LAKE OF THE WOODS COMMUNITY CLUB
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
May 13, 2024
Key Peninsula Civic Center Whitmore Room
Meeting was called to order at 6:04pm
Board Members present – Dave Tyler, Frank Benson, Garret Lebby, Anna Hernandez-French, Barbara Dommert-Breckler, and Katelynn Graham, Jason Steinbrecher (voted onto the board at the start of the meeting), and Karen Gore
Board Members absent – Dana Burnett
Community Members – Ed Neilson, Kathy Karner, Milissa Hoson, Carl Hodson, Tiphany Lopez-Steinbrecher, Penny Gibson, Amie Schippa
Board approved March and April APs and minutes
Jason Steinbrecher voted onto the board – AH moves, DT seconds, MMSP, FB abstains
Reports:
President
- No report
1st Vice President (Water System + 2nd Vice President, Maintenance)
- Water system is running well
- 2 testing stations that broke over the winter fixed in the last week
- Water reserve study done – the reserve study forecasts when repairs, replacements, and other foreseeable maintenance might be needed
- Reserve is already over 80% funded, so if major issues arise it won’t result in a huge dues hike
- Review of the reserve study is part of the annual budget process
- LOTW’s water is the cheapest in the state thanks to our water system
- The reserve study can be found on the LOTW website
- Time to start on roofing for the new generator at pump house 2 – volunteers needed, DT making a post for the LOTW website
- Tree in DNR park cut down, park being prepped for new playgroup equipment – everything will have to be dug up and moved around
- Same thing will need to happen at Pete Rix Park
- The new mailbox is in – this will save the community money and time compared to keeping a PO box at the post office, particularly as USPS is increasing fees on boxes and stamps
Secretary
- No report
Treasurer
- A letter was meant to be sent to a lot behind on payments last month but was not sent – BDB to send asap (situation noted in March 2024 minutes)
- Time to establish the 2025 budget committee to draft a proposed 2025 budget to present to the community for a vote at the November 2024 annual meeting
- Meetings will begin in June, 2 or 3 meetings total – will be scheduled once budget committee membership is finalized
- Need community members to volunteer to serve – EN volunteers
- Those who can think of any big items to discuss please contact BDB
- For the 2024 budget the committee proposed a flat 10% increase across all line items and so far the community is keeping fairly close to that budget
Committee Reports:
Compliance
- No report
Events
- Community Clean-Up (April 20-21)
- 48 lots participated, up about 10 from the previous year, with the bins ending up around 95% full
- Fishing Derby (May 18)
- Prizes and trophies, cookout
- Volunteers needed
- New event idea – Picke Ball and Picnic
- Event needs to be free as there is no budget
- Late summer (August?) because the court is being redone – start promoting on FB and website now
- Community comment – not everybody sees the FB posts and therefore don’t know about the events, could the Board:
- Post signs at intersections;
- Go door-to-door;
- Use a constant-contact text message system;
- Mailchimp;
- Newsletters? – The Board used to send out newsletters and no one read them
- Communication strategies have to be low-cost, both in time and money, as the Board is all volunteers and community has 350 lots
- Board could make a one-pager describing the community’s annual events and include it in the annual meeting mailing or with the water report
- Board could also erect a simple message board in the parks where flyers could be posted
- Community question – do we ever survey the community?
- Board did one a few years back and got about 10% response rate
New Business:
Port-a-pottie at McGowan Park
- Pete Rix has one already year-round
- DT moves to have a port-a-pottie at McGowan Park and to exceed the budget to accommodate the cost of $125/month, paying out of contingency funding
- AH seconds, MMSP
Pre-addressed and Stamped Envelopes
- LOTW Board sends out about 3,000 envelopes a year
- Postage is going up another $0.05/stamps in July, the second increase this year
- AH moves to purchase 6,000 pre-addressed and stamped envelopes, twice as many as needed, before the prince increase and fund the purchase out of contingency funding
- BDB seconds, MMSP
No Diving Sign
- Sign made for McGowan Park due to new cement blocks under the water that make diving very dangerous
- DT and EN will keep it in the shed until time to put it up
Old Business
- None
Adjourn meeting at 6:59 pm
Minutes submitted by Secretary Anna Hernandez-French
