The following history is presented here as a summary of the origin, purpose, and ongoing activities of the Fish Cove Association:
Originally prepared by Joe Skerry, former Treasurer, Board of Director, recently edited and formatted for this Internet Web Page in 2016 by board member, Rob F.
Fish Cove Association had its origins in the mid 1970’s as a result of the "Declarations of Covenants, Easements and Restrictions" issued by a real estate developer, Mr. Henry Patenaude, which were incorporated into all deeds for lots included in the area then identified as "Patenaude Subdivision".
The Patenaude Subdivision included all properties which were identified as follows: All even-numbered houses on Stonedam Island Rd. from No. 52 through No. 98, (except No. 56 which was already privately owned at the time), all of Stonedam Circle, and all of Lacasse Rd.
The portion of the Patenaude Covenants that are applicable to the origin of the Fish Cove Association is as follows:
"Developer covenants that after the conveyance by him of the first twenty (20) lots in said subdivision, he shall by quitclaim deed convey to an association of the owners of lots in said subdivision, the premises shown on said plan as "Reserved for Recreation Area" and a parcel of land with at least two hundred feet (200) of frontage on Lake Winnipesaukee and with a width of at least two hundred feet (200) from said Lake Winnipesaukee to the existing road, which premises shall be held by said association… in common by all owners of lots in Developer's subdivision, for boating, bathing, and other recreational purposes, under such reasonable regulations as said association may from time to time adopt. The foregoing shall not be so construed as giving any lot owner the right to erect any dock on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee. Grantees from Developer covenant by their acceptance of their deed to maintain membership in said association so long as they own a lot in the subdivision, and to comply with all By-Laws, rules and regulations of said Association, and to pay such dues and assessments as may be adopted by the same. The foregoing covenants shall be for the benefit of, and shall be binding upon the owners of lots in Developer's subdivision, and shall be considered as appurtenant to ownership of any lots in said subdivision. “
The Fish Cove Association was formed in accordance with the above Patenaude Covenants. During that time the NH Organization, its By-Laws, dues and assessments, rules and operating procedures, were all debated and finally accepted by the Developer Patenaude, and the lot owners at that time. Then, as part of this process, Mr. Patenaude deeded to the Fish Cove Association, a parcel of land consisting of 1.2 acres, with two hundred (200) feet of frontage on Lake Winnipesaukee.
As indicated in the Covenants, all lot owners in the old Patenaude subdivision are automatically members of the Fish Cove Association by virtue of their deed and must comply with the Associations rules, dues, etc. Since that time, the Association has arranged for dredging that same 200 foot area previously deeded by Mr. Patenaude. Further, we obtained state and local permits for docks and moorings, and purchased a much larger adjacent parcel (3.8 acres) of lakefront land. We have installed drainage systems, and landscaped the entire lake frontage property now owned jointly by all members of the Fish Cove Association.
Since this additional adjacent land belongs to all members of the Association, it was voted by the members at that time to assess the purchase price pro-rata to all lots in the Association. For many years, Association members paid an additional assessment as part of their annual dues, in order to pay for this lakefront property’s mortgage. This mortgage was ultimately paid off in 2005. As part of this process, in the early 1980's, an initiation fee was adopted which was intended to equalize the early expenditures on dredging, construction of docks, and creation of the lakefront area between the relatively few lot owners who bore the brunt of these expenditures at the time, and the newer lot owners who wished to also use these facilities. The initiation fee was increased over time to keep pace with increased expenditures and was last set at $2000; all current active members have already paid this one-time fee, which is transferable to a new lot owner, with the sale of a Fish Cove property that is already in "good standing".
During the course of the above described events, on July 28, 1989, the official NH Non-Profit Corporation was formed. Over time, and because of the different interests of persons purchasing lots/homes in Fish Cove Association territory, the Association has evolved, and grew to accommodate the desires of two basic groups of members, now termed: Full and Partial members; those that want to use the docks and moorings, and those that do not (see current By-Laws for more details).
The current Fish Cove Association owes a great deal to the foresight and vision of the early members of Fish Cove Association. The original members of the Fish Cove Association included:
The Betourney Family, The Bevacqua Family, The Bragen Family, The Fleming Family, The Limperis Family, The McElrath Family, The Mitchell Family, The Skerry Family, and The Sweeney Family.
We thank these original families their hard work as this will allow future generations of Fish Cove Association members to enjoy the beauty and peacefulness of Fish Cove. In addition, we thank all the subsequent Boards of Directors, who have volunteer countless hours of time to manage the day to day operations and the continued enhancement of the Fish Cove Association.