Lake Gerry Association –
June 2023 Meeting - Unofficial Meeting Summary
Charles Kelley Rd. Pavilion
The meeting was well attended and there were several new faces joining the group!
The meeting was opened but we were unable to read last meeting’s minutes due to the secretary being unable to attend the meeting. They will be posted online shortly.
During every, single, meeting the same questions are asked by mostly different people. Constantly addressing these questions takes up a substantial amount of meeting time where members could be enjoying their time at the lake. To address this, we have created this website, and we will be posting these questions and the answers to them on the page so they can be easily located and we can focus our efforts on improving everyone’s lake life.
Lily Pad Cutting Machine – As of Sunday’s meeting we made it to the next round in the grant funding. We are crossing our fingers that we continue to progress as this machine will be a wonderful tool to use to improve Lake Gerry and will help us address Lily Pads. A decision will likely be made by June 15th.
Much of the Association’s project planning for the year will take place after we hear about the Lily Pad Cutter grant. That will dictate how much money we have left in the budget.
Flag Pole – We had a very generous donation of a new flag pole and brick work at the Charles Kelley Rd. Pavilion. Thank you Lance W. it looks great!
Last week the Sheriff was at the Lake due to a dog bite. Dogs continue to be a problem around Lake Gerry. Remember:
- · All Dog’s must be vaccinated for Rabies.
- · All Dogs must be licensed in the Town of Oxford.
- · All Dogs MUST be leashed when not on your property.
- · Pet Owners who are not in compliance with the town ordinances may be fined.
If a nuisance dog comes onto your property, you should photograph or video record it and contact the dog warden. If the dog is menacing or causing you to be nervous or afraid, then you need to call 911 to report the incident.
Website: We will be adding more content and details to the website to make sure everyone has access to up-to-date and accurate information about Lake Gerry. I’m trying like crazy to make this easy for everyone and keep you all as informed as I possibly can. So, if you notice any issues or if there is content you would like to see, send an email to contact@lakegerry.com . Information to be updated will also include a list of active board members and trustees. It was decided to NOT list the permanent trustees due to privacy concerns. We will not list contact information for any Board Members or members unless they give expressed permission to do so.
Lake Days – We are looking at changing Lake Days due to a lack of participation and interest. Instead of a weekend long series of events in the middle/end of August, we will be moving some of the events to July and the beginning of August. Our hopes are that we can get more members and families interested and participating in the various events.
Fishing Derby – Will be held on Saturday July 1st. We are working to determine if we should have on the access lane near the Beckwith’s dock or bring it back to the Pine Road Pavilion. We will decide that shortly and post it on the website.
After some discussion, the plan for the next few events:
- Pancake Breakfast (from Lake Days) - will be held on the morning of the Fishing Derby – July 1st at the Charles Kelley Rd Pavilion from 8 until 10.
- Fishing Derby - will be held on July 1st from 10 until 2. Location TBD.
- Ice Cream Social (from Lake Days) - will be held in the evening of July 1st, starting around 6pm at the Charles Kelley Rd. Pavilion
- BBQ/Picnic and Auction (from Lake Days) - will be held on August 5th at the Charles Kelley Rd. Pavilion – Food Source TBD, Time: TBD
- Boat Parade (from Lake Days) - will be held on August 5th, following the picnic at 6pm.
The Saturday before the last LGA meeting in September will be Coffee at the Pavilion.
Other events may be added depending on planning and funding.
Over the past year there have been several smaller lots for sale around the lake. These lots are currently too small to build on, but are a good size for adding a seasonal RV usage. There was some discussion about this and we would like to further explore if this is a good idea or not. We would need to put guidelines and rules in place for these lots to assure they meet our community’s standards and needs.
Issues to think about: RV’s would need to be a certain year/age. All RV’s would need to be removed at the end of the season. There would need to be some sort of septic contract. They could provide a good revenue source for the association. Will they invest in the community?
Treasurer’s Report:
~60 memberships this year. 8 are pending.
2 memberships are for income properties
Grass Carp Fund: $275
Fish Fund: $627 – Will be purchasing Bass, Fat Head Minnows, Perch
Restoration Fund: $310
Lake Steward Report:
Beach - Chris M. worked on fixing up the beach a few weeks ago for use this year. Lance W. put the bouy line out to mark the swimming area.
Welcome Signs – The sign posts have been painted and look great!
Spillway is being maintained every other day. Stick and debris are cleared as needed.
Beaver Permit has been issued to trap the beaver who has been plugging up the spillway, among other things.
New metal cabinets have been placed at the Charles Kelley Rd. Pavilion.
There is one more outhouse that needs to be removed over the next few weeks, as time allows.
Grass Carp seem to be doing there thing, we would like to assess their effectiveness on the vegetation of the lake. Email us if you see them and how big they are getting.
BOAT STICKERS -- All boats using Lake Gerry MUST have a current Boat Sticker attached to the side of your boat so that it is visible. If you see a boat without a yellow Lake Gerry Association Boat Sticker, they are trespassing and the police should be notified. If you have not picked up your boat stickers yet, they are free this year with your membership. Please contact the Lake Gerry Association Board member and they will get you the boat stickers.
Lastly, we will be discussing our By-Laws this year and are scheduled to review them and submit any changes for a vote in the Spring of 2024. The by-laws over the years have been a challenge and overly complicated. We would like to simplify them and make them more appropriate for the scope of our organization. If you would like a say in the governing of the organization, it is incredibly important that you attend these meetings and vote.
I will be creating a couple discussion groups on the website for members to discuss the potential of RV’s and By-Law issues/changes. To access these forums, you will need to sign-in to the website. Once signed-in, you will see a menu appear to view forums. (Among many other things that we are trying to keep private for members).