President's Message Building Permits
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BLHOA BOARD OF DIRECTORS NEWSLETTER Bayles Lake Bayles Lake business, committee updates, news, maintenance, security and special issues reported quarterly to you by your BLHOA Board of Directors A Quarterly Newsletter www.bayleslakehoa.com Issue No. 24 – Fall, 2013 President’s Message - Nick Schuit The last Board of Directors Meeting of the year, October 23, at 7:00 pm, will be held at the Loda Lions Club, next to the Fire Station in Loda. The Board of Directors meetings have been held at the Loda American Legion since the fire at the Lions Club in 2011. We really appreciated the help from the Legion; they stepped up and took good care of us. We have been pleased with the Lions rebuilding process and look forward to being able to hold our board meetings again at the Loda Lions Club. The October meeting will be the last meeting of the year. Our next meeting will be February 26, 2014. Building Permits - Jim Flaherty - Jim Bash - Dale Foster Fall is upon us and residents are probably finishing up any projects prior to winter setting in. If you do have projects or renovations to begin, please remember to contact Ray Soltysiak for permits before beginning those projects. Also check your handbook or the on-line website, www.bayleslakehoa.com. Contact Ray or myself for any questions or concerns you may have. October, 2013 Page 1 BLHOA BOARD OF DIRECTORS NEWSLETTER Building Inspector - Raymond Soltysiak When getting a building permit, it is important to remember a few things. No permit will be issued for the construction of or placement of an outbuilding, free standing gazebo or storage building on any privately owned lake lot as these structures are not permitted by regulation. A gazebo, however, may be incorporated into and become part of a house connected deck project, provided a sketch as been submitted to and approval given by me, the lake Building Inspector. When planning a project, a satisfactory blueprint or drawing must be submitted to the Building Inspector 2 weeks before any project can be started or a building permit issued. Lakes and Parks - John Konieczka - Jim Keenan - Tom Parker We would like to thank Bob Siddall, Maintenance / Grounds, for all his work at the lake this past summer. Bob takes pride in his job and we appreciate all the little things he does for all of us. Lakes and Parks purchased a “Samurai” Brush Cutter to help trim the outer edges of the perimeter road. Bob has now been able to cut back the brush, shrubs and trees that grow too close to Skyline Drive and reclaim our road space making it easier and safer to travel around the lake. Due to last summer’s drought, we had 8 trees removed from our parks and green space. We will be removing these stumps and several others this fall. We also did some extensive trimming of weeds and brush in a couple of areas on the west side of Newell Dam and the boat ramp. As part of our “Legacy Tree Planting Program” we will plant 3 new trees. The Auxiliary will plant 4 new trees and we have had three residents plant new trees. As we continue to evaluate BLHOA shoreline maintenance work around the lake, we worked on the area at the end of Etty Kay Bay, cleaned up weeds and brush, trimming the tree and adding some additional rip-rap. We have improved the appearance and it will be easier to maintain. We also encourage homeowners to take inventory of their shoreline and take the appropriate steps to maintain the shoreline and eliminate any eroded areas that you may have. Eliminating erosion and maintaining an appropriate appearance is important to this committee. Thanks to John Healey as he donated a pine tree that had died from last summer’s drought to Lakes and Parks to serve as a flag pole and had it erected near the Robinson Pavilion. He also donated the flag that flies from it. October, 2013 Page 2 BLHOA BOARD OF DIRECTORS NEWSLETTER It was great to see the Robinson Pavilion utilized more this summer, highlighted by a June Wedding and Reception and an August Wedding Reception as well as several other residents’ functions. Contact Barb Parker for reservation information. We worked with Lake Iroquois to replace 30 broken posts along the Bayles Lake / Lake Iroquois property line. We appreciate the help of Darrell Templeton, LIA Maintenance, and the support from their Board of Directors. Clean Up Day-Huge Success The Bayles Lake Clean-Up Day was a huge success this year. Residents filled three huge dumpsters at the Maintenance Shed on July 13. We also took two big trailer loads full of steel-related items to G & D Salvage in Loda and almost filled another trailer with aluminum products. We owe a big thank you to Bob Siddall, Ray Soltysiak and Nick Schuit for helping load the dumpsters. Thanks to you for all of your contributions and we will do this again next year. Fireworks Review Thank you for helping make the 2013 Fourth of July the best one ever. Thank you for the donations and your attendance at all of the events. The Flotilla, JMT Trio Concert, Fireworks Music and the Fireworks Show made for a great day at Bayles Lake. The weather turned out to be perfect and everyone seemed to enjoy the day. Please mark your calendars for the 2014 celebration event as it will take place on Friday, July 4. Storage Agreement Forms As some of our residents prepare to head for warmer winter climates, please remember any Bayles Lake resident may store their Boat, Boat Trailer, Utility Trailer, Camper, RV Vehicle, etc., free, at the Maintenance Shed as long as you have your lake residence house number on the item. Regarding boat storage, the BLHOA Board of Directors asks that you fill out a Storage Agreement Form for your boat. You may do this with our Maintenance / Ground Man, Bob Siddall, or by contacting Rick Goben or Dan Lamb. Leaf Enclosures in our Parks Leaf burning bins will go up in October. Because of the dry conditions, please use caution when burning. Please use them for disposing leaves, twigs, branches, garden items, etc. that have accumulated in your yard. Burn them up in these enclosures and burn these piles on a regular basis; don’t let the pile get too big. Please do not put grass in these bins. Grass does not dry out and as a result, smolders and makes a stinking mess for your neighbors. And please do not blow leaves into the lake. October, 2013 Page 3 BLHOA BOARD OF DIRECTORS NEWSLETTER IEPA-Weed Management Permit June 24, 2013 the Bayles Lake Homeowners Association (BLHOA) received its Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Pesticide Application Point Source Discharges General Permit as part of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and the Clean Water Act. This permit expires October 30, 2016. This permit is available to operators (BLHOA) who discharge to the waters of the State from the application of biological pesticides or chemical pesticides over waters of the State or leave a residue on any waters of the State and relates to: Mosquito and Other Insect Pest Control Weed Control Wildlife / Animal Pest Control From the IDNR The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is asking boaters, anglers, swimmers and others who enjoy Illinois’ lakes and rivers to keep their eyes open this summer for an aquatic “superweed.” Citizen volunteers are on the lookout for a highly invasive aquatic plant named Hydrilla verticillata, or simply “hydrilla.” Recognized as one of the world’s worst weeds, hydrilla can grow an inch per day and form dense mats of vegetation at the water surface. Within the past few years, hydrilla has been discovered in Wisconsin and Indiana and it is expected to arrive in Illinois. Our desirable native aquatic plants, sport fishing, native wildlife, waterfront property values, and recreational uses might all be seriously impacted. For more information, including how to become a Hydrilla Hunt! volunteer, a Hydrilla Identification Sheet, fact sheets, and other resources, visit www.niipp.net/hydrilla. DNR Water Usage Stamps Now Available Non-motorized / non-sail watercraft, canoes, kayaks and paddle boats are no longer required to be titled / registered in Illinois. Instead, Illinois’ new Water Usage Stamp is now mandatory for all non-powered watercraft, except those with a non-expired Illinois registration. Use the DNR website to renew your registration or contact our Security Officer, Ray Soltysiak, for more information. October, 2013 Page 4 BLHOA BOARD OF DIRECTORS NEWSLETTER DNR Renewal of Watercraft Registration PLEASE NOTE: The Department of Natural Resources is NOT sending out watercraft renewal notices any longer. It is your responsibility to make sure that your watercraft registration is current. Use the DNR website to renew your registration or contact our Security Officer, Ray Soltysiak, for more information. DNR Fish Sampling Program Summary Conducted by Mike Garthaus, District Fisheries Biologist On June 11, 2013 Bayles Lake was sampled for a total of 54 minutes using DC electrofishing. The lake was divided into 2 sampling areas with the first area being sampled for 30 minutes and the second area for 24 minutes. The first run started at the boat ramp and proceeded up the west bank. The second run started in the southern basin and proceeded up the east bank. His comments and recommendations are: Largemouth Bass Catch rates for largemouth bass were very good, similar to the catch rate for bass in the 2009 survey. Recruitment of bass to the fishery has been a problem in this lake for a long time and is still a problem.