D:\LGA\LGA Newsletter.php
Transcription
D:\LGA\LGA Newsletter.php
October / November 2008 B u lle tin YOUR PRIMARY VOICE ON LAKE ISSUES With a mission to identify issues affecting our members and pursue resolution with the responsible organizations BOARD OF DIRECTORS BRUNSWICK COUNTY, VA John Cataldo, President Joee Hoxter Lenny Turner HALIFAX COUNTY, NC Fred Kneisel Quinton Qualls MECKLENBURG COUNTY, VA Bill Bryant Barbara Burgdoerfer Patrick Dempsey Bill Lindenmuth, Treasurer Vernon Wilson Lake Environment NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, NC Ralph Domach Linda Hedgepeth Doug Hughes, Vice President Larry Jolly, Past President, Government Relations Jack Saunders, Safety, Planning & Development WARREN COUNTY, NC John Boyle Calvin DeShields David Duxbury, Membership Laura Kolb, Nominating Bill LaMonte, Marketing Presidents Corner Let’s talk about Hydrilla. Remember that the best we are going to do is control it. Hydrilla that does not keep us from enjoying the lake is not a priority. There are over 7,000 acres of Lake Gaston that has had Hydrilla growing in it to some extent. Last year the Lake Gaston Weed Control Council treated 1,500 acres this year they planned to treat 1,900 acres. You can see that not every cove will be treated every year and depending on water depth and prevalent current, some coves may never be treated. Maybe once every 3 or 4 years. Who controls which coves get treated? The Lake Gaston Weed Control Council is responsible but the plan is put together by the applicator that has the current contract with the limited input of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) - a group of technically smart people that was put together by the Lake Gaston Stakeholders Board. So, what can you do? Do what most sub-divisions are doing, pay for private treatment. This will help (a little bit) the overall effort for the whole lake. I have talked about this before, but still am surprised when subdivisions tell me that they don’t help themselves, just wait for public (read “tax money”) treatment. Come on guys, Hydrilla is our problem, not the tax payers in California. The Lake Gaston Weed Control Council has done a good job getting money from local, state and federal sources. Federal money comes from “earmarks” and that is probably going to dry up regardless of which party gets in. So unless you are willing to pay more taxes, I don’t see us getting much more money than we are getting now. That means that treatment will continue to rotate around the lake. It is a zero sum game. That means that if one area gets treatment more often, another gets treatment less often. While we are on Hydrilla, The LGA has volunteered to collect information on the amount of private treatment that is occurring here at the lake. If your sub-division had private contractors treat your shoreline this year, please call us at our toll-free number (1-888-586-6577 or (252) 5866577) or [email protected]) and tell us—Your name, phone number, sub-division, date of treatments, and latitude and longitude (from GPS) of start and stop points. The elections are coming. It is sad that this nation, one that sets the standard for democracy, responds so poorly when it is time to exercise our responsibility for casting our votes. Your vote does count. People that lived in the American Colonies in the 1770s were willing to die to get the vote. Millions of people in the world today are willing to die to get the vote. Many of our countrymen won’t go to the polls if it rains, or the surf is up. Please get out there and vote. John Page 2 LAKE GASTON ASSOCIATION BULLETIN October / November 2008 Update on Warren County Revaluation If your property is in Warren County, you may or not be aware that Warren County is currently going through the revaluation process. The last time revaluation occurred in the county was 2001. Property in Warren County has been visited by the appraisal company. The County Assessor, on September 8, submitted the proposed true value and present-use schedules, standards, and rules for the 2009 County wide reappraisal to the Warren County Board of Commissioners. This document can be viewed at the office of the County Assessor at 548 West Ridgeway Street, Warrenton, or on their website at www.warrencountync.com/_fileuploads/forms/WarrenCounty2009TaxManual.pdf . (Note: the Table of Contents is a separate document www.warrencountync.com/_fileuploads/forms/TaxManualTableofContents.pdf County taxpayers had the opportunity to attend a Public Hearing of the proposed schedules, etc. on September 23 at 5 p.m., it will be adopted at the regularly scheduled Board of Commissioners meeting on October 6 at 10 a.m. (unless something happened at the PH to change this plan). Apparently, the proposed schedules, etc., have to be in place by November 7. Assessment notices will be mailed by the end of the year/early January which will show the dollar amount on which you will be charged property tax. The Assessment Notice will be accompanied by a do-it-yourself appeals form (this is new for Warren County). This form will kick-off the appeals process if you disagree with the assessment. It will be received by the County Tax Administrator’s office and given to the Appraisal Company for an onsite visit. Next level of appeal will be the Warren County Board of Equalization and Review, and ultimately the Property Tax Commission in Raleigh. In late June 2009 or no later than the first Warren County Commissioners meeting in July, the tax rate will be set for Fiscal Year 2009-2010. We should expect to see our tax bill towards the end of July 2009 with a due date of September 1, 2009 and interest will start on January 5, 2010. We will do our best to keep you posted of any changes to the above schedule and any county meeting agendas where this topic will be discussed. (Editor’s note: I wrote this article September 18th and printing occurred before the Public Hearing – those of you with email will know the outcome by now. M.) Lake Environment Monitors Gather Aquatic Vegetation for Survey Volunteers to perform vegetation sampling around the lake were trained by a team from NC State University on 1 August. Overall there are about 20 volunteers this year compared to 10 last year. The overall objective was stated as having the whole lake shoreline sampled, but this will be limited by the number of volunteers and the time they are willing to spend. Bruce Johnson, one of our members and a participant and the leader of last year’s plant survey, discussed the aquatic plant sampling program performed last year under the sponsorship of NC State University (NCSU) and the expanded effort that we hope to accomplish this year. Bruce has the supply of computers with GPS features that are used in the sampling to record data. The program implemented this year is far easier to employ than that of last year. Bruce and Fred Kneissel have performed samplings on five different areas so far this year and their significant efforts are greatly appreciated. Bruce has also worked with NCSU on the data transfer issues from the recordings made by volunteers to the plotting of the data on maps at NCSU. Their goal is to do an update once a week of a “whole lake” survey to post on the web. At the end of the season, they will make more detailed maps of the different parts of the lake. The target is to complete mapping vegetation around the lake by the end of end of October and then when the hydrilla starts to mat and float away, we hope to track the floating mats to establish where turions might propagate more hydrilla plants next year. Lake Environment Monitor (LEM) County Captains were identified: John Cataldo in Brunswick, Tom Winebrenner in Halifax, Bill Lindenmuth in Mecklenburg, Bruce Johnson in Northampton and George Kimble in Warren County. If you are interested in additional information or participating as a volunteer to collect vegetation samples please contact [email protected] or [email protected] October / November 2008 LAKE GASTON ASSOCIATION BULLETIN Page 3 The LGA Working for You … Not all our members have email, use the internet, or take the local Lake Gaston area newspapers, so we are taking the opportunity to share with you some important LGA activities that have occurred and were reported in Moira’s monthly column that appeared in August 27 editions of the Brunswick Times Gazette, Lake Gaston Gazette, Littleton Observer, Mecklenburg Sun and South Hill Enterprise. Our August/September Bulletin was already in the mail at that time. Please read on: “ … In Brunswick County we continued to pursue our opposition to the proposed change to the Set-Back ordinances from 100 feet to 40 feet where commercial property adjoins a residential property. In preparation for the Public Hearing on August 20, we wrote letters to the Brunswick County Supervisors; residents that would be affected by the change in setback; and our Brunswick County members. We had a good turnout and good presentations at the Public Hearing and a tie vote (2-2) defeated the motion. Regarding the East Oaks Boat Launching Pad Proposal, the LGA supports a Rezoning Proposal by Morningstar Marinas “that a new commercial marina business or an existing boat storage facility wishing to install boat launch facilities where none existed prior must locate such boat facilities one half mile from any existing active commercial marina as measured from the waterline of the new or proposed launch facility to the existing launch facility.” The LGA feels this recommendation has a sound basis supporting boater safety and eliminating boater congestion. A letter from the LGA documenting our position was sent to Warren County Commissioners, Warren County Planning Director, North Carolina Dominion Power, Warren County Manager, and the Warren County Planning Board, with a copy to NC Wildlife Resources. “Taxation without Representation” was the theme of a letter sent to all North Carolina Senators and Representatives with a request that they and their colleagues consider amending the state statutes to allow part-time residents to vote for the local lake county issues and candidates where they own property, while still voting where they have permanent residences for local, state and federal issues and candidates. …” Updates: The Warren County Planning Board is reviewing the rezoning request from Morningstar Marinas. We will be following its progress and we will keep you posted. Moira’s monthly columns are on our website at www.lakegastonassoc.com/ExecDir/EDColumn.htm In January of this year representatives from the LGA met in Richmond with senior members of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VADEQ). The reason for the meeting was to convey our concern over the proposed wastewater treatment plant by Lakeside Commons on Peahill Creek. We were told the permit would be issued for public comment in early spring. As we had received no further communication, we called for a status and ascertained that the Federal Government had issued new guidelines and their agency was waiting for a technical audience, and they would be ready with an announcement within several weeks. As soon as we have more information we will let you know. The Government Relations Committee meets the third Monday of the month at 9 a.m. at the Eaton’s Ferry Grocery and Grill on Hwy 903 south of the lake. Planning & Development Takes Stock of Progress In August we reviewed the actions that have been taken to date by the committee and what has been committed to writing. We spent some time then again addressing our purpose of influencing planning and zoning decisions within an area proximate to the lake, and the ways we might achieve that influence. We then went back to figuring out how to influence the decisions without specifying characteristics which could be interpreted as obstructionist. These recommendations are best expressed in total impervious surfaces as a percentage of overall lot size and buffer requirements. Such recommendations need to be made based on scientific and ecological rationale and factual data. The same can be said for vegetative setbacks and buffers. In September the committee did a number of web searches for information regarding methods to promote the preservation of the lake environment and quality of life by exploitation of measures to limit runoff of sedimentation and chemicals into the lake. Many of these measures are similar to what are being effectively used in coastal communities to preserve the health of the shellfish and regular fisheries. These measures can have significant benefit long term at Lake Gaston in minimizing the nutrient runoff into the water and improving the water quality for the fishery. The measures would also add to the ambiance of the lake through the utilization of vegetated buffer zones. We intend to continue to collect data associated with better utilization of land area to allow development while maintaining and improving the environment and quality of life for all residents and property owners surrounding the lake. Such practices can also go a long way to preserving the value of the investments around the lake. If there are members or acquaintances that have experience in community/county development and planning who would be willing to work on this activity please contact us through [email protected]. Monthly meetings are held the third Friday of the month at 0830 at the Eaton’s Ferry Grocery and Grill on Hwy 903 south of the lake. Page 4 LAKE GASTON ASSOCIATION BULLETIN October / November 2008 2009 Membership Drives in Full Swing The LGA Membership Committee is in the midst of our New Member Drive for 2009 via the county tax listing records for those property owners living on Lake Gaston. We started with Halifax and Northampton counties in July, and based on the responses we received over the last three months, the Board of Directors voted that we should continue with Brunswick, Mecklenburg and Warren counties. Welcome packages were sent to all those new members. We gained another four new members at the Littleton-Lake Gaston Festival on Labor Day weekend, and hopefully those who took brochures, will respond in due time. And, at our monthly meetings, we are starting to gain at least one or two new members. Any new member joining at this time is paid through to the end of the following year. I hope you can tell the Membership Team is on a roll … and we will also be manning our booth at the upcoming Halifax Harvest Days on October 18 (our first time at this event), and during the day of the Lake Gaston Boat Parade on November 22 (our first time last year). With help from the Lake Environment Monitor team our showand-tell will be the NC State University’s 2008 Aquatic Plant Survey with a number of plant specimens on display. We strongly believe that retention of our members stems from the welcome you receive when you join, and the service you receive from then on. Our membership year runs from January 1 thru December 31 and we are now in the final quarter of this year. We sincerely hope that you have really enjoyed being a member of the Lake Gaston Association, that we have done a good job of keeping you informed, and you will want to renew your LGA membership for another year. Currently our membership stands at 1,198 and we plan to USmail 1,061 renewal notices the last week of October to reach you before the hectic Holiday seasons begins. Lifetime members will be receiving a copy of your membership record information so that you can let us know if any changes need to be made. When we tell you we Thank You! for being members, we really mean it. You are always welcome to join our Membership Team, we have non directors too. Email us at [email protected] if you are interested in finding out more, or call (252) 586-6577 or 1-888-586-6577. We meet the 2nd Friday at 10 a.m. at Eaton’s Ferry Grocery and Grill on Hwy 903 south of the lake. Update from Lake Environment · · · · · Skip’s Aquatic Solutions, LLC, has completed the 2008 herbicide treatment program for Lake Gaston. Private herbicide treatment continues in many areas. Please remember to report your private treatments to Dominion Power for tracking purposes (and the LGA, see President’s Corner for more info) The USCOE has agreed to stop any Inter Basin Transfer of water out of Roanoke River Basin or granting any future water allocations from Kerr Lake to Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill until they complete a study of future water allocations from USCOE reservoirs. LGA directors continue to complete a test of the LGAlert process in order to verify and update the call list. Lake Environment Monitors (LEMs) have started the 2008 NC State University’s Lake Gaston Aquatic Weed Survey with hopes of covering the complete lake this year. See separate article for progress report. Marketing Committee Reports a Solid Start Hello everyone… The Marketing Committee is up and running and on its way to do what it can to help the LGA become Your primary VOICE on lake issues for the people of the Lake Gaston region. We got off to a good start by taking the lead in the LGA participation at the tremendously successful the 24th Littleton-Lake Gaston Festival on Labor Day weekend. MY THANKS to all the LGA members who volunteered their time and made the LGA booth such a success. Special thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Johnson for their display of below the surface Lake Gaston aquatic plants and vegetation. The display was a hit and several people told us that the aquatic vegetation display was the most informative information provided at the festival. Bruce is one of LGA’s Lake Environment Monitors. Also we had four new members join the LGA and we have welcomed them aboard. We are looking for committee members and you are welcome to attend any meeting and provide your inputs. You are also welcome to send email inputs to me at [email protected].. You DO NOT have to have any marketing experience. The Marketing Committee will meet on the third Thursday of the month at 9 a.m. at the Eaton Ferry Grocery and Grill on Hwy Route 903 south of the lake. October / November 2008 LAKE GASTON ASSOCIATION BULLETIN Page 5 Public Safety Committee Update The LGA Public Safety Committee continues to support North Carolina Legislative action for Boating Safety Training parallel to that passed in the last session of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s House of Delegates and Senate. WRAL interviewed Rep Wray on 2 September (aired 3 / 4 September) to discuss why he feels it is necessary. Rep Wray indicated that if the measure saves one life it is well worth the effort. Jack Saunders and Pete Deschenes also were interviewed as part of the activity. We continue to work with Rep Wray (who is sponsoring the legislation) to address coordination with other activities and to gain support from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. Of importance are legislation that continues to allow trailering of boats up to 9 feet in beam on NC roads (passed in the 2008 short session, vetoed by the Governor, overridden by a special session of the GA) and federal legislation signed into law by the President that permanently exempted recreational watercraft from EPA Clean Water requirements previously unenforced. (The latter was made necessary by a federal court decision agreeing with a California environmental group to force all vessels to filter cooling water and deck water before return into the adjacent body of water.) The Committee determined to recognize local emergency response units, one per month, from all around the lake. The first unit identified for recognition was the Lake Gaston Volunteer Fire Department and the second is the Ebony Volunteer Fire Department. Please join us in recognizing these volunteers whenever you can, and support them, if possible, with your time or donations. We have decided to look at ways to have interest revitalized in Community Watch Programs to contribute to the avoidance of burglary and theft. Several previous recommendations from local law enforcement are still good points to ponder … Do not leave loose items on docks and sundecks. Lock up you spare gas containers and do not leave keys in boats or personal watercraft. Make your residence or vacation home appear lived in – lights on timers, motion sensor lights or alarms, radios on and off. Beware of burglary beacons such as collections of newspapers, full mailboxes, unmoved garbage receptacles, or unattended lawns and gardens. If you will be away or are mostly away, leave contact numbers with a neighbor who has a clear view of your property with your schedule for return. Take the time to look around your neighborhood for unusual vehicles or unknown persons. Put in an alarm system with a loud bell or horn. If something does not seem right call the person who lives or owns the property, or law enforcement if it appears a crime is underway. The next meeting of the LGA Public Safety Committee will be held on 10 Oct 08 at 0830 at the Eaton’s Ferry Grocery and Grill on Hwy 903 south of the lake. From the Desk of the Executive Director … Can you believe we are now into October. I’m a sweater person having grown up in England, and this is my time of year BUT I don’t like letting go of summer. It reminds me that another year is just around the corner. Whatever the season, I know you will all agree, one can’t beat living on Lake Gaston. In our last issue we had a bumper calendar of events for you, and now that we are into the Fall, I haven’t found as many events for you as I would have liked. Maybe you will prefer to stay indoors in the warm with a good book instead. Having said that, there are still quite a few events for you to choose from. Plus I’ve added the chamber and tourist websites for you to find additional events. One event you should plan for is on Saturday, November 22 the Lake Gaston Holiday Boat Parade and Chili Cook-off. Last year the Boat Parade was expanded to include a day of activities before the parade. A number of vendors gathered at South Shore Realty which is located on the south side of Eaton Ferry Bridge. We had a booth there, although brisk, it was a sunny day. Of particular fun was the Chili Cook-off where a ticket would buy you several opportunities to taste the contestants’ food during the cooking, and you could cast your votes for those that you thought tasted the best. In the evening you need to plan to decorate your boat and enter it in the Lake Gaston Holiday Boat Parade. I was hoping to have information about how to run Christmas lights on your boat for this issue. I will send you the information via email along with more information about the event when it becomes available. In the meantime hold the date. We have a new director in Northampton County, Linda Hedgepeth. We still have five director vacancies to fill – please see the “LGA NEEDS YOU!” for details. New in this issue are business cards for those businesses that have joined or upgraded to one of our supporting levels. We encourage you to support those businesses. Don’t forget to print a copy of the 911 Emergency Data Card from our website and the accompanying county emergency information page. You will find it at www.lakegastonassoc.com/Safety/Safety.htm about halfway down the page you will see Links to: Items of interest / recent activity – 911 Emergency Data Card will be one of the links. If you had difficulty getting a copy from our last issue, try it this time. If you don’t have email, call the office at (252) 586-6577 or 1-888-586-6577 and leave your name and we will mail the info. Page 6 LAKE GASTON ASSOCIATION BULLETIN October / November 2008 Calendar Notes … October 1 – LGA monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m., Lake Gaston Baptist Church (888) 586-6577 October 1 – Lake Gaston Striper Club, 6:30 p.m. Littleton Community Center, (434) 636-3060 October 3,4,5*,10,11, – “Arsenic and Old Lace,” Lakeland Theater Company, Littleton (877) 330-0574 October 3,4 - NC Bass Federation State Tournament on Lake Gaston, (919) 819-4303 October 4 – Lake Gaston Lions Club Seafood Festival, (252) 586-3453 October 4 - Enfield Peanut Festival, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. (www.enfieldnc.org) October 11 - Hobgood Cotton Festival, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (252) 826-4573 October 11 – Taste of Brunswick Festival, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Alberta (804) 721-9750 October 17&18 - Halifax Harvest Days. (252) 583-7191. October 18 - Spirit of Independence Ghost Walk in Halifax, 6:30 – 9 p.m. (252) 583-7191 October 23 – 4th Annual Monster Mash Halloween Festival 5 – 8 pm, South Hill (434) 447-4547 October 24 – American Legion Post 308 Spaghetti Dinner, Hwy 903, Littleton (252) 586-3970 October 25 - Fall for the Arts - 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Tickets $30. Chamber at (252) 586-5711 October 25 - Second Annual Harvest Market 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Warrenton (252) 257-2657 October 29 - Lake Gaston Water Safety Council, 6:15 p.m., Kennon House, Gasburg (252) 537-9290 November 1 – Roanoke River Ramble via canoe/kayak, River Falls Park Weldon (252) 535-1687 November 5 – LGA monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m., Lake Gaston Baptist Church (252) 586-6577 November 7,8, 14, 15, 16, 21, & 22 “Fiddler on the Roof” Lakeland Theater Company (877) 330-0574 November 12 – Shriner’s Seafood Festival, 5 – 8 p.m. South Hill (434) 447-7171 November 22 – Lake Gaston Holiday Boat Parade & Chili Cook-off, (252) 586-2700 December 2 – South Hill Rings in Christmas Grand Illumination of downtown, South Hill. (434) 447-4547 December 3 – LGA monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m., Lake Gaston Baptist Church (252) 586-6577 December 6 - Third Annual Prelude to Christmas 3 – 7 p.m. Warrenton (252) 437-2657 December 4,5,6,7,11,12,13 - “Peter Pan” Lakeland Theater Company (877) 330-0574 FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SCHEDULED EVENTS CHECK OUT THESE WEBSITES www.lakegastonchamber.com www.warren-chamber.org www.northamptonchamber.com www.visithalifax.com www.southhillchamber.com www.brunswickchamber.com ‘Fall for the Arts’ Event Hosted by O’Sail O’Sail will be hosting a day of fun and culture at the first annual‘Fall for the Arts’ event on Saturday, October 25 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. It will be a tour of local artists’ studios at multiple locations around Lake Gaston. Each studio will contain several artists who will display and sell their artwork. Artwork may include oil paintings, water colors, photography, fine woodwork, exotic pottery, jewelry and more. Hors d’oeuvres, refreshments, and live musical entertainment will be provided at each location. O’SAIL, the Organization to Support the Arts and Infrastructure of the Lake is a non-profit organization that hosts fund-raising events such as The Crossing. Proceeds are donated to local groups or organizations to provide improvements or services to Lake Gaston. For example O’Sail has endowed a computer system to Longbridge Fire Department and funds to outfit and train a Littleton Fire Department firefighter to conduct underwater operations. Tickets are $35 per person and may be purchased from now until October 18 at Mary Sherwood Lake Living and the Lake Gaston Chamber of Commerce. October / November 2008 LAKE GASTON ASSOCIATION BULLETIN Supporting Level Businesses... Page 7 Page 8 LAKE GASTON ASSOCIATION BULLETIN October / November 2008 A Special Thanks to our SUPPORTING Members who will be contributing a higher level of Financial support in 2008/9 so the LGA can approach its mission and goals with greater scope and influence New members who have joined/renewed at a supporting level since our last Bulletin: BRONZE: Harry and Teresa Baust; Connelly Family; Morningstar Properties, LLC SILVER: Dan and Fran Rowe General ($25): 1,044; Bronze ($50): 77; Silver ($100): 17; Gold ($250): 1; Lifetime ($250): 59 Thank you! to our Supporting Level businesses … American H20 Technologies, LLC * Daughtridge Gas * Dominion Power North Carolina * Healing Kneads Therapeutic Massage & Day Spa * E. Carroll Mann Custom Builders * Morningstar Properties * Outdoor World Lake Gaston Campground * Ed Roughton, Realtor, Story Properties * Chris Thompson, Realtor, Waterfront Properties at Lake Gaston * Sea\\Tow Lake Gaston * Superior Walls of North Carolina * Virtually Yours At The Lake. Please visit them on our website at www.lakegastonassoc.com/Support.htm News Flash! New in this issue are the business cards of our Supporting Level businesses - this feature is now included at no extra charge. Businesses who are currently General Members may want to consider upgrading to a Supporting Level for 2009. Bronze $50; Silver $100; Gold $250; or Platinum $500 – whichever level you choose, you will be listed on our website with a link to yours, and featured in our bi-monthly Bulletins as in this issue. LGA NEEDS YOU! Your Lake Gaston Association is in need of directors. To insure that the LGA’s work continues to preserve the quality of life that brought us to beautiful Lake Gaston, we need your expertise. Directors are currently needed in Brunswick and Halifax counties. Contact Nomination chair Laura Kolb at (252) 5864705, or email, [email protected] CHECK: If the information on the label below is incorrect, please advise. By Web: www.LakeGastonAssoc.com, By Email: [email protected] or By Mail: LGA Member Records at the address below. Thanks! Non Profit Org. BULK RATE Permit No. 2 Henrico, NC P.O. Box 656 ~ Littleton, NC 27850