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Cedar Lake
Cedar Lake Improvement District notes from our meeting on September 27, 2012 6:30 - 8:00 pm at the New Prague Public Library Meeting Room -
Attendees: Tom Heide, Mike Speltz, Marie Jaeger, Lowell Mohn, Dave Nielsen, Brad Eller and Jeremy Scheffler a local bow fisherman
Agenda Items for discussion:
Jeremy Scheffler, a local bow fisherman, attended to share his experiences with typical carp fishing tournaments, the processes and possible prizes offered to entrants. It was determined that a tournament on Cedar Lake could possibly accommodate about 8 boats with 2-3 fisherman per boat. The best time of year to hold a tournament would be in May when carp are spawning. It is held for one night (usually Friday) and hours are typically 9 pm through 10 a.m. the following morning. The sheriff’s office would be notified in case of any calls from residents who were concerned about the spot lights used on the boats to spot the carp. Notifications would be mailed to residents and posted on our website. Various prize options and ways to hold the tournament were also discussed. There would be a need for a few volunteers to assist with the counting of the fish during the night. It was determined that the tournament could be a viable option especially if seining wasn't completed this fall or winter for some reason. Further discussion will be held in the future as spring draws near.
Mike followed up on fisherman for carp seining. He advised that the commercial fisherman Jeff Reidemann had agreed to fish Cedar Lake either late this fall or over the winter. Jeff would charge a flat set-up fee but no fee for poundage. They utilize a 2000-foot net and have a 10-man crew. There are no guarantees on how many pounds will be harvested but they have incentive to harvest as much as possible since they have a market for their catch. Harvest will most likely occur this fall and then again this winter. However, that might change because the initial fisherman who is the DNR-approved seiner for Cedar Lake has possibly changed his mind that he may now want to seine Cedar Lake. Last winter he had told Mike that he wasn’t interested so now that the board is ready to write the contract with Jeff, Mike had to get a signed letter from Don indicating he wasn’t interested. When Don received the letter at the end of September, he called Mike and indicated he might change his mind and didn’t want to sign the letter. According to DNR rules, we have to use Don unless we get the signed letter. Mike is contacting Don to give him a deadline for his answer so we can make progress on getting a commitment to have the seining done this fall and/or winter. He will be contacting the local DNR representative as necessary for advice. Mike will have an answer for the board by the October meeting.
Tom brought up the fact that we need to start grooming a replacement treasurer to Bob Vanasek who will be retiring in 2013. Mike Speltz volunteered to take over as treasurer and work with Bob over the next several months prior to his retirement to learn the nuances of the position.
Tom brought the board up to speed on a recent meeting he had with the Scott County Watershed District. Tom confirmed that the CLID will not need signatures for spraying from shoreline owners on an annual basis Signatures are valid for 3 years but the CLID will need to post notice in the local paper that treatment will be taking place. Tom also announced that the native weed count in the treated bay was completed by a DNR intern and will be presented at our October 9 meeting. Melissa suggested that she attend the next board meeting to get the board’s input for an overall Lake Treatment Plan that her organization (Scott Watershed Management Organization) and the DNR would write incorporating our ideas for a more aggressive long-range treatment plan. The plan will hopefully be presented to the DNR for approval in time for expanding the 2013 treatment areas.
Marie announced that the CLID website is operational. The website will be utilized to keep property owners informed on CLID matters including monthly board meetings, annual meetings, carp seining/fishing and future lake treatments. Lowell had sent out a postcard to residents informing them of the website. Marie provided an overview of the few emails that had been sent to the website which were very positive in nature. Marie also reported that the website came in at the lower end of the budget set aside for its creation. Marie agreed to be CLID's point person for inquiries on the website.
Bob notified us that the Scott County Board of Commissioners at their September meeting unanimously approved our new levy amount of $40,000 and our request to raise the number of our lake improvement district board from 5 to 7 members. These two proposals were voted in by approximately 85% of the large number of residents who attended our annual meeting. Tom headed up the discussion of seeking volunteers and election of future board members as replacements are needed. Various ideas were discussed. Decisions were tabled until a future meeting.
It was decided that the board meetings should be held in the larger conference room at the New Prague public library due to frequent guest speakers and the possibility of staying longer than 8 pm if necessary. In order to reserve that room on a regular basis, the board decided to meet on the second Tuesdays of the month from 6:30-8 pm. Next board meeting will be October 9.