HLC Board Meeting-2007_09_08
Published on Huntsville Lakes Council (http://www.huntsvillelakescouncil.org)
HLC Minutes
Date: September 8, 2007
Location: Robinson Independent Grocer Community Room
Present:
Bill Somers - Chair - Lake Waseosa Ratepayers Association
Bruce Howlett - Treasurer - Lake Waseosa Ratepayers Association
Burr Atkinson - Secretary - Walker and Pells Lake Association
Elaine Jackson - Director - Fox Lake Association
Mary McCulley - Director - Chub Lake Property Owners Association
Dan McKeon - Director - Peninsula Lake Association
Barb Stronach - Director - Federation of Ontario Cottagers Association
John Kenny - Director - Lake of Bays Association
Ted Mercer - Director - Otter Lake Association
Tonia Di Sabatino - Director - Oxbow Lake Cottager's Association
Ian Hastie - Director - Lake Vernon Association
Michael Young - Director - Hidden Valley Property Owners Association.
Regrets:
Wendy Olan-Director - Bittern Lake Association
Mike Greenfield - Director - Mary Lake Association
Dan Kerr - Director - Mary Lake Association
Rob Zingel - Director - Fairy Lake Association
Jeanne O'Neill - Director - Harp Lake Association
Dwayne Verhey - Webmaster - Lake Waseosa Ratepayers Association
1. Call to Order: Chair, Bill Somers, opened the meeting at 9:31 AM welcoming all members and guests.
2. Approval of the Agenda: Motion by Mary M. and seconded by Barb S. that the agenda be approved. Carried.
3. Approval of the Minutes: Motion by Mary M. and seconded by Elaine J. that the Minutes be approved. Carried.
4. Treasurer's Report: Bruce H.-The Report was distributed and it was pointed out that the status of our membership for the last 5 years was outlined on the back of the Report. Question regarding the fact that Lake Waseosa Ratepayers Association was not shown on this outline to have paid dues for 2006-2007. Bruce stated that this was a mistake since they have paid and that he would correct it. Bruce stated that he would be contacting those members that had not submitted dues for their July 2007-June 2008 membership. Motion by Bruce H. and seconded by Burr A. that the treasurer's report be approved. Carried.
5. Comments from the Chair (see Report on our Web Site).
6. Lake Association Concerns:
Lake Waseosa; Bruce H. -An appealed OMB decision against severance was reviewed. At the review the decision against severance was overturned and OMB awarded a new hearing for the applicants on December 17th , 2007 at 10:30 in the Town of Huntsville Municipal Building. Since the Town will not get involved, this hearing will involve the Lake Waseosa Ratepayers Association versus the people wanting the severance and the District. The full OMB decision will be posted to the LWRA website at www.lwra.net. Bruce H. noted that the Lake Waseosa Ratepayers Association is also involved in a variance that is to be presented to Council on September 12th.
Chub Lake; Mary M. - Nothing to report.
Fox Lake; Elaine J. - Met with Planning Director of Town of Huntsville and others to discuss the restoration for public access of a portage between Lake Vernon and Fox Lake. The Association is also concerned about cattle in river between Buck Lake and Fox Lake.
Lake of Bays; John K.-LOBA operates with six active committees year around. LOBA held its second successful silent boat run.
Peninsula Lake; Dan M.-Association met on an OMB judicial review of the Quarry decision yesterday and plan to meet again on October 16th (at Lake Community Centre in Dwight) and on October 17th (at Town Chambers in Dwight). This Association is also reviewing their Lake Plan.
Oxbow Lake; Tonia D.-At this time, road conditions surrounding the Lake are of some concern.
Lake Vernon; Ian H.-Recently held AGM meeting and about 45 people attended . Discussed how to increase the number of people from ~30% to greater than 50%. Lake issues considered included the following: the deactivation of the Environmental Association; buoys in the Lake; development on the Lake (need to get politically more proactive).
Otter Lake; Ted M.-This Association held their first meeting on August 18th. They discussed how to get more members, ratify their Constitution and establish long range plans that include a Lake Plan and other, yet to be identified, mandates. Finally, a guest speaker, Rebecca Crockford, from the District of Muskoka and the Watershed Council presented an excellent talk on water quality in general and then on Otter Lake's stats in particular.
Walker & Pells Lakes; Burr A.- Recent Pot-Luck dinner by this Association was very successful, the owner of the Norseman was married, literally, on the Lake and, thanks to the Town Councillors, Highway 8 or Limberlost Road was designated as a scenic corridor (by-law will restrict advertising signs on this road).
7. Committee Reports:
(A) Membership Committee: Bruce H.- Presently there are 19 Associations in our membership. Bruce asked for any suggestions for increasing our membership and Dan M. mentioned that those of us from the Township of the Lake of Bays (Dan M., Tonia D. & Burr A.) were working on getting more Lake Association members for HLC from both the Lake of Bays and Huntsville to join our Council.
(B) Communications
(i) Website; Dwayne V.-(not present)
(ii) Advertising/Promo/Social; HLC Display board; Dan M.-
Display Board; Dan M.- Elaine J. stated that Forester has old photographs in regards to HLC and that we might look into obtaining some of those photographs for the HLC Display Board. Bill S. mentioned that he has old Newspaper articles and could dig them out. Dan M. and Burr A. suggested that we should first decide what we want in the Display Board before we start digging out old articles and photographs. Finally, it was decided that someone on Dan's committee or some newly appointed member of the committee might take on the task of organizing an HLC Display Board ---this would be discussed again at our next meeting.
(iii) Forester Articles; Mary M.-Article on pharmaceuticals prepared by Mary M. was in recent issue of the paper (the Forester) and the next article is being planned.
(C) Special Projects
(i) Lake Levels; Elaine J.-(see Report on our Web Site)
(ii) Insurance; Mary M.-(see Report on our Web Site)
(iii) Crown Land; Dan M.- Dan stressed that people camping on Crown land adjacent to a lake for long periods of time and/or close to roads or access points to the lake raise continual problems for homes and cottages on the lake. After much discussion, it was suggested that the committee should survey all the Lakes in our area and determine, if possible, how much Crown land surrounds these lakes and/or is contained on islands within these lakes, and if a problem exists regarding camping and/or the camping areas.
(iv) Navigational Buoys; Mary M.- Pipefusion (by e-mail from Rob Lever) claims that they had given two, prototype 8 foot buoys (presently located on Fairy Lake and Vernon Narrows) to HLC. John K. stated that we (HCL) are not insured for these buoys and should not take the responsibility for them. John K. motioned that HLC should reply to Pipefusion, the Town of Huntsville and the Membership in writing that we will not take responsibility for these buoys and that these buoys are individual Lake Association responsibilities. Burr A. seconded the motion. (Note: the exact wording of the motion would be clarified later in the meeting.)
(D) Policy; Mary M.
(i) Zoning By-Laws Review Cttee- Submitted 4-5 pages of comments regarding Zoning By-laws. They will be reviewed at a meeting on September 26th. Final meeting probably in mid-October.
(ii) Environment Cttee- The last meeting was on September 6th, however, prior to the meeting Mary met with Don Baker and the Chair of the committee to express concerns about the issues being discussed. At the September 6th meeting several changes occurred; namely, a change of meeting times to once a month, hold them in the evenings, invite other groups to attend and invite speakers. Mary felt that these changes would not allow much time for the committee to alter/correct environmental issues. Mary, in answer to a question regard Sound-Sorb, stated that that issue is not yet resolved.
(iii) Main St. West Development- Although, at the meeting, Mary M. raised a number of questions regarding it as interfering with the natural shoreline, this development was approved by Council.
(iv) Deer Lake Correspondence- no correspondence. Therefore, we decided HLC involvement is ended.
(v) Town Fees (lake plan/land trust)-Fees in the town of Huntsville have changed a great deal. For example, Significant changes in Lake Plan = $2500.00, small changes in Lake Plan = $600.00 and to donate land it must be re-zoned = $1000.00. Mary M. and Elaine J. met with the Mayor to discuss these changes and are presenting a deputation on HLC's position regarding this to Town Council at the Mayor's suggestion/request on Monday evening, October 15, 2007.
8. New Business: Motion previously made by John K. and seconded by Burr A. that - "HLC should reply in writing to Pipefusion, the Town of Huntsville and the Membership that we will not take responsibility for the Pipefusion buoys placed in Fairy and Vernon Lakes. Although we fully support the current initiatives underway and will continue to assist and provide support for this endeavor, it is not within our mandate to take responsibility for individual lake concerns."- was clarified and passed.
9. Adjournment: Adjourned at 11:55 AM
Next meeting - Saturday, October 13, 2007
Prepared by: Burr G. Atkinson - Secretary September 28, 2007
