2006 Spring color.pub

SPRING 2006
Editor:
Richard Brightman
LAKE HAUTO CLUB
NEWSLETTER
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
By Ken Snyder
Well, summer is here. It took a lot of work to
get ready for the season but we made it.
There were a few kinks but that is normal. In
writing the President’s Message I like to go
back and give you the highlights of the past
few months, but it is overshadowed by the
rainstorm we had the last day in May. Our
beaches got washed out, a tree came down on
one home and one of the tennis court chain
link fences got damaged. The sides of many
roads got washed out and leaves washed off
lots and blocked road drainage pipes. The
maintenance men are working to clean everything up. I had a list of items for them to work
on, but all that had to be put aside to clean up
after the storm.
Now on to a better side. If you intend to run for
the board in the next election you must pick up
an official petition at the office and get at least
10 members in good standing to sign. The petition must be turned into the club office in person no later than the end of business on July
15, 2006. When you turn it in Kim will give you
a receipt that she received it. There are 3
positions open for 3year terms and one
for a two-year term.
There have been
some rule changes
recently and if you
want a copy you can
call the office (570654-7100) or go to the
Lake Hauto Web Site
(www.lakehauto.org).
The Oakwood restLake Hauto Club
rooms are finished but we still have to do
some outside work. We tiled the floor, installed power toilets, new sinks and spring
loaded faucets. We painted the walls and installed a new ceiling, new sewage line, new
electric line and new water line. All was not
easy though. Under the restrooms we found a
1500 gallon holding tank full of sewage. We
had to pump it out and then wheel barrow in
stone to fill it. We had planned to renovate the
Eastwood restrooms this year also, but dealing
with the holding tank delayed us a lot. We decided not to do Eastwood this year during the
summer months because of all the equipment
moving around and you would have to have
used porta-potties. We did paint the floor,
walls and ceiling and put new toilet seats in to
make it decent for the season. Eastwood definitely will be done next year.
This winter was friendly to us and our equipment held up and we did not need any outside
help to take care of the snow. We recently
purchased a roller to put blacktop down instead of just putting it in a hole and driving a
truck over it. This will do a much better job of
sealing the road.
Thanks to Jim Law for
overhauling the roller.
We also purchased a
torch to heat the holes
so they will better take
the blacktop. We
hope to do a better
job on the grass on
the shoulders of the
roads and keep them
cut. Lee Gackenbach
has volunteered to cut
the ball field this summer.
(Continued on page 2)
Page 1
Spring 2006
(Continued from page 1)
We have kept attorney fees down by 90% from
the past several years and we will keep trying to
keep them down. We added security and you
can read about it in Maurice Infante’s article.
We plan to have flags mounted on all member
ATVs to better identify which belong to lake residents and which ones are outsiders. A new entrance sign is going up at the Main entrance.
Signs also will be placed at Crescent beach
saying: “No recreational vehicles beyond this
point” (on the beach and play areas.)
We plan to repave the east entrance road this
summer. We have some hurdles to get over to
do the road but I am confident that it can be
done. We intend to start bingo at the Community Center in August. There are new basketball
back boards at Crescent. A thank you to Joe
Pilla and his crew.
Remember our Board of Directors meetings are
open to the members on the 3rd Tuesday of
each month.
Summer is here – make the most of it!
Kenneth Snyder
SECURITY
By Maurice J. Infante
As you all may be aware we finally have SECURITY here at Lake Hauto. This is something the
membership has wanted for several years. The
board of directors voted to hire the Charlesworth
Security Agency out of Minersville. This will be
for a 13 week period starting May 27th and will
run through the Labor Day Weekend. There will
be two shifts, an afternoon shift and a night
shift. The security staff will be here most days
during the week but definitely all weekend days
during this time period. Their main job is to
monitor our beaches, beach facilities, roads and
our dam area. They will check cars for Lake
Hauto stickers which are now mandatory.
Lake Hauto Club
(Please make sure yours are in your left rear
window.) They will be stopping speeders on
any road but primarily Lake Drive. Also, they
will be checking all ATV's for registration as well
as monitoring the age of the drivers. Remember our club rule that all ATV drivers must be at
least 16 years old and possess a valid drivers
license. Your cooperation is needed. If you get
stopped for not having your sticker on your vehicle the security people are only doing their job.
Let's work with them. Also remember to go by
the rules and regulations. That's why they are
there.
Another part of security's job is to keep out non
members; those people who aren't guests of our
membership. Remember, if you go to the beach
at any time you need a beach tag. If your
guests go, they need one of your tags or a temporary tag which you can get from the lake office. If the office is closed the security guard
should have some for you. You will need to tell
the guard how many you need, tell him your
name and show him your tag so he can note the
number. The guard will then give this information to Kim at the lake office. Remember, you
are only allowed 25 daily passes per year free
and if you use more than that number they are
one dollar a tag for each guest. Keep in mind
security is on your side so if you see anything
out of the ordinary call them on their cell phone
which is listed at all the beaches on the bulletin
board. All lifeguards also have the security cell
number as well in the event they deem they are
needed at the beaches.
Keep in mind that we also have our block
watchers who total 28 along with our beach tag
checkers who total 16. Both groups will be additional eyes and ears we need this summer for
any unforeseen circumstances. We are grateful
to these people for doing this for our community.
Please help them out by always wearing your
tags.
In closing, I hope we have done the job for you
so each and every member can have an enjoyable summer. Enjoy, Enjoy!
Page 2
Spring 2006
BUILDINGS AND WATER QUALITY
COMMITTEES
Boat and Dock Report
By Howard Tokosh
By Maurice Infante and John Totani
BUILDINGS
At present there are eight new homes under
construction at Lake Hauto. Our community
continues to attract new members. Since we
assumed our new duties in September, we have
met several new members.
In working with the new members, we must emphasize compliance with the Club’s rules and
regulations regarding setbacks, staking out
property lines and building lot lines, plus requesting their landscaping plans. This will avoid
problems similar to those experienced by builders in Kidder Township in the past. Not having
proper sight lines and property lines can result
in a legal battle with the builder and owner of
the property.
As of this writing all boat docks have been installed. The dock attachments required repair.
They have been welded and strengthened with
heavier steel. New swim rafts have been built
and should be in by the time you get this newsletter. They are nicely covered with outdoor carpet material. The trampoline at Crescent beach
has been removed and will be replaced by one
of the new swim rafts. The swim raft is less
costly and will have a longer life. The trampoline was no longer easily repairable. There was
also concern about liability issues with the trampoline.
The board changed some of the boat rules.
Personal watercraft engines are limited to 135
horsepower or less. Prior to this the limit was
90 horsepower. The rule was changed because
90 horsepower engines are no longer being
manufactured. The length of all Inboard/Outboard
The new requirement on road cuts calls for the
cut to be power compressed, with 4 inches of
2A modified, then 4 inches of cement 3 inches
below the road surface, followed by 3 inches of
compressed blacktop. All joints must be sealed
with tar. This will stop our road cuts from sinking. These instructions will accompany every
permit and will be given to the water and sewer
companies.
(I/O) watercraft only must be 20 foot or under with
no greater than a 4.3 Liter engine. The outboard watercrafts must be less than 19 feet and have engines
of four cylinders or less. Pontoon boats will be 20
feet or less and have motors of four cylinders or
less. Pontoon boats are measured by deck size.
WATER
The Senior Group at Lake Hauto sponsored a
seminar by the Carbon County Agency on Aging
on May 24, 2006. Twenty five club members
were in attendance at our Community Center.
Refreshments were prepared by members and
served to the participants. The program was
conducted by Stephanie Cawley. It was a most
informative session on the services offered by
the Agency. Although the representative was
from Carbon County, she assured everyone that
the services covered are state wide. She also
provided those present with an abundance of
books and pamphlets and reminded everyone to
call your local agency with any questions you
may have.
There is nothing new to report on water quality.
The usual testing of lake water for swimming
and fishing will start prior to May 30th and continue until Labor Day weekend.
Lake Hauto Club
SEMINAR ON AGING
By Lorraine Drosdak and Howard Tokosh
Page 3
Spring 2006
LAKE HAUTO BEACHES AT NIGHT
By Aimee Ruzicka
Several current Board members have been assisting the hired security patrol in driving around
the beaches at night to see who’s there. For anyone not aware of this fact, Crescent Beach has
apparently been “party central” for teens in surrounding communities for several years. They
are shocked to be asked if they are residents and
to show a tag or day sticker to use our beaches.
However, when confronted, they do hop back in
their cars to take the party elsewhere.
If you use the beaches in the evening, please
wear or carry your recreation tag and make sure
your kids do so as well. Put the “resident”
sticker on your car so back-seat activities will
not be disturbed. One young couple (no resident sticker) were interrupted in a serious state
of undress in the back seat of their car on second beach. Because of night darkness, it was
impossible to tell how red their faces were.
People may think these activities only happen on
weekends. Not so. Every single evening since
Memorial Day, non-resident teens have congregated at the beaches before being asked by the
patrol to leave. As many as 30-40 of these nonresidents were at Crescent Beach on a recent
evening before they were told to take the party to
someone else’s property.
Lake Hauto Club
Page 4
Spring 2006
Fish Report
DAM REPORT
By Howard Tokosh
By Howard Tokosh
Stocking of fish for year 2006 was as follows.
On 13 April 377 12”, 75 13” and 65 14” Rainbow/Brook trout were stocked equally at the
three beaches. One hundred 11”/12” trout were
also put into Birchwood Pools. The cost was
$1,755, for a total of 617 trout.
A report was received from the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection regarding the inspection of our dam. The principal recommendation was that ATV activity be restricted
from the dam. Therefore, we will no longer allow ATV access to the breast of the dam. Poles
and chains will be erected at the south end of
the breast to restrict access of ATV’s. Signs will
be erected at the north end saying that ATV’s
may not enter. A barrier may later be erected.
The DEP also advised that brush growing on
the upstream face be cut.
On 6 May 553 trout were stocked at Crescent
Beach for the Children’s Fishing Derby. This
was at a cost of $1,500. On 19 May $1,000
worth of catfish were stocked at the three
beaches. This completed the fish stocking for
2006.
The Children’s Fishing Derby was held a Crescent Beach on 6 May 2006. Every participant
received a goody bag which consisted of hooks,
sinkers, a stringer, etc. and a new $2 bill.
Prizes were given for biggest fish, biggest trout,
first to catch the limit, smallest fish, first fish and
no fish. The first two prizes were fishing rods
and the third prize was a tackle box. The Law’s
donated two other prizes. Unfortunately, I lost
the list with the winner’s names. If it turns up I
will publish the winner’s names in the next
Newsletter. Thanks to Jim and Carol Law for
cooking hot dogs, Mark and Paula Dunn for
measuring fish, Leo Drosdak and Jack Davis for
registering the children, and all the other people
who helped out. There were 68 participants.
Hot dogs, drinks and snacks were served to all
the participants. All the food was donated. The
weather was beautiful.
The DEP stated that “Overall, the dam was in
good condition”.
There is a problem with the downstream valve.
It is very difficult to open and close. It was for
this reason that we did not lower the lake last
winter. Originally, we thought the upstream flapper was open and was putting pressure on the
downstream valve. Brian Seitz donned scuba
gear and inspected the flapper and it turned out
to be closed and he could not open it. We are
working on the problem.
AUDIT REPORT
By Howard Tokosh
An audit of the club’s 2005 financials and all
past assessment accounts is being performed
by Buckno Lisicky and Company at a cost of
$10,000. Various documents have been delivered to their offices in Leighton and a field visit
of our office at Lake Hauto will occur in the near
future. No payments to Buckno have yet occurred.
Lake Hauto Club
Page 5
Spring 2006
the past two years, perform a complete review
of all special assessment accounts and will deliver a list of recommendations on how to improve our financial accountability. There was
discussion on this and the board made clear it
reserves the right to take the audit further back
if it feels that is necessary.
BOARD BIZ
By Richard Brightman
This is a summary of pertinent Board activity since the
last newsletter.
JANUARY
The board also adopted a new rule to stem the
growth of commercial vehicles and construction
equipment that are becoming more and more of
an eyesore here at the lake. This rule reads as
follows:
No construction equipment, snowplows, trailers,
commercial vehicles, unlicensed vehicles or vehicles with expired registrations shall be kept
overnight within Lake Hauto. The only exceptions are:
a) Equipment or vehicles being used for an active construction or renovation project for which
the member has received and posted valid permits.
b) A single commercial vehicle which is a member’s primary means of commuting to his or her
place of work.
c) Equipment or vehicles that are kept in a
closed garage or shed and are not visible from
any street or any member’s property.
d) Trailers for member-owned recreational vehicles and boats.
e) Member-owned campers.
f) Snow plows attached to otherwise authorized
vehicles during snow season.
The board also voted to replace the swim docks
at all three beaches for this coming summer.
These all will be wooden docks like what has
been at Oakwood and Eastwood. I know the
kids loved the Crescent beach trampoline, it just
wasn’t economical, requiring an extra lifeguard,
costing $3,500.00 and lasting only three years.
Together, the three new docks will cost
$2,500.00 and last decades.
FEBRUARY
First, the board approved the expenditure of
$10,000 for an audit of the club’s financial records. The audit will review transactions over
Lake Hauto Club
A new disruptive behavior rule was passed:
Disruptive behavior, as determined by the board
president, at any Lake Hauto Club board meeting or any Lake Hauto Club members meeting is
prohibited. The presence or consumption of alcoholic beverages at these meetings is also prohibited.
Jon Wink was appointed to take Larry Mosser’s
position on the board.
There will be a hearing at the Carbon Country
courthouse on March 10 at 9:00 A.M. This is in
response to the objections the water authority
made over Judge Nanovic’s ruling on the east
entrance. Apparently a party can object once to
a judge’s ruling before the judge, which is what
the water authority has done.
The board passed a new boat rule stating that
pontoon boats can be 20 feet in length as measured by the deck size. The previous length was
19 feet but they aren’t made that small any
more. The board also adopted the policy that
any home demolitions will require a $5.00 permit. Obviously the board is not interested in
making money on this permit, only to be aware
of the activity. The board also adopted a standard petition form for use here. The recent petitions have been “all over the block” as to how
they were constructed.
MARCH
The board has been researching attorneys to be
the club’s counsel. We voted on Tuesday to appoint Joseph Matika, Esq. as the club’s counsel.
Mr. Matika will not attend the monthly board
meetings. I announced the completion of a new
(Continued on page 7)
Page 6
Spring 2006
run / walk on July 29 at 9:30 A.M. [Date since
changed to July 20.] All proceeds go to the
American Cancer Society.
(Continued from page 6)
set of bylaws. These will be distributed to the
board shortly for their review and then will be
sent to all of you for your review.
The board voted to clarify a policy it has had for
some time. Usually a new member must pay a
$1000 initiation fee. The board has exempted
the fee in cases where the property was transferred to a son or daughter. We recently had a
similar transfer but from a son to a his parents.
The board clarified its policy that the initiation
fee will be waived for any property transfer between immediate family members.
As you know, work is underway on the Oakwood restroom renovation. Unfortunately, when
the guys started digging up the floor, they discovered an abandoned 15 thousand gallon
waste water holding tank. This had to be filled
with crushed stone, which added significantly to
the effort. We still hope to have the restroom
ready by May 30th. No decision has been made
yet whether or not to then start on the Eastwood
restroom (with porta-potties provided) or to hold
off until this fall.
The lake was stocked again in time for the start
of fishing season. There will be another stocking just before the kid’s fishing derby on May 6th
and on June 3rd there will be an additional catfish stocking in the lake.
Not much progress has been made on the financial audit. Tax preparation always takes priority at this time and the auditors have asked for
a great deal of documentation which is taking
time to photocopy and deliver.
APRIL
Nadya Seifert announced that we have arranged for a swim program again this year with
the Tamaqua YMCA overseeing the effort as
they did last year. The lessons will be on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from June
20 until August 10 and will cost $20.00 per child.
Please stop by the club office to sign up.
There was some discussion about the lake’s
water quality and the possibility of testing for
heavy metals. The board is aware that Greenwood Lake tests their water regularly as does
Still Creek. Since they regularly come back with
acceptable results, the board felt no additional
testing than what is already being done is necessary.
Maurice Infante gave an extensive talk on security plans this summer. The board has agreed
to hire a professional security company to provide roving patrols starting May 27 and running
through Labor Day. The patrol days will vary on
Mondays through Thursdays, but will always be
present on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
These will be uniformed patrol people with
marked cars who will have the authority to cite
members for violations and, in conjunction with
the local police departments, to remove unauthorized non-members from the property. They
will be specifically instructed to cite speeders on
any road (cars or RVs) and to cite underage RV
driving. Remember, our RV age rule is as follows:
“Operators of any recreation vehicles shall be
age sixteen and possess a valid drivers license.”
Obviously they will heavily patrol the beach
parking lots after dark. The cell number(s) of
the patrols be in the next newsletter so you will
be able to call if you see something suspicious.
There will also be volunteer beach tag checkers
this year, so please have your beach tags with
you when you are at any of the recreational areas. Maurice has also lined up a volunteer
neighborhood watch group. If you would like to
help this group out please contact him.
Howard Tokosh said that the auditors are now
past tax season and are actively working on the
club’s financial audit. They have requested a
We will also be holding our third annual 5K fun
Lake Hauto Club
Page 7
(Continued on page 9)
Spring 2006
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ELEGANT RANCH WITH
INGROUND POOL
Home makes for comfortable living at Lake Hauto!
Central air, top of the line appliances, oversized 2 car
garage, greenbelt, not far from Crescent Beach.
$275,000.
A beautifully designed open floor plan, gorgeous dining
room with stone fireplace, wet bar and cathedral ceilings,
four season sunroom and a breathtaking, in-ground pool
make this home a must see. Located in Hometown $360,000.
LAKEFRONT!!!.
This lovely Cape Cod home situated on a wooded lot
with 123’ of Lake Frontage offers scenic views of the
lake, mountains and sky at one of the most beautiful
lakes in all of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
THINKING ABOUT SELLING? Call Ed or Jean Staloski for a FREE Market Analysis of your property. Call Today!
MOUNTAINSIDE RANCH !!!
WHITE OAK ROAD RANCHER
LAKE HAUTO
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SALE PENDING!
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Ranch Home features 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, full basement and detached 1 and 2 car garages. Walking
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CHARMING HOMETOWN 2 STORY
LAKE HAUTO BEAUTY!
BRICK RANCHER
On wooded lot with 3 car garage, 3 bedrooms, 2
baths, basement rec-room, double lot with greenbelt
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Features 3 bedrooms, family room, above ground
pool, deck and a pretty landscaped lot. $185,000.
Call Ed Staloski 570-778-5427.
Well maintained home features a newly remodeled kitchen
with hardwood floors, 3 bedrooms, air conditioning, a full
finished basement with bar , 3 + car garage. $265,000.
Building Lots: Call for a list of available lots. Large Waterfront LOT-Call Ed for details.
Homes and Lots Sold by Advantage 2 Realty
Great Oaks Drive WATERFRONT ● 107 Crescent Drive BI-LEVEL ● 50 Oak Court RANCH ● Lake Drive LOT
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TOP LISTING AND SELLING REALTORS AT LAKE HAUTO 2005
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Call anytime, we are available 7 days a week!
Lake Hauto Club
Page 8
Spring 2006
(Continued from page 7)
very large quantity of documentation from the
office which is being provided to them. Howie
also said the children’s fishing derby was a success. Altogether, $3000 worth of trout have
been stocked and an additional $1000 worth of
catfish (gotten at a very good price) will be put
into the lake on June 3..
I mentioned that the board had a very good first
workshop to review the new bylaws. We will
need one more meeting and then will be in a
position to present them to the membership for
their review and discussion. I also mentioned
that the next newsletter will be coming out in a
few weeks.
There was considerable discussion on the
gates. Several board members met with Joe
Matika, the club’s attorney. It was Mr. Matika’s
opinion that the board is bound by the gate vote
taken last year. The board will discuss this at its
next workshop.
Lake Hauto Club
Page 9
FEMALE ASSISTANT
WANTED
I am looking for a female assistant to
help me and my daughter here at our
home in Lake Hauto. Duties would
include driving us to local stores and
some light housework. I am disabled and on oxygen 24 hours a day,
so no one could smoke in my house.
Flexible hours (approximately 2hrs
per day); could easily work out as a
second part-time job for someone.
Pay negotiable. Please feel free to
contact other family or friends you
think might be interested.
Alice Saylor - 645-3854
Spring 2006
Lake Hauto Club
Page 10
Spring 2006
CHILDREN’S FISHING DERBY
Lake Hauto Club
Page 11
Spring 2006
LAKE HAUTO QUICKIES
LAKE DRIVE
SUMMER SECURITY PATROL
PHONE NUMBER
To the volunteers who picked up the trash on
Lake Drive from the guard shack to the cones:
we don’t know who you are, but THANK YOU!
570-527-4992
NEWSLETTER ADVERTISING
VOLUNTEER BEACH TAG CHECKERS
If you are interested in advertising in future issues of this newsletter, email Maurice Infante at
[email protected] or call and leave a message
at the club office at 645-7100.
ATV RULE
A number of club members have volunteered
their time to check beach tags at our three
beaches. They are not doing this to hassle
members, but to make sure non-members aren’t
trespassing. Please support this effort and treat
these volunteers courteously.
Operators of any recreation vehicles shall be
age sixteen and possess a valid drivers license.
The board intends to vigorously enforce this
rule.
Lake Hauto Club
AUTOMOBILE STICKERS
Please make sure you have Lake Hauto permit
stickers on all of your automobiles. This will
help identify you to security as a club member.
Page 12
Spring 2006
VISIT
VISIT
Lake Hauto Club
Page 13
Spring 2006
No Tag?
No Beach!
Shari Wentz and the rest of the Nesquehoning Post Office staff want to send a
special
THANK YOU
No Exceptions!!
(Day and Night)
to all of the Lake Hauto members who
donated non-perishable food goods in
the recent national food drive.
COMING SOON!
Lake Hauto Club
Page 14
Spring 2006
THE BEYRENT INSURANCE AGENCY
246 E. BROAD STREET
TAMAQUA, PA. 18252
570-668-0327
[email protected]
[email protected]
Exceptional Rates on Homeowners Insurance
including Coverage for Sewer Backups
Low, Low Rates on Automobile Insurance!!!
Are you getting all the Credits you deserve from your current Insurance Company??
No Loss Credits!!!
Over age 50 and Retired Credits!!!
Smoke, Fire and Burglar system Credit!!!
Multi-Policy credits!!!
CALL US LAST, AND WE’LL SHOW YOU HOW TO SAVE!!!!!!!
Lake Hauto Club
Page 15
Spring 2006
Lake Hauto Club
140 Maple Terrace
Nesquehoning, PA 18240
Bulk Rate
U.S. Postage
PAID
Nesquehoning, PA
18240
Permit No. 7
Address Service Requested
CLUB OFFICE HOURS
9 A.M.—2 P.M.
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday
Mrs. Kim Thomas, Office Manager
645-7100 — [email protected]
Lake Hauto Club
Page 16
Spring 2006