2nd-Quarter 2020 Communication from Board of Directors

Post date: Jul 11, 2020 2:54:25 PM

2020-Q2 Quarterly Communication to CSOA Members

July 2, 2020 (for quarter ending June 30, 2020)

CSOA Members are encouraged to notify Danny Fow (dannyfow@catt.com) of any changes to your email addresses. If you have any questions or suggestions regarding member communications, please feel free to contact Tom Mathis (ThomasRMathis@gmail.com).

With concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic so much on everyone’s mind, your CSOA board members wish each of you good health, safety, and peace of mind. Like you, we have tried to make the appropriate accommodations and have found the limitations sometimes distracting and inconvenient and sometimes challenging. We encourage you to follow CDC and other governmental guidelines for hygiene and health to combat spread of the virus. As neighbors, we want everyone in our community to remember that you have neighbors here who care about you and want to help when needed. Please call, text, or email one of us (or another neighbor) if you need assistance with errands (especially for obtaining medicine and food) or other challenges.

Second quarter 2020 updates:

1. Reminder – No Off-Road Parking on Dam: Our dam at the south end of Cherokee Lake is a vital, expensive asset. Please Do NOT park on the grass or soil on or near the dam. If you must park briefly in that area, please keep your vehicle on the pavement. PLEASE – it is imperative that all of us help maintain the dam’s integrity and viability by following these guidelines.

2. Reminder – Community Lawn Debris: The CSOA organic refuse dump is for lawn clippings and smaller tree limbs (3 inches in diameter or smaller), from CSOA properties only (not from property a CSOA member may own elsewhere). Please place your lawn debris as far back in the area and as far to the right as practical. Please help maintain the viability of this convenience by following these guidelines.

3. New Concerns at Dam: This quarter we have recognized new evidence of an additional water leak on the south side of the dam, which is a serious concern that requires prompt attention. The urgency of this need has placed this project at the top of the BOD’s priorities. Water (apparently lake water) is leaking from the ground on both sides of the culvert pipe. The suspected problem is that one or more of the joints of the segmented pipe was (were) not caulked properly or the caulk has failed due to settling of the land under the drain. In June, the settling was noted to be even more dramatic, leaving a knee-deep sink hole in the ground on top of the dam (on the south side of Cherokee Lake Drive). The Board of Directors (BOD) has approved a $4,800 proposal from Crack Packers to re-caulk all joints. This will require us to lower the level of the lake temporarily and provide about a week of drying out the drain for the work to be completed. It would need to be completely dry for 24 hours, and the work would take 6-8 hours.

a. NOTE: Given the need for dry weather in which to drain the lake and perform the necessary work for this project and the larger Lake Remediation Project, we are tentatively scheduling the lake draw-down for September 2020.

b. NOTE: There has been discussion in recent years about a change in the by-laws which requires the BOD to obtain CSOA member approval before individual expenditures of greater than $2,500, but the current BOD during a due-diligence search has not been able to find a record of that stipulation in the by-laws. The version of by-laws posted on the CSOA web site (Google site) does include this language in Article IV, Meeting of Members, Section 6, Capital Spending:

“Any capital expenditures in excess of $5,000 or any special assessment of more than $5,000 shall have the notification of purpose and details prior to the meeting in order to be voted upon. [Amended 03/26/09]”

If any past officers or other CSOA members can provide documentation of other amendments to the by-laws, the BOD would appreciate receiving it. Meanwhile, the BOD reached consensus that the urgency of the current leak (as described above) justifies proceeding with this action and the related expenditure.

c. Preparatory Actions: We need to hire a diver to examine the area around the drain tower and culvert to remove any large debris which could cause damage or blockage. Bob Reed is coordinating design and construction of a filtering screen to place in front of the gate valve at the north end of the culvert pipe to mitigate the risk of debris blocking the culvert when the lake level is temporarily lowered.

4. Lake Remediation Project: The BOD, with the help of a consultant, is reviewing the Cherokee Lake situation, including the lake level, erosion, water runoff, wetland designation, drain, and trees blocking the stream at the bridge. This will help identify and confirm CSOA water rights and associated regulatory/legal issues. As noted above, we hope to begin lake draw-down and dredging in September 2020.

a. Tree Removal: The BOD contracted with Tom’s Tree Service of Dalton to remove a number of trees from the peninsula and lake bank to help reduce future problems and help prepare the peninsula bank for receiving some of the soil dredged from the lake.

5. ARC: Our Architectural Review Committee (ARC) members are now Sherry Crowe, Ginger Mathis, and Steve Hester.

6. Volunteers Needed: Logan Lollis has agreed to coordinate a plan and scheduling for volunteers to perform regular clearing/cleaning of the grate over the drain tower at the dam. If you would like to help out, please contact Logan to be added to the rotational assignments.

7. Security Light: The subject of installing a security light (street light) on Cherokee Lake Drive near the organic refuse area has continued to be controversial. The ARC has made a recommendation, about which the BOD still has some questions to be addressed. After much discussion among BOD members, Danny Fow proposed that we need to fully flesh out the needs, regulatory requirements, design considerations, and pros and cons of various options before we take action. It was also noted that we need a project coordinator for this project. If you would like to volunteer for that role, please contact Danny.