BOARD MEETING MINUTES

April 14, 2007

 

CALL TO ORDER

President Al Isaac called the meeting to order at 9:00am. Board members present were President Al Isaac, 1st Vice President Marvin Frayer, 2nd Vice President Greg Hernden, Director Don Papesh, Director Sharon Bridges, Director Bob Adair and Director Brian Kozlowski. Also present were Manager Gail White, Treasurer Priscilla Moore and Secretary Todd Graham. President Al Isaac opened the meeting with The Pledge of Allegiance. Director Brian Kozlowski followed with prayer.

 

ADDITIONS TO AGENDA

None.

 

AGENDA APPROVAL

Director Sharon Bridges moved to approve the agenda. Second by Director Don Papesh. All in favor, motion carried.

 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

1st Vice President Marvin Frayer moved to approve the minutes from the March 2007 Board Meeting. Second by 2nd Vice President Greg Hernden. All in favor, motion carried.

 

TREASURER'S REPORT

For the month of March 2007 Treasurer Priscilla Moore reported income of $220,152.88 and expenses of $47,921.54. Cash on Hand at March 31, 2007 was $240,433.68.  Motion made by 1st Vice President Marvin Frayer to accept the Treasurers report. Second by Director Bob Adair. All in favor, motion carried.

 

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

President Al Isaac reported:

 

Last month I tried to clarify the first responder concern and made some comments that were not correct. I had stated that in January the Lincoln Township Board had tentatively approved one first responder having a radio and being able to stay in WBLRA. I received an email from the Township clerk clarifying that since it was a tie vote at 2 to 2 it was just carried over. The Clerk said that the conversation with Greg Hernden was during a meeting and not prior to a meeting. The matter was all handled at the February township meeting. I have also received a letter from Mike Turner outlining what is available to WBLRA through the State, which will be addressed by Gail White in her Manager’s Report. NOTE: At this point President Al Isaac turns control over to 1st Vice President Marvin Frayer to make a comment as a member; I received an email from Mike Turner awhile back explaining the economics and value of The Boy Scouts. I have at Mike’s request emailed Representatives Tim Moore and Michelle McManus concerning this and I urge all members to do the same in support of The boy Scouts and similar organizations.

 

CORRESPONDENCE

None.

 

MANAGER'S REPORT AND APPROVAL OF PAYABLES

Manager Gail White reported:

 

The electrician is completing the upgrade at the campground and work should be completed this next week. Met with promoters of the Silver Ridge Music Events and made an agreement to exchange advertising in their publications to promote White Birch for advertising of the event in our Birch Bark and Web Site. We are still waiting for the back up power unit and some software to complete the new gate system. The company is supposed to be here to complete installation on Wednesday of next week. Met with Lincoln Township supervisor, he is working with the road commission to get a no passing zone in front of White Birch and a right hand turn lane. The section of Old State that is not paved will be paved this summer. Also talked about Lincoln Township ordaninces including the blight ordinance being worked on. There has been a link added to our Web Site to allow members to more easily access Lincoln Township’s Web Site and all the ordinances. Lincoln Township is in the process of reviewing zoning rules and regulations but at current time sheds are not allowed using the current guidelines. The emergency siren project was put on hold because of lack of funds. Met with Sergeant Larsen who is head of emergency for Lincoln Township and the cost is approximately $20,000.00 plus the pole installation so it would be closer to $25,000.00 to install the siren. White Birch would have to pay 65 percent and grants would cover only 35 percent due to our median household income being higher than the surrounding area. Will contact Bertha Lake regarding possibly sharing the cost of installing a siren. Al Willoughby will be making new road signs using better reflective paint. When pricing out new metal signs they were $22.70 each plus poles so it is a lot less expensive to redo what we have. Did a comparison on heating cost for Clubhouse and it looks like a good savings on heat after adding the coal stove. Last year we spent $11,000.00 and this year $10,600.00 and that’s with the cost of propane going way up over last years rates. Met with Rustin Ponds and Lakes regarding our aerator systems and the condition of our lakes. This summer they will be mapping out our lakes showing depth, etc. Also talked to them regarding alternate power sources and they will be getting us information on that as well. We were ready to order gravel for the road until this last snowstorm. Created a report showing income vs. expenditures for the Campground, which is in each board members packet. Members have been a lot better at paying storage and other fees.

 

2nd Vice Greg Hernden moves to pay the list of payables. Second by Director Bob Adair. All in favor, motion carried.

 

SECURITY REPORT

Report by Manager Gail White. Things are going smoothly. We have four different people rotating a schedule. Fred Witchell will be donating a lot of time to the campground this year and not as much with security.

 

COMMITTEE REPORTS

 

Activities Committee – Report by Pat Graham. Annual garage sales are scheduled for the weekend before Memorial Weekend. The committee will be having a craft / bake / plant sale at the bus stop.  The Easter Egg Hunt went great with over 400 eggs filled for children to collect. Four prizes were given away based on age groups. Had one child collect 70 eggs! Thank you to Pat Zakalowski and Al Willoughby for all their help. The cost of the Easter Egg Hunt event was $29.20.

 

By-Laws Committee – Report by Jerry White. The Board has been given all the committees recommendations to review. Thank you to Sal Scozzari for his great job leading this committee.

 

Campground Committee – Report by Fred Witchell. A committee of four members has been created. Committee will focus on fences and the back storage area. For the campsites area some sites will be enlarged and picnic tables at sites will be painted. Playground area will have new structures for the kids to play on and work will be done on securing the playground area for safety. The nature trail will be cleaned out and wood chips placed on the trail. New enter and exit signs will be placed to mark the trail. The committee recommends raising non-resident camping fee to $20.00 per night and resident to $15.00 per night and increase monthly rate to $225.00 to help offset power costs.

 

Communications Committee – Report from Jan Isaac read by Todd Graham. The March Birch Bark was in the hands of the directors on March 21 and mailed March 23. A thank you to Joe and Georgia Romine, Pat Zakalowski, Pat Graham, Mary Alice Harrington, Gail White and Barb Adair for folding, taping, labeling and stamping the Birch Bark. We published an 8-page newsletter, which included a request for absentee ballot. We mailed less Birch Barks due to more people signing up to not get delivery. There were 6 ads; costs of the March Birch Bark were approximately $420.00. There are extra copies of the March newsletter in the rack by the pool attendants’ office. Special note: The Mountain Country / Rock ad on page 7 was “quid pro quo”. We feature their ad for four months and we get space in their booklet sold at their two events this summer. If you have any announcements or ads for the Birch Bark please get them to me by Wednesday, April 18. Thank you. Jan Isaac.

 

Web Site Report by Todd Graham. New camping page is online. There have been several games and educational resources added under the Members Only area of the site. All the updates approved by the Board at last months meeting have been completed. The mass email option now works and members have been responding very positively to receiving emails in this manner. Will be working on linking all member accounts applied for that were not linked to a member in the online database, should be complete by next Board meeting. Hope to have the ORV / ATV information page up next month.

Conservation Committee – Report by Tom Dorcey. Brought the bluebird houses today for members to pick up with installation information. Members are also welcome to stop by his home to pick them up.

Election Committee – No report given.

 

Entrance Committee – Report by Greg Hernden. The committee is looking for more members to help with decorating and updating the entrance area. If interested please contact the office.

 

Environmental Protection Committee – Report by Chick Witchell. One tree removal request, one complaint regarding stumps left on property. Thanks to Dennis and the rest of the committee for taking care of everything while she was in Florida. Reminder for members to please put trash containers where they belong right after trash is picked up so they are not rolling around in the road. The committee has completed and turned in the review of all policies for Board approval. Camping begins on May 12th.

Future Planning Committee – No report given.

Seedling and Sapling Committees – No report given.

 

Hospitality  – Report by Pat Graham. The Emporium in Clare donated 16 baskets to use. The committee has begun gathering information to share regarding Clare County such as maps, etc. The committee will begin taking welcome baskets to new members as well as members who may be ill. Director Sharon Bridges is the Board liaison for this committee.

COMMENTS FROM THE FLOOR

 

Toni Passage lot 163 – Regarding the emergency siren an application was given to Gail back in April to receive from Homeland Security at no cost. What happened to that application? What is the total cost of the new gate? She saw Northland Electric there. And as slow as the exit gate is moving will the entrance gate also be moving as slow?

 

Ann Hobart lot 454 - are the gates always going to be so slow? Can they be speeded up?

 

Arnie Van Overbeek lot 1111 – In addition to stop signs for the exit gate he recommends a sign explaining to wait for gate to open. Is concerned over members he has seen going out the entrance gate instead of waiting for the exit gate to open.

 

Chuck Hastings lot 378 – Aerator work if able to be done at our lakes would be terrific since the current pumps create a lot of noise. Hopes new pumps will be underground. Nature trail at campground and storage area – he knows that area very well and he volunteers to help with the projects. Has concerns regarding fencing in the storage area. Feels we need to make sure this is really a good plan before money is spent on the project since it will be expensive and the fence takes away from the environment. Is it really needed? Fence would also get in the way of the nature trail.

 

Pat Graham lot 1302 – When Rustin comes out to inspect our lakes are they also going to look at the algae problem? At Holiday Lake there is a tremendous amount of boats laying around that aren’t being used, can those be cleaned up?

 

Barb Adair lot 60 – The Country Music Festival in Farwell will be crediting volunteers the amount of minimum wage and this will go to their charity of choice. Please place information in the Birch Bark. There are 6,000 campsites at this event. WBL does have first choice to help direct traffic to campsites using golf carts, etc. Volunteers also get admission to events. Sign up sheet posted for those interested. Credit earned will go towards funds to improve our lakes or other projects in WBL. Volunteers are also given t-shirts to wear.

 

Tom Dorcey lot 1121 – The birdhouses aren’t just for birds, he’s had flying squirrels also use one and when they leave they take all their bedding with them.

 

Matt Lucas lot 404 – The Silver Ridge Music Event sounds like a great opportunity to advertise WBL and possibly move some property that is for sale.

 

Bill Hammond lot 63 – Why are we operating the new exit gate when the entrance is not working?

 

Tom Dorcey lot 1121 – We should keep the exit gate working to help control high speed.

 

Bob Pelfrey lot 527 – Also has concerns over traffic going around the exit gate. It only takes the gate 8 seconds to open, that’s not a long time to wait.

 

Jerry Bridges lot 158 – Has also witnessed members going out the entrance gate instead of waiting for the exit gate to open. Asks for members to try and get license plate numbers of any vehicles they may see do this. 

 

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

 

Director Brian Kozlowski moves to have our attorney send a letter to Lincoln Township to get a definitive answer regarding this issue. Second by Director Don Papesh. Member Jerry White points out that the Township and WBL have the same lawyer. Director Don Papesh withdraws his second and feels we should not spend money on this matter until Lincoln Township completes its review of the zoning ordinances. Motion dies for lack of support.

 

2nd Vice President Greg Hernden shared information regarding the new gate system. The system does work on the entrance side as far as the gate openers and gate itself. Gate does function with use of previous codes and pass cards. Two things that are stopping us from putting it into operation – the contractor is waiting for delivery on the battery back up system to open the gate in the event of a power failure. Second problem being the link between the office and the gate allowing the manager to enter new codes or delete old codes. A software tech should be here this Wednesday to correct problem. Gate will open automatically for emergency vehicles by using their sirens to activate. Gate opens in 8 to 10 seconds and that will not change. Only adjustment is after a vehicle clears the gate you can adjust the amount of time before the gate closes. Exit gate is triggered by an underground sensor and also takes 8 to 10 seconds to open. Once gate is open a timer starts to countdown to close gate and resets when someone drives through sensors on the gates. When the electric eyes are triggered then the countdown starts over until vehicle clears the gate. Anytime the beam is crossed the gates will reopen. Regarding Toni Passage’ question regarding Northland Electric they have not done one thing to the gate he was simply visiting with the guy from Northland.

 

President Al Isaac calls for a five-minute recess at this point.

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

Safety Rules – Director Brian Kozlowski moves to table this issue until the May Board meeting. Second by Director Don Papesh. All in favor, motion carried.

 

Notice of By-Laws Change Recommendations – Director Brian Kozlowski moves to post notice of changes to the membership including previously approved election and teller procedures. Second by 1st Vice President Marvin Frayer. All in favor, motion carried.

 

Swim Class Policy – Director Bob Adair moves to adopt the policy. Second by Director Brian Kozlowski. Director Sharon Bridges states the Manager should be involved in order to check if members are in good standing before taking the class. President Al Isaac explains that these guidelines ensure more involvement from WBL and helps protect WBL against expenses. Director Don Papesh asks if a member not in good standing will be treated as and charged the fee for a non-WBL member? President Al Isaac suggests changing the vocabulary to include members not in good standing under non-member fee. 2nd Vice President Greg Hernden disagrees with the part of the policy requiring membership to include 50% WBL members or related to WBL members. Director Don Papesh feels the additional fee for non-WBL members will cover most if not all of the costs to the Association. Director Bob Adair restates his motion to include all changes discussed. Director Brian Kozlowski seconds. All in favor, motion carried.

 

Wall Between Rooms at Clubhouse – Director Brian Kozlowski moves to examine cost of finishing opening between game room and family room in the Clubhouse. Second by 2nd Vice President Greg Hernden. After discussion of several ideas and costs Director Sharon Bridges moves to table until there is more information and proposals to review. Second by Director Brian Kozlowski. All in favor, motion carried.

 

Picture for Sign – Director Bob Adair moves to accept the proposed WBL sign submitted by Terry Obrecht. After discussion by the Board Director Bob Adair withdraws his motion to allow publication of proposed signs on the Web Site and request additional designs through June 8th and then have members vote on which sign they like best. A design by Jan Isaac has also been received.

 

Playground Equipment – No proposal available, moved to May meeting agenda.

 

Closed Session for Personnel and Real Estate Issue – Motion by Director Brian Kozlowski to move into closed session. Second by 1st Vice President Marvin Frayer. All in favor, motion carried.

 

President Al Isaac moves Board back into open session.

 

Managers’ Contract - 2nd Vice President Greg Hernden moves to adopt the manager’s contract with changes noted. Second by Director Sharon Bridges. A roll-call vote is taken: Direct Brian Kozlowski – yes. Director Sharon Bridges – yes. 1st Vice President Marvin Frayer – yes. 2nd Vice President Greg Hernden – yes. Director Bob Adair – yes. Director Don Papesh – yes. All in favor, motion carried. President Al Isaac confirms his support.

 

Executive Committee – President Al Isaac announces that Director Bob Adair has resigned from this committee and he is appointing Director Brian Kozlowski to the position.

 

2nd Vice President Greg Hernden moves to adjourn. Second by Director Don Papesh. All in favor, motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 12:32pm.

 

Respectfully Submitted

 

Todd J. Graham

Secretary