Annual Minutes | Lake Volney Associat

Annual Meeting Minutes

Annual Meeting Minutes 2024

Meeting was called to order by the Chairman of the Board, Paul Skluzacek, on May 3, 2024, at 9:00am at Little Dandy Sports Bar & Grill in LeCenter.

Secretary’s Report:

After review, a motion made and second to approve the meeting minutes of the 2022 LVA Annual Meeting. Motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report:

Reviewed 2023 report, cash balance reported as $19,325.40 with a previous year comparison expense report statement as of year-end 2022. Motion made and second to approve the financial report. Motion carried.

We had 30 people attend the meeting. Sweet rolls, fruit, and beverages were provided. Brad, at Little Dandy, again did a great job hosting the event.

Presentations by LeSueur County:

Holly Bushman, from LeSueur County Planning and Zoning, was the guest speaker. She gave a very informative presentation on the types and levels of nutrients in our lake at various months of the year. She explained that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) tested the lake water, at various inlets, approximately 10 years ago. MPCA tested the same inlets over the last two summers (2022 and 2023). Going forward for this summer season, May through September 2024, Kevin Skelly will take water samples and get them to the county and lab for analysis. This provides comparative information as to how the nutrient influx is changing. Holly stated that in nearly all aspects of potassium and chlorophyll A, our lake has been, and continues to show, substantial improvement. As a result, the water clarity continues to improve.

Holly stated that the well testing clinic is offered twice a year, spring and fall, and is encouraged. Emails are sent from the board to LVA members as a reminder when this event is offered through LeSueur County.

Holly talked about the repair/replacement of the Gorman Lake outlet/dam in Cordova. She stated that it’s in the planning stages at this time. The Goettl culvert repair on the north side is scheduled to be repaired.

Holly stated that LeSueur County has access to shoreland plants if anyone was interested.

Website and Hosting:

Suzanne reported that the web hosting company we used no longer does web hosting. She connected with a person that will build the LVA website. When that is completed, we will secure a company to host our website. We will keep you posted on this.

Suzanne also gave a Commemoration to the Steve Pany family for their generous donation. These funds were applied to the retention pond clean-up.

Spring Clean-up:

Lakeshore/road ditch cleanup will take place this upcoming Saturday, May 11th, around 9:00, if the weather permits. Areas needing to be cleaned are around the lake and Hwy 136.

Aquatic Weed Harvesting:

The Beast of Volney will again cut lake weeds this season. Roger and Paul thank everyone for their help last year, especially Mark Kubes and Dan Tuma who generously volunteered their time and efforts in harvesting the lake weeds.

With that said, it’s obvious we’re not operating the harvester for personal financial gain. We of course, need to get our base investment returned, and we are nearing that.

Going forward, we intend to keep the harvester in good operating condition, and harvest as many lake weeds as possible, using the income we generate.

By supporting weed harvesting with your payment:

You will get an area of weeds cut at the end of your dock/boatlift so you can maneuver your boat, and a runway cut to open water.

Your weed harvesting payment will also help fund the harvesting of the floating mat of weeds, that decomposes and causes the foul smell of blue green algae.

Obviously, the more funds we get, the more of the floating mat we will be able to harvest and remove from the lake.

Last year, (2023), the cost per property for weed harvesting was $150. This year, (2024) remains the same.

In addition to the weed harvesting payment, we are encouraging property owners to donate to the Floating Weed Fund.

This fund will be used for fuel and miscellaneous expenses for the harvester and truck to harvest and haul the weeds away.

The money going into this fund goes directly to the lake association and will be strictly allocated for harvesting the floating vegetation mat.

Removing as much of the floating vegetation is crucial in diminishing the massive abundance of organic matter that floats to shorelines, gets hung up on docks, and causes blue-green algae.

Some property owners may have little or no need to have weeds harvested at the end of their dock. Or they may choose to do their own or not do it at all. That’s fine, but please, still consider contributing to the Floating Weed Fund.

All property owners use the lake in some way or another. . . . so, we strongly encourage everyone to support funding this joint effort. Every contribution will help, no matter how small.

Cleaning Retention Ponds:

The retention ponds on the Jaden/Brooke property have been cleaned. Thank you, Jaden and Brooke, for allowing us to access your property to get this project done. This was made possible by everyone’s dues payments last year. It was about 15 years ago that these ponds were initially excavated. With increased improvements in minimizing soil erosion over the past 15 years, and continued improvement, it is likely these ponds will not need cleaning for the next 20 to 25 years. Mike, Chad, and Tyler, with MS Excavating did a great job in starting this project at the most opportune time, and getting it done as quickly as possible. They said it was a perfect year to do this work. It was a dry summer, so the water level was low, the ground was frozen enough so the pond banks weren’t compromised with the heavy equipment, and there was no snow, so they didn’t worry much about the excavator sliding into the pond while they were digging. Thank You Mike, Chad, and Tyler for a job very well done!! Thank you all for your financial support. Without you, projects like this could not have been done.

Annual Picnic:

The LVA Annual Picnic information will be emailed to all soon.

July 4th Parade:

This year we will plan a pontoon/boat parade to celebrate the 4th of July. Carol and Roger will again head up this event.

Lake Volney Association Amendment to By-laws:

The by-laws committee consisted of Darryl Wondra, Dan Tuma, and Paul Skluzacek. They created proposed amendments to the bylaws to bring them up to date. Adequate membership was present to proceed with a vote on changing the bylaws as proposed. Motion was made by Suzanne Boda and seconded by Dolo Kalina. Motion carried.

Election of Board Members:

Election/Re-Election of Board Members took place. Dan Tuma was re-elected, and Brad Eilts was elected, each with a unanimous vote.

Drawings:

Door Prize tickets were drawn. The $25 gift certificates to Little Dandy, one free cutting from The Beast of Volney, and many small prizes were given out to the lucky winners. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!!

Thank you to all who were able to attend the annual meeting and thank you to all who support our Association!!

Minutes recorded and submitted by Darry Wondra, Secretary

Annual Meeting Minutes 2023

Meeting was called to order by the Chairman of the Board, Paul Skluzacek, on April 29th at 9:00am at Little Dandy Sports Bar & Grill in LeCenter.

Secretary’s Report: After review, a motion made and second to approve the meeting minutes from the 2022 LVA Annual Meeting. Motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report: Reviewed 2022 report, cash balance reported as $12,861.07 with a previous year comparison expense report statement as of year-end 2022. Motion made and second to approve the financial report. Motion carried.

We had 30 people attend the meeting. Sweet rolls, fruit, and beverages were provided. Brad, at Little Dandy, again did a great job hosting the event.

Presentations by LeSueur County:

Mike Schultz, from the LeSueur County Soil and Water Conservation District, was a guest speaker. He talked about what had been done in the Lake Volney watershed over recent years. He did a great job explaining coordination efforts and work needing to be done at some of the lake inlets. He is connecting with Cordova and Kilkenny Townships, LeSueur County Highway Department, and some of the area farmers. We will be coordinating with, and in some cases partnering with, each of these Departments to get the various inlets upgraded.

Holly Bushman, from LeSueur County Planning and Zoning, was also a guest speaker. She gave a very informative presentation on the types and levels of nutrients in our lake at various months of the year. She explained that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) tested the lake water, at various inlets, approximately 10 years ago. MPCA tested the same inlets last summer (2022) and will test again this summer. This will provide comparative information as to how the nutrient influx is changing. Holly stated that in nearly all aspects of potassium and chlorophyll A, our lake has been and continues to show substantial improvement and as a result, the water clarity continues to improve.

Holly informed us that the septic system inspection program is completed. Across our 3-lake area, just over 50 septic systems were not in compliance and have 5 years to become compliant. A few will need immediate attention.

Holly stated that the county is offering well testing kits. If you want a well testing kit, please stop in to see Holly. The deadline is only a day or two away to get a kit. She stated that she ordered 50 kits, so it’s on a first come first serve basis.

Holly informed us that LeSueur County Planning and Zoning moved to the 3rd floor of the Government Center. The following link is to their website and address: Planning & Zoning | Le Sueur County, MN (le-sueur.mn.us)

Steve Pany Commemoration:

Suzanne Boda gave a wonderful commemoration to the late Steve Pany. Steve dedicated nearly two decades to the LVA Board of Directors. The countless hours he has volunteered to our lake improvement efforts are truly invaluable. As Suzanne stated, his passing doesn’t stop his giving. His family has dedicated contributions from his funeral donations to our lake association. What a kind and thoughtful gesture from a great man and good friend to many.

Website and Hosting:

Suzanne also reported that the web hosting company we used no longer does web hosting. She connected with a person that will build the LVA website. When that is completed, we will secure a company to host our website. We will keep you posted on this.

Spring Clean-up:

Lakeshore/road ditch cleanup will take place this upcoming Saturday, May 6th, around 9:00, if the weather permits. Areas needing to be cleaned are around the lake and Hwy 136.

Aquatic Weed Harvesting:

The Beast of Volney will again cut lake weeds this season. Roger and Paul thank everyone for their help last year, especially Mark Kubes, Dan Tuma, Kevin Skelly, and Jayne Skluzacek.

As many of you know, we had overheating issues with the harvester last season. After consulting with several boat mechanics, we found that this harvester is not designed to operate in less than 3’ of water.

The cooling system draws water from the lake to cool the engine. When operating in shallow water, it pulls sand into the system and destroys the water pump causing the engine to overheat.

We are no longer able to cut alongside docks, however, there are a few upsides to this:

By staying in deeper water, we will not disturb spawning beds.

This allows us to start harvesting earlier in the season. This year we’ll try to get started right after fishing opener weekend.

We will save fuel, wear and tear on the harvester, and time if we’re not cutting alongside docks.

We are allowed to ‘skim’ dead vegetation off the surface of the water. These savings in fuel and time will allow us to ‘skim off’ more of the curly leaf as it breaks loose and floats up to the surface creating the floating mat.

We want everyone to know that all the hours we spent on rebuilding the harvester and repairing the harvester, and all the hours cutting weeds and hauling them away, are volunteer hours.

With that said, it’s obvious we’re not operating the harvester for personal financial gain. We of course, need to get our base investment returned, and we are nearing that.

Going forward, we intend to keep the harvester in good operating condition, and harvest as many lake weeds as possible, using the income we generate.

By supporting weed harvesting with your payment:

You will get an area of weeds cut at the end of your dock/boatlift so you can maneuver your boat, and a runway cut to open water.

Your weed harvesting payment will also help fund the harvesting of the floating mat of weeds, that decomposes and causes the foul smell of blue green algae.

Obviously, the more funds we get, the more of the floating mat we will be able to harvest and remove from the lake.

Last year, (2022), the cost per property for weed harvesting was $250. This year, (2023), it’s $150.

In addition to the weed harvesting payment, we are encouraging property owners to donate to the Floating Weed Fund.

This fund will be used for fuel and miscellaneous expenses for the harvester and truck to harvest and haul the weeds away.

The money going into this fund goes directly to the lake association and will be strictly allocated for harvesting the floating vegetation mat.

Removing as much of the floating vegetation is crucial in diminishing the massive abundance of organic matter that floats to shorelines, gets hung up on docks, and causes blue-green algae.

All property owners use the lake in some way or another. . . . so, we strongly encourage everyone to support funding this joint effort. Every contribution will help, no matter how small.

Annual Picnic:

The LVA Annual Picnic information will be emailed to all soon.

Resignation from the Board:

Terry Stier resigned his position on the LVA board. We thank Terry for his many years of service to our lake association. He was instrumental in bringing our organization to where it is today. He was active in retention pond projects, lakeshore cleanup, nutrient influx monitoring and analysis, and many other projects in the area. Terry’s commitment and experience were invaluable to improving our lake. Thank you, Terry, for your time and commitment.

Election of Board Members:

Election/Re-Election of Board Members took place. The following board members were re-elected with a unanimous vote: Suzanne Boda, Darryl Wondra, Lane Rutherford, Nicki Weber, Sandra Weber, and Paul Skluzacek.

Dan Tuma was elected last year and was not up for re-election.

If anyone is interested in joining the LVA Board, please let me know. Thanks.

Fun & Games:

Jayne Skluzacek asked if anyone might be interested in an event called the “poker run”. She explained the workings and it seems there is enough interest, therefore a small group of members are looking into organizing it.

Parade:

Carol Bauer also suggested a pontoon parade or golf cart parade perhaps on July 4th. She may pool together with a few other members to organize this as well.

Drawings:

Door Prize tickets were drawn. The $25 gift certificates to Little Dandy were won by Brad and Deb Eilts and Tom and Susan Miller. Five floating bobber keychains and a plastic owl were also won by a few members. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!!

Thank you to all who were able to attend the annual meeting and thank you to all who support our Association!!

Minutes recorded by Lane Rutherford, Director at large.

Minutes summited by Paul Skluzacek, COB

LVA Annual Meeting Minutes 2022

Meeting was called to order by President, Paul Skluzacek, April 23, 2022, at 9am at Little Dandy, LeCenter, coffee, juice, fruit, and donuts were provided.

Secretary’s Report: Motion made and 2nded to approve the meeting minutes from the LVA Annual Meeting from May 2021. Motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report: Reviewed 2021 report, cash balance reported as $11,001.07 as yearend 2021. Cash balance as of April 23, 2022, was $10,886.07. Motion made and 2nded to approve the financial report. Motion carried.

Presentations and Updates for 2022 by Paul S.

Volney, Gorman and Village of Cordova Septic Inventory
Cannon River Flood Study
Cannon River Water Monitoring
Le Sueur County Shoreland Ordinances
Presented map of existing and future projects up for consideration
Beast of Lake Volney
Lake Volney water samples now being done by Le Sueur County aka Cannon River Water Partnership
Annual Lake Volney picnic announced to be held Friday, Aug 5 at Paul and Jayne’s Cabin
Website: Susan Boda gave updates; existing web site platform no longer being supported. Minnesota Lakes and Rivers will now support new web site.

Election of officers:

Jay Whitty has resigned the positions of board member and treasurer.
Dan Tuma proposed as a new board member. Voted and approved by members.

Meeting adjourned at 10:10am

Minutes recorded by Lane Rutherford, Board Member

Lake Volney Association Annual Meeting Minutes

May 1, 2021 0900CT-1000CT

Via Zoom Call

Meeting was called to order at 0909CT. (by Suzanne)

Secretary’s Report: Approved the 2019 Annual Meeting minutes (no meeting in 2020 due Covid).

Treasurer’s Report: Will be forwarded to membership for approval.

Special Topics:

Holly Kalbus, LeSueur County Environmental Services, reported on the following items: AIS (Aquatic Invasive Species) 2021 Efforts and a community based social marketing campaign/grant; Shoreland ordinance revisions and best management practices; Cannon River One Watershed One Plan.

Old Business:

Lake Volney Clean Up Day: quadrant captains will coordinate the date/time for clean up and all garbage should be left in trash bags near the porta-potty area at the public beach
Beast of Volney: Paul and Roger will offer Curly Leaf Pond Weed cutting again this year (before July 4 weekend). Total cost is $250 per lot and the LVA will again offset $50 of this cost for active association members. Contact Paul or Roger for information and sign up. Dues may also be paid concurrent with payment for the Beast of Volney.

New Business:

The LVA Board voted to conduct water quality samples (nutrients/phosphates) from inlets into Volney. The last samples were taken during the Total Maximum Daily Load study and prior to holding ponds being installed. Comparative data will be shared with the Association members and the County.
All-lake Summer Picnic is slated for Friday, August 6, 2021. More information will be distributed closer to this date.
Election of Board Members: All members were due for renomination due to Covid (no annual meeting in 2020). Terry Stier, Jay Witty, Daryl Wondra, Paul Skluzacek, Nicki Weber, Sandy Weber and Suzanne Boda were nominated and approved.

Other Business:

There was an inquiry regarding the possibility of raising annual dues this year. The Board will meet and evaluate options.
A question was brought forward about an approved repository for live bait to be installed at the public landing. The Board will contact the DNR (responsible for the landing) to make this request.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:10aCT.

2020 Annual Meeting Minutes not available at this time

Lake Volney Annual Meeting 2019

April 27, 2019

Attendees Present: Jay Witty, Sandy Weber, Nicki Weber, Suzanne Boda, Holly Kaibus, Charlene Olson, Patti Harkins, Mike Harkins, Dolo Kalina, Dean Campbell, Chris Harkins, Dan Tuma, Darlene Tuma, Mark Hanson, Tim Kelly, Rick Cotes, Cindi Cotes, Shelley Steger, Paul Steger, Mike Skluzacek, Beth Skelly, Sherry Skluzacek, Bridget Kubes, Mark Kubes, Kevin Skelly, Doreen Peterson, Dean Peterson, Synnove Volden, Coralei Volden, Douglas R. Pint, Daryl Wondra, CJ Bauer, Alena Otterdahl, Jayne Skluzacek, Roger (Anytime) Bauer, Paul Skluzacek, James Wolf

9:00 am Call to Order – Suzanne

Announcement: Yearly dues are $35.00 and are a tax write off. Send check to Jay Witty.

Introductions: We have visitors from Bass Lake, Faribault County and they are following what lake Volney has done to clean up Bass Lake.

9:10 am Secretary’s Report – Motion to approve 2018 Lake Volney Annual Meeting minutes by Paul Skluzacek and 2nd by Jay Witty. Motion carried.

Treasurers Report: Jay Witty – Motion to approve treasurers report Patti Harkins, 2nd Rick Cotes Motion carried.

Annual Lake Cleanup: Team Captions of Lake Volney to organize clean up day by May 15th as a deadline. Jay to send out email about cleanup day.

Holly, LeSueur County Representative – gave a presentation on water quality. She is the water planner for LeSueur County. There will be garbage cans at each lake and a sign that says to dump bait, to prevent AIS getting into lakes, into these garbage cans. Will also be used for other garbage. Lake Volney to receive $5,000 from county to use for education or to hire an inspector to inspect boats coming to Lake Volney. We will get $5,000 this year, but no plan in place this year for inspections. If we don’t use $5,000 it goes back to LeSueur County. Question was asked if we could use some of this money to fund Beast of Volney. Suzanne to check out parameters with Holly. Holly talked about the Gravel Tax Fund of LeSueur that has $30,000 and Lake Volney may want to ask for some of this for erosion and runoff to prevent going into lake. Holly did mention their needs to be 89 pounds per acre of Carp before a lake will be seined.

Seci Disk – Dan Tuma is in charge of this project and 14.25 is average clarity. It varies depending on time of year.

New Business: LeSueur County rustic campsites. The land is owned by the DNR and LeSueur County will have to have permission from them to put rustic campsites on the south side of the lake. County would also need to do a zoning change. Motion by Daryl Wondra, 2nd by Jayne Skluzacek . “Lake Volney Association to send letter opposing rezoning the use of this plot of land for the use of primitive campsites or overnight stays.” Motion carried

Elections – Jay, Terry, and Suzanne are up for re-election. Motion for them to continue to be board members by Dan Tuma, 2nd Patti Harkins, motion carried. We have room for more board members and anyone is welcome.

Beast of Volney – Motion to cut weeds by Beast of Volney Doreen Peterson, 2nd Daryl Wondra, motion carried. Money to go to Paul or Roger and forms are available.

Annual Picnic – Motion to do annual picnic on August 9, 2019, Roger, 2nd by Paul, motion carried.

Motion to Adjourn: Daryl Wondra, 2nd Paul Skluzacek Motion carried.