Lake Management Plan

  Pier Spraying Permit

UNAPPROVED MINUTES:

2023 Annual meeting and Budget Hearing

Pursuant to Sec.30.30(2) and section B 65.90(3) Wis. Statues and bylaws of

Little Green Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District (LGLPRD)

Saturday, May 20, 2023, Soldiers and Sailors Park

North Highway 44/Park Road, Markesan, WI

Minutes respectfully submitted by LGLPRD secretary Gail Sweet

Call to order- Chairman Jim Clark called the meeting to order at 10 am.

Pledge of Allegiance - All stood to say the pledge.

Introduction - Clark introduced the board: Chairman Jim Clark, Secretary Gail Sweet, Treasurer Jack Goes, Town of Green Lake Representative Jane Strelow, County Representative Ken Bates, and Lake Liaison Mike Ross. Attorney Paul Rosenfeldt was on hand to ensure that Robert’s Rules of Order are followed.

Presentation of agenda - Motion for approval/seconded: Dan Jajtner, John Gardner. Motion passed.

Approval of annual meeting 2022 minutes - Amended to read that the 2022 meeting started at 10 am. Motion for approval/seconded: Jan Fechter, Connie Ghinazzi. Motion passed.

2022 district financial report - Goes: Audit of district finances was done by Jack Goes, Mike Ross, Jane and Bob Strelow, and Nancy Brda, with no irregularities found. Goes presented the budget with explanations that formerly, we were considering a complete dam rebuild, but got a second opinion and found there is no need to rebuild. We used polyethylene expanding foam sealant, which brought down the cost of dam maintenance. We made our final payment to Onterra for the alum feasibility study and got state money to help with this cost. We got some fees from the landing, splitting costs with the Town of Green Lake. The landing fees don't cover the costs of maintenance on the toilets on the landings. Our insurance company dropped us because we had five claims; we are now with the same company used by Green Lake County. The new company is a bit less expensive than our previous company. 2022 was the last year we had to pay on loans we had. We have no debts now except for the sewer loan.

2024 district budget report - Goes: We estimate $116,500 property tax coming in for 2024, based on $2.50 tax per $1,000 of assessed value. Waste Management presented a new contract calling for a substantial price increase. Goes is seeking quotes from GFL and Washcovick. Goes gave a shout-out to Mike DeSautel of Welk's Landing condo association for helping solve the mystery of the dumpster that disappeared. It was a problem created by poor communication between Waste Management and GFL. Welk's now contracts directly with GFL and will not go through the district anymore. Goes will check into possibilities of (possibly smaller) trash containers for people who are on lake weekends only, also on the possibility of every other week trash collection and/or seasonal rates. We have $30,000.00 allotted for herbicides. We have $25,310.00 budgeted to rebuild the outflow on the reservoir on Hwy 44. The largest of our five accounts is in general savings. Four accounts are currently at about 4.65 percent interest. The DNR nixed the alum treatment, based on our alum feasibility study. The money is there for a lake improvement and watershed improvement project.

Motion for approval of budget/second: Joe Wroblewski, Karen Franke. Motion passed.

Sewer financial report - Ross: Everything is going fairly well. We are servicing four grinder stations. Repairs should be minimal. We have no plans to go further with sewer; there is no interest in expansion. In response to questions, Ross explained that there is a flat sewer fee for Welk’s Landing, Shady Oaks, and The Landing. That fee is pro-rated over the entire year even though there is only seasonal use; this is how the board approved fees originally. That sewer debt will end in 2032. Motion for approval of sewer budget/second: Harlan Barkley/Joe Wroblewski. Motion passed.

Lake management plan – Clark: We didn’t get the herbicide permit; we have the request in and are waiting for DNR approval. It is too late to spray for curlyleaf pondweed. We mostly have Eurasian milfoil; it has red tips, and is taking over in the bays. Welk’s became unnavigable last year. Milfoil will choke off other weeds, and fish won’t stay in there. A long discussion ensued concerning the pros and cons of spraying, ideas about improving the lake ecosystem, oxygen saturation technology, and costs of cutting weeds. Goes said that there is $55,000.00 in the budget for cutting. Ross said a farmer will take weeds from the landfill. Clark explained that curlyleaf is the only one that dies off in summer. It will die whether or not we spray. The die-off creates a huge biomass, which brings blue green algae. The idea was to spray early so there would be less biomass. We did that for two of the past five years. No cutting is allowed on the lake until June 1st. We are in the final year of our lake plan now. If we don’t have a lake plan, we can’t get a harvesting permit. Clark asked for volunteers to create a new lake plan; there is no stipend for this service. People should email the district to volunteer. Harlan Barkley said that in the past, they had no luck getting citizen volunteer interest in shoreline restoration, woody habitat, and fish sticks to improve the lake ecosystem.

Lake plan/herbicide spraying: Advisory motion to create a committee of lake residents to have input to the district board of commissioners on weed control issues/second: Bob Strelow and Joe Wroblewski. Motion passed.

Motion/second for a three-year moratorium on herbicide spraying: Dave Johnson/Bob Strelow. Rosenfeldt explained that this would be an advisory motion only; we can’t add voting items to annual meetings because people need to know what votes will be up at the meeting when they are making their decision whether or not to attend. Discussion ensued. By secret ballot, the advisory motion passed 68 - 28.

Harlan Barkley recommended putting this motion into a five-year lake plan rather than talking about three-to-five-year decisions at the annual meeting. With a five-year plan, we establish targets and can get grant money and approvals from the DNR for projects; there is some county funding also, for projects. We had a group of volunteers who wrote the lake management plan in the past. Plan was to be reviewed every year.

Weed cutting: Residents were encouraged to put weeds on the end of piers; weeds will be picked up. Ross explained that they try to cut to three feet from the shore, and can only cut to fifteen feet on each side of docks.

Hwy 44 dam/Welk’s holding pond – Clark: This will be a fall project to improve the outflow. Wood structure will be replaced. Derek Kavanaugh of Green Lake County Land Conservation knows someone who can do the work. Welk’s Landing holding pond is still functioning; it needs to be cleaned up a bit. We have no extension of lease from the property owner.

Oxygen saturation technology (OST) update – Clark:  Naturalake Biosciences out of Madison has developed this new technology. Dissolved oxygen goes into the bottom of the lake, eliminating the anoxic state in the deepest part, forming a blanket of oxygen that holds phosphorus so it’s not released. This system causes no disturbance on the lake bottom and has no negatives. It includes sensors to ensure that the proper amount of oxygen is released as needed. We'd have to do another study to see if this is viable for LGL, and we need DNR approval. Goes said OST information will be on the LGLPRD website.

Shoreline restoration: An informative flyer was handed out. Harlan Barkley said that up to $1,000 in grants is available to individual property owners for establishing these best lake practices. Nancy Brda requested that the shoreland naturalizing information flyer be put on the LGL Facebook site for all to see. Sweet said she would do so.

Correspondence: none.

Other business: Greg Wiedel requested that any special meeting be held on a Saturday so people whose permanent residence is some distance away may more easily attend. Goes: any special meeting will be posted in the newspaper.

Connie Ghinazzi mentioned an increase in odor from the farm on the hill east of the lake and wondered if the WDNR monitors the activity for emptying of their manure pit. Board agreed to inquire with the WDNR.

Another person wondered if there should be incentives provided to district members to not use fertilizer near the lake. Harlan Barkley explained that fertilizer with phosphorus cannot be used near the lake, but incentives for avoiding other fertilizing can be investigated.

Election of commissioner: Jack Goes 92, Craig Muenchow 12, abstain 1. Goes was elected commissioner.

Next annual meeting: motion for 10 am Saturday May 18, 2024/second: Joe Wroblewsky/Jen Fechter. Motion passed.

Adjournment: 12:05 pm.