Reckless boating and risky maneuvers on Lake Sequoia by a small number of chronic offenders had some residents calling for outside professional law enforcement to resolve problems as lake security and boating safety concerns dominated discussion at the Monday, June 13 Work Session of the Seven Lakes Landowners Association [SLLA] Board of Directors.
“The question has come up -- it is almost a demand -- to bring in Wildlife [the NC Wildlife Resources Commission] on the Fourth of July holiday weekend to prevent something bad from happening on the lake,” reported Lakes & Dams Director Don Fentzlaff.
And while there is progress toward creating a fast track Judicial Committee process to handle violations deemed dangerous or so flagrant as to require immediate action, Fentzlaff told his fellow Board members that the system may not be in place in time to prevent a recurrence of bad behavior over the busy holiday.
However, others at the Work Session recommended more research before inviting Wildlife officers onto the lakes.
“I’m not sure Wildlife regulations are in sync with our [community] rules," said Northsider Jim Allen, who also serves on the Lakes & Dams Committee. "It’s fine to say they can contribute by arresting a drunken boater; but, by bringing them in are we putting ourselves in a position to have them enforce things that we don’t?”
“This is opening a Pandora’s Box and we need to understand what we’re doing before we do it," Allen continued. "I’m concerned the cure may be worse than the disease.”
Northsider Deb Temple also cautioned against looking to Wildlife as a quick solution to the community’s boating problems.
“What I see is too many boats pulling tubers at one time," Temple said. "Wildlife can’t do anything about that [the number of boats in the ski area at any one time is restricted by Association rules, not state regulations]. I see motorboats racing each other and Wildlife won’t do anything about that,” she said.
Allen agreed and noted that reckless boating, not speeding, is the prime concern, as most boats on Lake Sequoia travel under 35 mph, a figure supported by an informal study conducted by Security Director Andy Lowe, who used a hand-held radar device to check speeds last weekend.
Lowe reported the majority of boats in the ski area at Lake Sequoia were traveling between 20 and 23 mph, with the fastest boat clocked at 30 mph. He told the Board he intends to ride along with the community Boat Patrol officer over the upcoming Fourth of July weekend to continue monitoring speeding on the lake.
Protocol to prosecute boating violations
During discussion, the Board briefly mentioned one boating safety incident that is currently under review by the Judicial Committee using the standard hearing process; but Fentzlaff explained that there needs to be a second, quicker protocol in place to deal with serious, flagrant offenses.
“We have to determine a procedure to notify an offender [written warning] and then move on if he doesn’t correct the behavior," Fentzlaff said. "Do we take it to Judicial or do we fine them? If a fine doesn’t work, then do we take it back to Judicial at that point?”
Recreation Director Bob Racine, a retired attorney, noted there is no way to accurately determine a boat has been speeding and have it hold up as evidence in a Judicial hearing [only certified law enforcement officers using calibrated equipment may issue citations]. However, he did encourage residents who witness reckless boating incidents to come forward to offer testimony.
“If we can get good factual information, then we can issue a citation," Racine said. "It is a question of having facts. Judicial has the power to levy fines. If they [the offenders] refuse to pay the fines, we can put a lien on their property.”
One idea that gained traction during the roundtable discussion was a more open reporting of incidents and any specific action taken by Judicial Committee.
“If you want people to adhere to rules, you need to make the offenses known to the public," recommended Northsider Joan DeBruin. “People need to see it in print to react. They don’t comply now, because there are no consequences.”
Enforcement of boat stickers
Continuing the wide-ranging discussion of boat safety and security concerns, Fentzlaff also recommended placing a sign at the Northside entrance gate that requests all vehicles pulling boats and trailers to use the guest lane. By restricting boats and trailers to the lane closer to the guardhouse, it is much easier for SFI staff to monitor any boats that are coming into the community and to check them for current SLLA stickers.
The Board also tossed around the idea of refusing entry to any boat without a current sticker, though a few concerns were quickly raised, including how to accommodate guests traveling with boats and residents who own boats that are for use outside of the community [i.e. jet skis].
In addition to inspections at the gates, Fentzlaff said it would be useful to inspect boats for current stickers at the Sequoia Point launch. But he added that any inspections conducted by Boat Patrol would diminish their time on and ability to monitor the lake itself.
The issue of current stickers is not limited to boats coming on and off the lakes, argued Lakes & Dams Committee member George Temple. He reported that several boats already in the water and docked at residences have expired stickers.
“We have rules. We need to enforce them,” Temple said.
Current 2011 boat stickers are available at the SLLA office to registered owners. These stickers must be affixed by June 30 to avoid penalties.
More parking needed at Sequoia Point
Putting discussion back on dry land, the Board mulled over possible options to resolve parking problems at Sequoia Point. There is one parking area close to the beach, but overflow parking along Firetree Lane is prohibited.
“I was there on Memorial Day, and it was a mess, with cars everywhere,” said SLLA President Bob Darr. “It is a problem; and, quite frankly, I don’t know what to do about it.”
One option suggested by a resident is to create a new parking area on Sequoia Point itself, opposite the beach and adjacent to the handicapped access road.
However, there is another proposed plan not yet fully explored to move the beach to that same area on Sequoia Point.
“The previous Board considered the problem of having the swimming area so close to boats and also a request to increase dockage," Director Bud Shaver explained. "It was suggested that we could relocate the beach to the other side, near the playground, so you would have one side of all boats and the other side [of Sequoia Point] for swimming and beach recreation.”
Community Manager Alina Cochran also noted that Sequoia Point is narrow, which would limit parking. Responding to Shaver’s comment, she said she has a rough estimate of costs for the beach relocation proposal.
Director Racine suggested more parking could be created in the existing boat storage lot, particularly where there are many trailers and boats that are rarely used, if ever.
“This is not ‘the’ solution or the best solution; but it could be done; and it would get a couple more cars off the street,” Racine said.
Another option brought up by Director Lowe is clearing the Association-owned lot located next to the boat storage area to create more parking, a recommendation also explored by former Director Kent Droppers last year.
Darr agreed that more information was needed and tasked Grounds & Maintenance Director Bruce Keyser, Jr., with looking at the options options and the costs and determining what could be done where.
Replacement pump at Ramapo
Director Fentzlaff reported that a new stainless steel submersible pump will be installed between Lake Echo and Lake Ramapo. There are three such pumps in the community that are used to move water from lake to lake, as needed.
Fentzlaff said the old pump has been pulled for repair and will be rebuilt and stored in inventory. Replacing the motor is anticipated to cost $500, versus a replacement unit at $2,000.
“Parts are available for these pumps, and we can keep one in stock in case another goes bad,” said Fentzlaff.
Darr praised Cochran for her recommendation to replace the motor in the old pump and then store it on a standby basis.
Speeding & Security Cameras
A radar warning speed sign was placed at several locations in the community in recent weeks, reported newly seated Security Director Andy Lowe.
During a 1.5 hour period on Firetree Lane, the radar recorded 33 percent of vehicles traveling at or under the 25 mph speed limit and 60 percent of vehicles traveling between 26-35 mph, with 6 percent of vehicles traveling above 36 mph. During a 1.5 hour period along Shenandoah Lane, near the stables, the radar recorded 25 percent of vehicles traveling at or under the 25 mph speed limit, 69 percent traveling between 26-35 mph, and 7% of vehicles traveling above 36 mph.
Continuing the security report, Lowe said the lightning storm observed last Friday evening knocked out all community security cameras -- which isn’t much of a loss, he added.
“The license plate cameras at the gate are absolutely useless," Lowe explained. "All those upgrades to the cameras accomplished was to spend a lot of money -- and it reduced storage [capacity] in the cameras to 72 hours. And even if you had a use in 72 hours for that information, you could only tell the license and car, not who was driving.”
“We have spent thousands on those cameras and they are absolutely useless,” Lowe concluded.
Cochran said that because the damage to the cameras was storm-related, insurance may cover the costs to repair the system; however, the Board seemed to agree with Lowe that the system itself is inadequate whether it is working or not.
“My understanding is the theme behind the decision to purchase those cameras is that we as a community need security, President Darr said. "If what we have doesn’t give us what we need, my question is what do we need and how do we get there?”
Lowe responded that the gate security monitors who is coming and going at all hours.
“I don’t want to spend another penny [on cameras], if they are not any use,” said Lowe, recommending that only the Southside after-hours gate camera should be repaired and maintained.
In addition, Lowe recommended that SFI gate staff should be trained on proper procedures to raise and lower the American flag to half-staff. Currently, when appropriate, such activity is performed by Northsider Dennis Mueller who also volunteers considerable time to updating the community bulletin boards.
Road paving
One bid has been received for a comprehensive study of road conditions, and Director Bud Shaver requested Cochran advertise for at least two more similar bids before the contract is let.
“This information will be used to create specs for a paving contract,” Shaver said. “We want an engineer to look at our roads and tell us what needs to be done -- whether it’s a repair, patch, overlay or repaving. Then we can take each cluster of roads and add up the anticipated cost and how much time it’ll take . . . We can’t afford to do a $3-4 million project in paving unless we go to bank. That is why this has been broken down into clusters, so we can determine if we can afford this or that.”
He explained that the Reserve Study included a broad overview of the roads, rather than a specific mile-by-mile individual study of each road. In addition, he has been in communication with Talis senior management and is also reviewing state paving contracts for more information that will be helpful in drawing up specific plans.
Shaver recommended forming a subcommittee to explore options for repaving and re-landscaping Dogwood Lane to limit Longleaf Pine root damage to the road, and also look at realigning the North and Southside entrance gates.
“We promised the community we would keep them totally informed and that is what this is about," said SLLA President Darr. "There have been no decisions made on where, when, or with what to pave -- but, as decisions are made and we move along, we want there to be no surprises."
With funds added from the current fiscal year dues collection, the Association has approximately $550,000 held in reserves for the road paving project and state-mandated dam repairs.
Extended Pool Hours
Calling attention to a resident’s recommendation distributed to the Board, Treasurer Conrad Meyer asked Cochran to explore whether the Northside Pool operating hours could be extended during the week until 8:00 pm.
Cochran estimated the two additional hours per day of lifeguard coverage would cost approximately $250 a week.
“My only concern is financial,” she said.
Going around the table, the Board discussed and ultimately dismissed any plans to open the pool as adult-hours only without a lifeguard present, because it would be difficult to enforce and would prevent family-use of the facility.
“Let’s try it; and, if we only have a few swimmers coming in the later hours, we can stop," Meyer recommended. "I suggest we try it for a month and see how it goes.”
Election procedures & proxy votes
During the most recent Board elections, a few questions and concerns were raised over procedures specifically related to who chairs the organizational meeting prior to seating the incoming president and who should -- and more importantly, should not -- be participating in proxy voting.
Shaver recommended an addition to the By-laws that states the Chair of the Nominating Committee, a position held by a mid-term or retiring Board member, will also preside over the Organizational Meeting until the new SLLA President is seated.
Shaver also recommended that Board members running for re-election should recuse themselves from participating in proxy voting.
Each election, approximately a dozen proxy votes are received by the Board. Typically the Board holds a secret ballot to determine who will receive those proxy votes. However, Shaver expressed concern that such practice creates a conflict of interest.
Cochran cautioned the Board that such action could potentially limit the number voting to a narrow majority, “You would have three people on the Board calling all the proxy votes when you have four seats up for election.”
Meyer also expressed concern.
“Given the number of proxies, it’s not likely it would sway an election . . . but for ten proxies, why even have a rule?” he asked, though he did agree that an improved policy was preferable.
Other Business
In other business on Monday, June 13, the SLLA Board:
• Received a draft copy of a formal collection policy twice reviewed by the Finance Committee members, once last year and again this year, for final review and comment before approval.
• Heard from Northsider Rich Scott that Lake Sequoia continues to have a serious Canada geese population problem that is getting worse each year. “By 2015 I think we’ll have more geese than residents,” he said. “I don’t know the answer, but we must do something. They release their body weight in waste everyday!”
• Heard from Darr that a new communication system with residents is being formulated and will include an improved Talis-based website.
• Approved a request by Lowe to install a port-a-potty on the Lake Sequoia island over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
• Heard from Cochran that a request to the NC Department of Transportation to reinstall the flashing yellow warning light on Seven Lakes Drive has been deferred to another traffic engineer for reconsideration.
• Heard from Fentzlaff that weed-control chemicals are taking effect, albeit more slowly in some coves than others. Those areas will be re-inspected and potentially retreated as needed.
