On Saturday, June 22nd, the Lake St. Catherine Association held their second meeting of the 2024 season.

Attendance: John Belnavis, Mark Shea, Sue Wojtkowiak, Mary Jo Teetor, Lisa Micich, Jim Canders, Jeff Crandall (call in), Kemi McShane (call in), Frank Callahan, Jerremy Jones, and Mike Gay. Absent: Bob Williams, Nancy Liberatore, Rob Nesbit, Ed Laird

Guests: None

Call to Order: President Jim Canders called the meeting to order at 8:00.

Public Comment: None.

Call to Order: President Jim Canders called the meeting to order at 8:30 AM

Approval of Meeting Minutes: Minutes of May 25, 2024 posted. Motion to accept the minutes as presented. All in favor, so moved.

Treasurer’s Report: Mary Jo Teetor presented income and expenses. Motion to accept the Treasurer’s report. All in favor, so moved.

Annual Membership Meeting: Saturday, July 20,20224. The annual membership meeting will be held at the LSC CC at 6:00 PM. The format for the meeting will be the Committee Chairperson will present for each committee. One guest speaker will address the Membership. An invitation will be made to Hilary from the PMNRCD who will report on the Lake St. Catherine Watershed Action Plan, and the Stormwater Master Plan. Invitations were also extended to the Select Boards of Poultney and Wells, and our state senators and representatives. John spoke of the menu selection and pricing as discussed with the Dining Room manager, Nicole. The facility can handle 80 guests. All dinner reservations and selection must be made by 7/21. The Board of Trustees are preparing for a good turnout and will be able to address topics of interest, and save time for a Q&A period at the end of the Membership meeting.

Milfoil Management: Jeff Crandall, treatment took place on June 4, 2024. June 6, 2024 water testing showed the herbicide had dissipated out of the water. Jim spoke to the presence of the law enforcement at the boat launch area, and how well they handled the protesting. Jeff has received the SOLitude contract and has the invoice for payment of $48,260.00 to give to MJ. Jeff reported an update for the DASH program. The team will work on 14 sites, as approved by the DEC. The team will begin full operations on July 1, 2024. A motion was made to ratify the DASH budget, (that was proposed via e-mail) for $53,000.00. All in favor, so moved. On our new 5-year permit application, no new news, but we do expect a public meeting, and will ask members to make comments and participate.

Greeter Program: John Belnavis spoke of the team Greeters this 2024 season consisting of high schoolers and retirees. John mentioned the good relationship between the Marina and the Greeters, which allows the Greeters to use the facilities at the Marina. He has good coverage for this season. John mentioned a conversation with Kim Jensen about a potential boat wash station, and led to a discussion about the new wake boat decontamination rules.

Water Quality and Testing: Mary Jo Teetor spoke of the high pollen count this Spring. She will address any area of water that is of concern to residents. Cyanobacteria are always present and become problematic due to weather conditions. There has been a decrease in the phosphorus levels in LSC which could be the result of property owner education and the work of various water quality improvement projects around the lake by LSCA and PMNRCD.

Publicity: Jerremy Jones, involvement with FOVLAP has provided an increased exposure to other lakes and is a good resource for what is going on in the State. LSCA’s website and Facebook pages are continually updated with LSC related information.

Lake Safety: Frank Callahan & Mike Gay, reported the condition and placement of the many buoys around the lake. All were in the lake for Memorial Day weekend. One went missing and was found in Halls Bay. An additional marker will be added to Forest House Bay for the protection of the Loons and their new chick. Frank said that he may not be able to conduct the boat safety course as he had done over the years, waiting for booklets and tests from the State.

Nominating Committee: Jim Canders referred to the E-mail poll and the results. Lisa, Mike and Mark will be returning Trustees, Rob has not informed the board of his decision yet. John’s seat is open for a new candidate. Discussion regarding potential new Trustees. Jerremy will invite the candidate that was discussed. John mentioned the collection of the signs posted to inform the public of the herbicide treatment, need to stay up for 30 days, John will collect them at that time. John also mentioned a conversation about beavers in Lily Pond from a resident. Jerremy will reach out to someone at the State who recently gave a presentation on beavers.

Membership: Jerremy Jones, to date there are 350 LSCA members. The membership goal is to reach 400. A reminder postcard will be sent later in July.

Government Relations: Jim Canders addressed the cooperation the LSCA received from Wells and the State of VT regarding the need for a presence at the boat launch on the day of the treatment.

Grants: Mary Jo Teetor mentioned the need to hire a Grant writer and discussed the process for writing a grant and reporting on it is time consuming. MJ has managed the grants with help from Hilary and her staff at PMNRCD. This position will be advertised.

Old Business: LSCA to participate in East Poultney Day, August 10th. LSCA new welcome sign needs to be erected and a placement for it needs to be established. Contacted the Butternut Hill Condos to ask to use their land at the base of the hill. A written agreement between the LSCA and Butternut Hill Condos was suggested.

New Business: Jerremy reported that registration for the Boat Parade is low but usually picks up once people arrive at the Lake. Volunteers to help at the Library Loves Lakes on July 13 at the State Park would be helpful.

Subsequent Trustees Meeting dates:

July 27, 2024 Trustees Meeting 8:30 AM

July 27, 2024 Annual Membership Meeting 6:00 PM at LSC CC

August 24, 2024 Trustees Meeting 8:30 AM (last meeting for 2024) to include Election of Officers: President, Vice President and Treasurer

Motion to adjourn meeting at 10:25, all in favor, so moved.

Respectfully submitted, Kemi McShane