 40’s. Kate Chatot asked a question about when the wetlands and channel land were purchased by the State and Conservation Land Trust. This was in the 1970’s.
Wake Boat Presentation: There has been a lot of concern about the activity on the lake by wake boats and the waves they cause. Carmen Gagne of Sandy Beach Rd. has been in contact with the organization “The Responsible Wakes for Vermont Lakes group”. A presentation by Glenn Schwartz from Lake Elmore was given. He handed out a presentation sheet describing the issues; what wake boats are, reasons to manage wake boat usage, the environmental effects, economic impacts, and safety concerns. He asked that members go to this YouTube video to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXBtAJyqStM. Glenn also mentioned that Lake Elmore is only 200 acres with a maximum depth of 16 feet. The mentioned group wants other lakes to join the petition to the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) when this petition is formed (in a couple of weeks). There will be a zoom meeting on 9/1. The Federation of Vermont Lakes and Ponds is involved also. This group is not advocating the banning of wake boats on all lakes, it is suggesting that lakes with only 20’ of depth and a width of less than 1000 feet be able to ban wake boats. This petition would take 6 months to 12 months to work through the public process. The Federation mentioned above has taken no position yet. They are listening and learning about wake boats. The question was asked if this petition would require legislative approval or be a ruling by the ANR. Glenn Schwartz stated that the ANR can do rulemaking for the public waters of Vermont and would not be a legislative decision. Mark Gerrish of Barre Avenue stood up and gave some more thoughts for consideration. He is a wake boat owner and said that no wake boats are trailered in. The 6 wake boats on the lake belong to camp owners. Thus the fear of having milfoil and zebra mussels contaminate Joe’s Pond is unfounded. He feels he is responsible and respectful of what his boat can do. He will work with everyone to keep the opportunity for wake boats to operate on the Pond. He mentioned that ski boats and jet skis outnumber the wake boats 12 to15 to 1 and all boats do damage to the shore and is just asking for fairness. Jim Kurrle of Meadow Lane also spoke and said the wake boats only do 10 miles/hour and he makes sure he stays in the middle of the lake. He is here to have fun and has been on the lake for many years. He asked the members to be careful of a pandora box that can happen. If wake boats are banned - what is next? He gave the example of Hosmer Pond where scull rowing is prevalent and homeowners are getting contentious there. He asked that anyone that has concerns or feel the wake boaters are not being respectful to please come and see them. Not one person on the lake has approached him to talk about the issues. He also commented that the boats have to be in deep water as shallow water stops the wake needed to surf. Joe Hebert reminded members that the JPA has no enforcement powers. This is a Vermont state public waterway and only the State can enforce the law and boating rules.
Member Questions: Jeannie Gruggel asked how she can slow people down going through the Narrows. She is getting very frustrated. It was suggested that these boats may be trailered in and do not know the rules of the lake. Other comments and questions were if any fact sheets about the lake were handed out by the boat inspection team. Same for Pt. Comfort boat renters. This will be looked into. Sharon DeWitt commented that she found a site where to report a violation of any water rules/laws. She said she would get that information to the Association and it will be shared with members. Diane Sherwood shared that she had Rail Trail information and to keep supporting the LVRT. Jim Farnsworth shared information about which sections of the rail trail were to be scheduled to be done. The complete rail trail will be done by 2023. Joe mentioned that the refrigerators in the kitchen were to be shut off today. No loon chicks survived the summer. Gina Kurrle asked if the State Fish & Game are still stocking the lake. Joe will check with the State.
There being no more member questions, the motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 11:18 am.