The meeting was called to order by President Joe Hebert at 10:00 am.
Board Actions: There were no actions taken by the Board since the last meeting. Joe shared information that the sign for the courts was updated by Thierry Guerlain & Julie Hendrickson and they graciously split the costs. Members have expressed concern about the water level. Joe called Green Mt. Power (GMP) to inquire. GMP explained that they are in a bind. GMP legally agreed to keep the minimum water level with the JPA but the State of Vermont requires a mini- mum flow over the dam to keep the fish/wildlife habitat downstream intact. We need more rain. There are public hearings underway State-wide regarding wake boats via Zoom meetings. See Jane Brown’s blog and information on-line. No new news about the repair of the boat launch. Joe also asked for comments about the timing of the dinners since we changed the format for 2022. A complaint by a member was made concerning political signs placed on camps and that boaters going by are being very noisy and disruptive of the peace in support of those signs. The JPA board requests that members be respectful, friendly and keep the peaceful harmony of the lake. A round of applause was given for this sentiment.
Remembrances: Richard Gagne read the list of the JPA members who have passed away in 2021-2022 and their family members. A poem was read in honor of them.
Secretary’s Report: Jamie Stewart read a condensed version of the May 28th meeting minutes. The complete minutes are available on the JPA website. A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes.
Treasurer’s Report: Jack LaGue reported that the JPA is in good shape having $45K balance in the account. The chicken Pot Pie dinner net profit is high given that the cost of the dinner has not been submitted by Marion Cairns yet. A motion was made and seconded to approve the financial report.
Fireworks: Interspersed among the Board Action report and Richard Gagne’s Remembrances was a discussion about the Fireworks. A vote by the members was not requested concerning the future of fireworks until the August meeting. To date there has been $3830 donated to the Fireworks fund which is 1⁄3 higher than the year before. Discussion centered around the history of the costs (from $5k to $7k to $10k). Suggestions for the future range from stopping them altogether; to having them every other year, or to continue as we are.
Membership: Peter Crosby reported that a few sign changes are in the works and that he needs to round up some phone numbers and emails from new members.
Water Quality: Pam Hebert reported that the invasive species survey will cost $2400 this year and there are no issues with the greeter program. Dorothea Penar reported on cyanobacteria in the lake. Dorothea reported that Emily Finnegan of the Caledonia County conservation district is busy with many voluntary assessments of pond owner’s property. On the not so good news we had a very large green algae bloom in the Hacket/Penar cove next to the narrows. It was large and extensive and lasted over 24 hours. Cause is due to the low level of the water, warm weather, and bad habits of property owners. What happens on your property leaves your prop- erty and winds up in the lake and settles in the various coves of the lake. Dorothea reminded people to read up about cyanobacteria in articles published in last year's Newsletter which are now on the website in the Water Quality section. Dorothea said you can self-test your water- front by taking a sample of the lake water in a glass jar and letting it sit in the sun. If any green dots rise to the surface of the jar - you have cyanobacteria. Landowners should not fertilize your lawn. Try to hold back the surface run-off. Soil has silt and bacteria in it which thrives in the warm water. We certainly do not want Joe’s Pond to have a reputation like Lake Carmi or Lake Champlain. A member question about the use of aerators (Lake Carmi uses them). The cyano- bacteria issue on our lake is not bad enough yet; to require the use of aerators. Dorothea stated that this bloom came too early in the season, was very large, and is of concern.
JPA Events: Sue Bouchard reported on the events so far - chicken pot pie, pitch night, first sunfish race. Upcoming is the Italian Dinner, Pig Roast, more sailing, more pitch nights, and the cocktail party. Sue reminded members that we have a sunfish for sale donated by the Silloway /Weber camp. Yoga and Mahjong are available weekly. Mark Collins spoke about teaching ka- rate and if anyone was interested to talk to him. Julie Hendricks mentioned that beginner pickle- ball lessons are available and on 7/28 and 7/29 there will be a professional coach on the pond to give individual lessons. See Julie for details. The Pickleball Tournament will be on 8/13. And, as always - Ice Out tickets are available for sale.
Maintenance: Larry Rossi reported that not much is new to report. There are new lights in the kitchen and to see him if anyone has concerns about any maintenance items.
Member Questions: Doug Martin reported about the new Route 2 ditching and culvert repair work to be done from west of West Shore Rd to West Danville. Work will start next year. He was concerned about how unsafe it is to travel by bike or walker jog on Route 2 from West Shore Rd to the Jct of Rt 2 & 15. He was glad to report that the new road work will include wider shoulders with a 4- foot paved travel way on both sides of the road which will make it much safer for bikers and walkers/joggers. It will have to narrow up (3-foot travel way) near the old Point Comfort area given how narrow that area is. Members asked if the speed limits on Rt 2 in that area can be lowered. Doug reported that this is a town of Danville issue and the JPA should petition the Selectboard of Danville to lower the speed limit. A motion was made and se- conded to petition the town to reduce the speed from 45 mph to 35 mph from an area west of West Shore Road to the village of West Danville. This motion was approved unanimously by the members.
Concern for the lake level was expressed again. GMP is between a rock and a hard place given they must maintain a minimum flow over the dam for downstream habitats. Pray for rain. Dwight Coffrin expressed concern about the low level of water and that rocks in the Narrows have moved through the years and they need to be dredged out. He remembers the JPA dredged the Narrows years ago. Jane Brown commented that this dredging is in the new West Danville book. Dwight expressed real concern here.
Diane Sherwood asked if the Board should consider adding more tent sides to the doorways of the pavilion. The night of the Chicken Pot Pie dinner was cold and temporary tarps were put up. Joe Hebert asked that we wait to see how much an issue this is. It was one night, and we did start the dinners 3 weeks early. Let’s see how it goes.
Paige Crosby commented that the rock in the narrows can be avoided by staying in the mid- dle of the waterway.
Ron Gauthier asked about the trio of jet skis terrorizing the second pond. The JPA has no enforcement powers and members were asked to get the registration number of the jet skis and report them to the Vermont State Police. Any individual can talk to these jet ski operators and ask them to have respect for the lake and other boaters. Other complaints were about the cigarette (wannabe) boat with a loud muffler, Pontoon boats cruising too close to shore. Again, members were told to report this to the State Police.
Motion made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 10:59 am.