Trustee Meeting – December 30th, 2015

Dougherty Lake Subdivision Trustee Meeting Minutes
December 30, 2015,  7:00 p.m.
Schnucks in Des Peres, Mezzanine Level

John Steuterman called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.

Roll Call: Trustees present – John Steuterman, Lisa Kadel, Carel Reynolds and Richard Hall. Chuck Toedtman was absent. Guests attending: Michael Wardlaw, Jim Gruenewald, Guy Hunt and Joseph Rengel (son of resident Tom Rengel).

Motion was made to approve the minutes from last Trustee meeting, all approved. A request was made to send the minutes out to the trustees within one week of each meeting. All agreed.

Reports of the Trustees – There were no reports from the Trustees.

Amendment of the Agenda

  • Joseph Rengel requested time to share his knowledge of dam improvements.
  • Lisa Kadel requested time to discuss obtaining corporate credit cards for all Trustees.
  • Richard Hall requested time to discuss hiring a company to clean the grate and haul away the debris.
  • John Steuterman requested time to discuss Social Media and Trustee emails.
  • Mark Glyshaw requested time to discuss Dam improvements.

Old Business

Discussion concerning updating the indentures. Carel Reynolds will contact the Recorder of Deeds office to obtain a full copy of our indentures, including all amendments. If Carel is unsuccessful, she will contact Greg Hoffmann for an estimate for him to obtain them.

New Business

Discussion for improving the habitats of the Lake, led by Rich Hall.

  • Whereas, we consider the improvement of the Lake habitat, necessary action and;
  • Whereas, we have availed ourselves of the Missouri Department of Conservation recommendations for Lake improvement and;
  • Resolved, That the DLS Board of Trustees offer such support and guidance to the Lake Trustee so as to implement a fish restocking and lake habitats improvement plan that may include the use of Christmas trees properly submerged and secured in the Lake. Motion was made to approve, seconded and carried. 
  • Financial Impact: $300.00 (proposed)
  • Carel Reynolds will send an email to all Dougherty Lake residents asking for the donation of clean Christmas trees. Trees are to be collected at the south-east corner of the lake near the steps.
  • Trees collected will be tied together, secured by a cinder block and dropped in strategic locations in the lake utilizing a boat. This will allow a safe habitat for fish to breed

Establishment of Trustee Subcommittee

John Steuterman began a discussion proposing that Trustees be allowed to for subcommittees to assist them in the performance of their responsibilities. All agreed.

Neighborhood Watch program led by Michael Wardlaw, resident.

  • Michael Wardlaw shared his knowledge of establishing a viable Neighborhood Watch program for Dougherty Lake. Cost for this program would be minimal. The goal would be to form a committee consisting of one homeowner per street in Dougherty Lake. Lisa Kadel and Guy Hunt volunteered. Michael Wardlaw will work with Carel Reynolds to develop an email to be sent to all residents explaining the program and asking for volunteers. Details will be discussed at the next Trustee meeting.

Joseph Rengel, who is an engineer, shared several options to help with the flow of water through the dam. Richard Hall, Jim Gruenewald and Michael Wardlaw will discuss best options with our engineering company, Reitz and Jens, and report back at the next Trustee meeting.

Lisa Kadel motioned that we obtain corporate credit cards for all Trustees. Lisa will discuss with Chuck Toedtman, Treasurer and report back at the next Trustee meeting.

Richard Hall reported that he was able to find a company to clean the grate and haul away the debris. Approximate maximum cost would be $1000.00. All approved the expense. In addition, many wooden ties floated into neighbor’s yards around the lake. Carel Reynolds will obtain permission to enter their properties and Michael Wardlaw volunteered to take them to the street. Lisa Kadel will request that our landscaping company haul them away. All approved the additional expense if necessary.

Richard hall requested investigating a lake maintenance company to regularly clean the grate of debris. He will report back at the next Trustee meeting.

Richard hall requested purchasing a safe flat boat to use throughout the year. Discussion was tabled for the next Trustee meeting.

John Steuterman shared his concern regarding Trustee business being posted on Social Media (i.e. Facebook). He was assured that our Facebook account is a closed private account where only homeowners have access. In addition, John shared his concern about Trustee emails. He felt decisions should only be made at Trustee meetings. Jim Gruenewald shared that there are many times immediate action needs to be taken (i.e. home remodel projects) and therefore cannot wait for a Trustee meeting. John agreed that there are exceptions and approved emails, provided each topic stay separate from other topics and used sparingly.

Mark Glyshaw sent a request to John Steuterman that the overflow of the dam be addressed. Item was discussed earlier in the meeting.

The next Trustee meeting will be held on January 27 at Schnucks Mezzanine at 7:00 pm.

Meeting was adjourned at 8:30 pm.

Respectfully submitted by Carel Reynolds, Communications Trustee

Annual Meeting Minutes 2015

Wednesday, November 11, 2015 – The Lodge at Des Peres, Oak Room

  • Sandy Baker, President, opened the meeting by thanking everyone for attending.  She also explained the voting ballot which was handed out and stated that discussion will occur later in the meeting. Sandy noted that a letter from the president was also handed out.
  • Lisa Kadel introduced guest speaker Brandon Elzinga, Des Peres Community Services Officer. Brandon shared how Des Peres is always available to check out anything suspicious in our neighborhood. He said that no call is a useless call and encouraged every homeowner to pay attention to their surroundings and report anything unusual by calling 314.835.6200 and an officer will check it out.  He suggested everyone lock their car doors at all times and not leave valuables in the car. Des Peres has a Vacation Watch program where you can contact Des Peres and tell them when you will be gone, what cars or people will be at your home while you are gone and what lights you plan to leave on. They will then monitor your home while you areaway.  He encouraged everyone to register to receive safety alerts at www.nixle.com.  A comprehensive Neighborhood Watch Manual was handed out and is also posted to our website.
  • Sandy Baker explained the proposed changes to the indentures and requested comments from the floor.
  • Many homeowners shared their opinions on the architectural indenture changes. A motion was made from the floor to change the wording to allow homeowners to make any changes they wish without Trustee approval. A vote was called and the motion was defeated with 18 opposed and 7 for.
  • Discussion continued after which Motion was made to call for a vote via the ballot and all were in favor.These two indenture changes failed.  Article 2, paragraph (a) failed to pass with 26 opposed and 20 for. Article 2, paragraph (b) failed to pass with 40 opposed and 6 for.
  • There was no discussion regarding the Trustee Term Limits indenture change and Motion was made to call for a vote via the ballot and all was in favor. This indenture change passed 32 for and 1 opposed.
  • Sandy Baker invited the candidates running for the two open Trustee positions to speak. John Steuterman  spoke about his experience and history in Dougherty Lake. Bob Butterworth was unable to attend so Carel Reynolds read comments from Bob regarding his history. Doug Campion spoke about his experience and history. Rich Hall spoke about his experience. Motion was made to call for a vote via the ballot and all was in favor. John Steuterman and Rich Hall were elected as the two new Trustees effective immediately.
  • Jim Gruenewald, Lake and Lighting Trustee shared the lake project history from this past summer. All work is complete and now we are waiting for the rain to fill the lake as the dam has been closed since September.
    • Note of Clarification on Lake Valve operation:  The Lake Valve is only opened at times when the lake level needs to be dropped, typically for no more than a day or two at a time.  Once the desired level is reached, the valve is closed.  If the lake level rises, the Lake Valve must be opened again to drop the level.  There is no way to set a specific level that is “automatically maintained.”   The Lake Valve was opened and closed over 20 times in 6 months this year.
    • Jim explained that the project to replace all street lights with LED bulbs is almost completed. These bulbs are expensive but they are saving us money in electricity and are much brighter, which is a safety concern we all share. The next project would be to consider replacing the light bulb trees.
    • Charles Schrock commented from the floor regarding future lake renovations. He suggested that when we allow homeowners to use our common ground for their own benefit (i.e. to allow access for wall repairs), they should be responsible for returning it to its original condition. That was not done this year and the trustees had to pressure the contractors to finish the work. Charles laid sod and replaced the guard rail himself.
    • Jim shared that he purchased aquatic friendly plants which will be planted around the perimeter of the lake when it begins to fill. These plants will greatly improve the health of the lake.
  • Chuck Toedtman, Treasurer reported on the subdivision financials.  We had a surplus of money in 2014/15 so per the indentures, the surplus was deposited into the lake fund which is now in excess of $55,000.00.
  • Lisa Kadel, Landscaping Trustee reported that she continues to monitor the common ground while keeping the cost down. She is always open to suggestions.
  • Carel Reynolds, Communications Trustee, explained that all communications for the subdivision will be sent via email or our website only. She asked that everyone please submit their email address to her which will be kept confidential.
    • Carel expressed her thanks to the Fall Party Committee: Annie Kessler, Madeline Marren, Sally Kellogg, Cynthia Behr, Valerie Pacer, and Tom Gottlieb.  A lot of work goes into making this the neighborhood’s premier annual event. Please contact Carel with suggestions for next year or if you would like to volunteer to help.
    • Carel asked that everyone consider joining our Subdivision Facebook Group!  We’ve created a private closed Facebook group for people to share items for sale, pictures from subdivision events, and get general announcements in their Facebook stream. Only current homeowners are allowed in the group. If you have a Facebook account just follow the link below and use the menu options to request to join. After someone verifies you’re a current resident you’ll be added to the group.Dougherty Lake Subdivision Closed Group

New Business

  • Paul Shaver spoke about the recent Circle of Concern fundraiser which was sponsored by the Des Peres Rotary Club. He thanked everyone who donated and suggested homeowners consider joining the Rotary as it is a great way to learn and network.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:30 pm.

Respectfully submitted by; Carel Reynolds, Communications Trustee

Latest update on Lake work

Update from Jim Gruenewald:

The Trustees met again Tuesday night to discuss the state of the lake.

First decision. The possibility of a small lake dredge was quashed. What initially looked like a good opportunity for the subdivision had turned into a major financial decision, not appropriate at this time.

Second decision. The Trustees decided to send letters to the remaining lakeside homeowners whose wall projects have stalled, informing them of a deadline to have their wall work completed. It is their responsibility to speak with their contractor(s).

Third decision. Our current landscaping company has failed to provide an estimate to treat, cut and remove the terrestrial weeds which have grown around the lake perimeter. We are contacting other companies for the work.

As of late yesterday, Jerry Parrish, contractor for most of the walls, responded to text by me and email from Sandy Baker, claiming his work to start again next week.

Lake Work Update

Your trustees and neighbors on the lake have been busy since the beginning of the year working to have lake property owners‘ retaining walls repaired or replaced.  After several meetings, lake property owners signed individual contracts to replace several of the retaining walls with an approved stone.  Not all homeowners at this time choose to replace their retaining walls.   Some opted to just repair their current walls.
As you know the lake level had been lowered and work began in early spring.   As Mother Nature would have it we experienced one of the wettest springs in a hundred years according to weather service reports, causing much delay to the project.
At the suggestion of Reitz and Jens, our engineering consultants, we decided to dredge some of the dirt from the inlet area of the lake. This would prolong the need for a full dredge and save the subdivision substantially in the future.
Once the dredge is complete, the walls will be finished and the plants that have taken over the lake will be cut down and removed. The lake will be treated with a lake eco-system friendly herbicide, if necessary.  Then Mother Nature will take over and refill our lovely lake once again.
We truly appreciate your patience and look forward to the return of our lake to its past condition.
Regards,
Sandy Baker
Your Dougherty Lake President