News

We will be condensing our Lake Days activities into a single day this year.  We will be hosting a Chicken BBQ catered by Phil's Chicken House on August 20th.  BBQ Dinners must be pre-ordered by August 8th by mailing payment to PO Box 665 Oxford, NY 13830

 

There will also be our annual Lake Preservation fundraiser held at the chicken bbq.   This year instead of the auction, we will be holding raffles for donated items. 

If you have any special thing you make or would like to donate to help us raise funds, please contact Carol Birdsall  (contact info will be coming).  

Suggested items include:  Gift Baskets/Cards, Homemade Items like: quilts, woodworking, art.  Fishing/outdoor equipment/gear.  

Lake Gerry Association Meeting

July 10, 2022

Unofficial Summary

 

Treasurer's Report --  See Financial Summary in member section

Lake Steward Report -- Given by Pauline:  

• Pine Road Pavilion - being painted today and upgrades have been completed.  It did run a bit over budget, but should be much improved.  We encourage all Lake Gerry Association Members to use this facility with their families.  Reminder:  There is limited parking next to the pavilion.  You may also exit Pine Road via the access lane that connects Pine Road with Kent Road.  This road has not been traveled much, and is narrow.  NOTE: This is NOT a foot path, but an actual road to be available to all Lake Gerry Members. 
• Fire Inspections - Required fire-extinguishers and first aid kits are now available at each pavilion.  It is unlikely that we will get to completing the required renovations on the Charles Kelley Road Pavilion this year due to budget constraints.   It will become a priority once funds are available. 
• Beach -  The beach has become overrun with muck and aquatic vegetation.   This will become a testing site for a new Muck treatment called Muck Doctor that was recommended by Weeders Digest.  These muck "spikes" will be placed this week and evaluated for their effectiveness.  There will also be a new donation of sand to the beach shortly. 

 

A question was raised by a new member about plowing the roads during the winter.   Note: The Lake Gerry Association does NOT maintain roads or lanes around Lake Gerry.  Road/Lane Maintenance is to be performed by residents on these roads.   A page on the website will be dedicated to community members who provide these services.  If you offer these services or know of a reliable contact, please let us know by emailing:  contact@lakegerry.com

 

Officer Nominations:   We will need nominees for President, Vice President and Lake Steward.  As of this meeting there were NO volunteers.  We will be putting together a more comprehensive list of duties for each officer in hopes of attracting a competent leadership team.    

 

We currently have a problem with guest passes not being used on the lake.  There is a proposal to limit the liability of Lake Gerry Guests by including them in a resident's home-owners policy.  Note:  Non-Members and guests of members without guest passes are trespassing on Lake Gerry and will be subject to trespassing charges. 

 

Financial Vote -  During the September meeting, we will be voting on new Board leadership as well as having a financial vote to decide if we need to increase association dues and what to do about boat and guest passes.  Please be sure to attend. 

 

Lake Restoration/Preservation --  Our last scheduled muck treatment will occur this week by SOLitude Lake Management.   They will be evaluating the floating islands of muck that are arising with the lily-pad die-offs.  We anticipate the price of these services to be very high and will be reevaluating our options in the fall.   Our last lily pad treatment is planned for August.  We will be focusing these treatments on the real dense areas at the ends of the lake.   After this year, we will be doing spot treatments as needed.  We are also investigating the purchase of a mechanical cutter to help maintain the lake better from now-on. 

 

Lake Days -  The attendance over the past couple years has sucked and it has been costing the association a lot of money in wasted food and time.  We are considering shrinking down the weekend events to just a single Lake Day for now, until it gains tractions again.  We are looking into pre-ordered meals to be provided by a catering service (currently looking at Phil's Chicken House) - Each attendee will have to order their meals and can pick them up at a designated time.  They can be enjoyed at the pavilion with other members, or can be taken home to eat.  We are looking at getting rid of the Auction as lately it has been mostly junk and raised no money.  Instead, we are looking at offering raffles for various items such as: Quilts, Wine, Gift Cards, Gift Baskets, etc.   We will know more about this in the coming weeks. 

 

Entrance/Sign Planters have become overgrown.  We have hired a local gentleman to weed and maintain these gardens for us on a monthly basis. 

Peg Philips has made a proposal to purchase an un-used access lane adjacent to her property.   The access lane does not service any homes or properties. 

 

Fish Derby - was a huge success this year.  Thank you for all those involved and who donated time and prizes.  There were 23 registered and everyone had a great time.  We were even able to meet some new residents on the lake.  We look forward to continuing this tradition next year. 

 

 

The 2022 Lake Gerry Fishing Derby was held on Saturday July 2nd.  

We had a total of 23 participants fishing the lake. 

 

The Results:

Adult -  Largest Fish:  Brandon Shaw with a Large Mouth Bass measuring 15-3/4 inches and weighing in at 1.87 pounds!

Adult - Most Fish Caught:  Chris Seminera caught 5 fish that morning. 

 

Junior - Largest Fish:  Aaron Murray caught a 25 inch, 2-1/2 pound pickerel!

Junior - Most Fish - Eleni Tumbelekis caught 5 fish. 

Junior - Smallest Fish - Carter Davis with a whopping 4 inch fish. 

 

A special thank you to Patrick Fucci for donating a fishing rod and lures at prizes and Scott and Debbie Meade for donating a $25 Mayhood's Gift Card!

 

 

Thank you for all of those who participated, we hope you had a great time!

2022 Lake Gerry Association Board Member Nominations

Nominations will be held for Lake Gerry Association Board Members at our July 10th, 2022 Meeting.  

Board Member VOTING will take place at our September LGA Meeting

Please consider volunteering your time to help make our lake an amazing place to live and visit. 

From our By-Laws - RE: Officer Positions - 

Article 4

Duties of Officers

Section 1 –

President:  It is the duty of the President to preside at all meetings, enforce By-Laws, appoint all committees, and perform such other duties, as necessary.

Section 2 -

Vice President:  It is the duty of the Vice-President to assist the President in the discharge of their duties and in case of absence, death, resignation or removal of the President, the Vice President shall take their place and perform such duties as these laws provide and shall perform other duties as requested by the President.

Section 3 –

Secretary:  It is the duty of the Secretary to address all correspondence, notify members of special meetings, keep correct record of minutes at each meeting and preserve the same and perform other duties as requested by the President.

Section 4 –

Treasurer:  It is the duty of the Treasurer to receive all money paid into the Association for dues, fines, assessments, etc. and deposit said in the bank, as well as keeping a correct record of all monies received.  It is also the responsibility of the Treasurer to pay all vouchers submitted by the financial secretary. Either the Treasurer or the President may sign checks for the Association (as per NBT Bank).  The Treasurer shall perform all duties as requested by the President.

 

Section 5 –

Financial Secretary:  It is the duty of the Financial Secretary to receive the bills and submit a voucher to the treasurer for all expenditures.  The Financial Secretary will also perform all other duties as requested by the President.

 

Section 6 –

Trustees:  Three (3) Trustees shall be elected and shall audit the books, accounts, and vouchers of the Treasurer before the September meeting and report at the September meeting.  Also, it will be the responsibility of the Trustees to canvas unpaid residents of Lake Gerry for potential membership in the Association.

Section 7 –

Any Vacated position may be filled at the discretion of the President.

Any officer absents for more than three consecutive meetings without showing due cause shall be considered having vacated their office can be replaced at the discretion of the President.                                                       

Section 8 –

 Lake Steward: It will be the responsibility of the lake steward to survey and report on all lake properties.  At each meeting a report will be given on the conditional of all docks, lake access lanes, pavilions, etc. This position will also be responsible for fish stocking, water testing and assisting the ongoing activities around the lake improvement efforts.

 

 

The annual Fishing Derby will be held on Saturday July 2nd from 9am to 1pm.   Registration will take place at the Lake Gerry Access point near 200 Charles Kelley Rd.  All members and their guests are welcome. 

Trophies will be awarded for both adult and youth fish caught.  

If you need extra guest passes, please purchase them from the Lake Gerry Membership Shop. 

LGA Meeting – June 12^th, 2022

 Un-Official Summary

A continuation from the May meeting which was cut short due to a storm hitting the area.

 

Lily Pad Removal – This year will be the last year spraying for Lily Pads as recommended by the DEC and SOLitude Lake Management.  The DEC has offered us an open permit for the next 5 years which will allow us to seek treatments without having to go through the lengthy and expensive permitting process.

Muck Treatments – There are two more treatments on our SOLItude contract from last year.  The digester treatment will take place tomorrow (June 13^th) around noon, and another one will be applied at the end of June.

Lake Restoration/Preservation – Lily Pad Treatments and Muck Digester treatments are by far, the largest expenditures the association has.  Our expenditures over the past three years have been roughly $15,000 so far.  We can expect these prices to increase significantly due to inflation and may not continue to use the solutions we have been and are looking at other possibilities.

One of these options is to save a few thousand dollars a year that we would spend on lake restoration and purchase a brand new machine from Weeder’s Digest called the Water Bug which will allow us to cut and remove the lily pads via portable, battery powered and remote controlled machine.  Please see the videos posted on the website for more information.  We will be discussing the feasibility and options to raise funds for this machine in the future.

We ask that this year, you limit the amount of lily pads you cut again, so that when the herbicide is applied later in the summer, it will be most effective.  Lily pads that are cut, do not have any chance to absorb the herbicide which will kill the roots of the plant, and will regrow the following year. 

The restoration and preservation of Lake Gerry must be a collective effort and can’t be supported by just a few members doing their own thing.  We want to encourage all our members and residents of the Lake Gerry community to do their part in helping reduce chemicals and pollutants that enter the lake and promote the growth of algae, lily pads, and the formation of muck.  We will be putting together a list of easy and affordable ways you can help.

Pine Road Pavilion – The pavilion itself has been reduced to half of the original size.  This will make it easier and more affordable to maintain.  Gravel has been placed in the pavilion to help with drainage and footing.  Two picnic grills will be going in that can be used by association members.  We will be adding a picnic table or two to the pavilion over the next couple weeks.  We will be seeking volunteers to help paint the pavilion in the coming weeks.  The Fire Inspector would like us to have a fire extinguisher and first aid kit at each pavilion.  Those will be purchased and placed in the coming weeks.  We ask that you all help take care of the pavilion and take pride in our community.  If you see these facilities being abused, vandalized or any property being stolen please contact the police by calling 911.

By-Laws – The by-laws have been revised to include appropriate language that more accurately reflects the time.  You can find a copy of the by-laws on the website.

Codes Enforcement – We are working with Codes Enforcement to address the blighted, empty and abandoned houses around the lake that are dangerous, ugly, lower our property values, and have ruined many property sales.  Codes has identified many of the properties and are working toward notifying the property owners to encourage clean-up, demolition or sale of the blighted properties.   This can be a lengthy process, but hopefully the ball is rolling now and we can clean up the neighborhood.

 

Beach Upgrades – After last month’s regrading of the beach, we were originally going to not do any more improvements to the beach.   However, the floats were deteriorating and not effective, so we installed a new floating pool boundary. We also had a very generous donation of sand to be added to the beach this summer.  We look forward to these improvements and hope everyone gets to enjoy the beach this year.

 

Lake Access Signs – Lake Access signs have been added to three private Lake Gerry Association lanes.  Please remember to keep these lanes clear of personal items, boats, cars, and other stuff.  Access lanes are only to be used by Lake Gerry Association members.  If you see anyone trespassing or encroaching on these private properties, please let us know.

 

Speed Limit Signs --  A few years ago we sent around a petition to have the speed limit lowered on Charles Kelley Road.  There has been little-to-no movement on this issue as it was approved by the town of Oxford, and is now in the County’s hands.  We do not anticipate them to agree to lowering the speed limit on Charles Kelley Rd.  It was suggested that we put out our own signs to warn of Kids and People Walking.  There was some discussion about borrowing an automated speed sign from the town.

 

Fishing Derby – Will be held this year.  We have not decided on a date yet.  Traditionally it has been over the 4^th of July holiday, and other times during Lake Days.  We will post information as soon as we have it.

 

Dogs --  There have been several incidents regarding dogs around the lake.  These dogs have attacked other dogs being leash walked around the lake.  If a dog is seen off-leash or is becoming a nuisance on your property or Lake Gerry properties, please contact the Oxford Dog Control Officer @ 607-952-6025.    If you are attacked or bit by a dog around Lake Gerry please contact the police by calling 911.

 

Lake Access --  Only Lake Gerry Association members have access to Lake Gerry and Lake Gerry Association Properties.  If someone has not joined or paid their Lake Gerry Association membership, they are not permitted to use the lake.   If you have guests visiting the lake please make sure they are using your boats that are properly labeled with a current Lake Gerry Association Boat Sticker, in addition, make sure they have their Lake Gerry Guest Passes.  If you know of someone trespassing on Lake Gerry, call 911 and report it.

Please follow the link below to information about the Weeder's Digest Water Bug - The Lily Pad removal system that we discussed at our June 2022 Lake Gerry Association Meeting. 

 

https://lakeweedharvester.com/waterbug/

 

Video of Water Bug

The winner of the Smoker/Grill Raffle is Ed Goodrich from Walton, NY. 

 

Congratulations Ed and thank you for supporting the Lake Gerry Association and helping us restore Lake Gerry. 

LGA 2022 Agenda  - May 2022

Unofficial Meeting Summary

Solitude recommends this year be the last to spray

• To reduce the environmental impact of the lily pad removal and maintain a good healthy lake, it is recommended that this year (the 3^rd year in a row) we discontinue the broad application of herbicide. Each year there will be an evaluation performed to determine the best way to go forward on treating the lily pads. 
• If you live in an area where there are still dense lily pads, please let us know and we will direct this year’s treatment to those areas.
• We are investigating alternative methods of lily pad treatments and will keep everyone posted on what we find.

Cleanup Wood around Pavilion –

• We are in the process of cleaning up the trees that were cut down last fall around the Charles Kelley Road Pavilion.

Take down out-buildings behind pavilion –

• Behind the Charles Kelley Rd. Pavilion there are several old out-houses that will be removed by Chris M. this year. This will help the aesthetics of the area and reduce risks of anyone getting injured in them.

Review and Plan play area at pavilion

• We have heard from many families with kids and grand kids that it would be great to have a small play ground located at the Charles Kelley Rd. Pavilion area to give children a place to play during events or during their stay at the lake. We will be investigating our options and will put some plans forward once we have them.  If anyone would like to donate to this fund, please let us know.  Every little bit helps.

Redo Beach Area –

• Chris M. began re-grading the beach area on Charles Kelley Rd. This year the plan will be to see where all the sand settles and add some the following year or determine if we need to redo the whole area again.  There have been several members who have helped with this project over the years and we are grateful for their help making the beach a cherished spot for many.

 

Plan out fundraising

• As you all know, everything is getting more expensive. We are always looking for good and efficient ways to raise money for the multitude of projects in and around the lake.  Muck Removal, Lily Pad treatments and repairing the pavilions are quite expensive projects and we will need to find additional ways to raise funds to keep these projects going.
• Currently there is a Grill raffle that will end in a couple weeks. This raffle has not been very popular so far, so if you want a real good chance at winning a grill/smoker, buy tickets on the website or from a LGA board member ASAP.
• There will also be a shotgun riffle through Mayhoods. This raffle will run from June to November. See the website for details.
• We would like to have someone organize a food truck fundraiser in Oxford or Norwich this year. We would like to see Doug’s Fish Fry, Phil’s Chicken House, and/or Brooks BBQ (or any others that we can think of). 

 

Plan out activities –

• There has been some interest in social activities around the lake. We are always looking for ideas.

 

Review and plan out Lake Days

• The 2021 Lake Days celebration was anything but successful. We barely broke even and need to re-evaluate the activities and funding for the Lake Days.  Ideas that were floated:  Discontinue Lake Days as we know it.   Offer several events throughout the month instead of one weekend to encourage more people to attend at least one event.  Establish a committee or person to lead the Lake Days efforts and include sign-ups for events.

Audit – Done at board meeting

• An audit was performed this winter during a LGA Board member meeting at the Oxford Library.

Water Testing –

• Water testing for the lake will be performed by Solitude again this year. We will hope to have results posted on the website.
• We are investigating participating in the NYSFOLA – CSLAP testing. This is a lengthy process but helps us identify trouble areas and let us address them before they become an expensive problem to fix.

Fish Stocking –

• We will be adding: 100 Large Mouth Bass, 600 Catfish, 5000 Fat Head Minnows and 40 Grass Carp to the lake this spring.
• The large mouth bass will help supplement a quite healthy bass population and add some genetic diversity to the lake.
• Catfish will be added in an effort to help maintain a healthy lake as they will eat much of the algae under the water. They are fun to catch and also taste really good.  For the catfish population to be self-sustaining they need a place to spawn.  Catfish spawn in hollow logs and abandoned muskrat holes around the shore.  Lake Gerry does not have many of these, so we will be adding artificial spawning boxes over the next year or two in hopes that we will create a population that will thrive in the lake. 
• Fathead Minnows will provide an additional food source for primarily the Large Mouth Bass. Fathead minnows spawn under objects such as trees, docks, lily pads and floating debris.  Our hopes is by adding decent amounts several times a year that we can grow a sustaining population to help us grow some large bass!
• Grass Carp – will continue to be added to the lake in efforts to help keep our lake weeds in-check. Fundraising for the grass carp occurred throughout the year and we will be adding 40 new ones this year. 

Fire Inspection –

• Our yearly fire inspections confirmed the need to renovate the pavilions to maintain safety and compliance.

Put up second sets of posts by entry signs

• Finish the design to specifications for the Lake Gerry entrance signs on either side of Charles Kelley Rd.

Schedule Port-a-Potty Cleaning

• Self explanatory.

Clean up flower beds at entry ways

• We need some volunteers to help maintain the flower beds and both entries to Lake Gerry by the signs. David Moy has volunteered.

 

Review Solitude Proposals –

• We will be reviewing this year’s and future proposals for muck treatments and lily pad removal as part of the Lake Gerry restoration and Preservation fund. As with everything, the prices will be increasing and we will be monitoring and deciding on best courses of action.

Review Pavilion proposals and set a plan of action –

• Due to impending fire inspections for both pavilions and our lack of progress on many repairs, we have started renovations of the Pine Road Pavilion this spring. Chris M. has been working on the repairs.  If you are interested in seeing the designs for the pavilion please see the sketches on the website.
• We will still need to make a plan and do some fundraising for repairs of the Charles Kelley Road pavilion. Much of our budget was used up last year to repair the electrical connection after it was struck by several large limbs during a storm.

 

Lake access signs to be added off Charles Kelley  --

• Additional right-of-ways will be labeled for Lake Gerry Association members to access the lake.

 

Paul Drop, Olga Hover, John Beebe passing --  John’s Celebration of life June 19^th – 1-3pm

 

Walter Talgo to fill vice president til end of season

 

Secretary position is open  -- filled by Julie T.

 

September Officer voting

• Officer voting will occur in the fall. We will be looking for new, enthusiastic, energetic and dedicated board members to carry on the good work of the LGA and protect the future of our properties.

 

By-laws update – Taxes and legal bills

• The language in the By-laws was out-dated and needs to be updated. Our attorneys are working on these changes and will be available soon.
• Our tax filing, or lack-thereof has made us out of compliance for non-profit status in both NY and federally. Our attorneys are sorting out the details and will advise us on the best course of action moving forward. 

 

Give update about codes and abandoned houses

• The codes officers have been made aware of several abandoned and blighted properties around Lake Gerry. They are working on contacting the owners of these properties and will work toward condemning them, removing them or repairing them.

 

Give updates about all new property ideas from Oxford

Camper Proposals

Here is a sketch of the planned Pine Road Pavilion updates.