Lake Zoar Authority
P.O. Box 931
Southbury, CT 06488
Email: [email protected]
Member Towns
Monroe-Newtown-Oxford-Southbury
The regular meeting of the Lake Zoar Authority was held on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at 7:00 pm at the Edmund Town Hall in Newtown.
Commissioners Present:
Barbara McWilliams, Chairwoman
James Galarneau
Tim Glover
Jerry Kozera
Dennis Lawler
Bill May, Treasurer
Lesley Pires
Mark Saksa
Dick Speer
Absent:
John Downs
Call to Order
Chairwoman Barbara McWilliams called the meeting to order at 7:39 pm.
Secretary’s Report:
A motion to accept the minutes from the April 4 and 11, 2023 meetings was made by Lesley Pires, seconded by Dennis Lawler; the motion was passed unanimously.
Public Comments:
John Morin from Southbury attended and is in the process of filling the Southbury vacancy with the SRDC. A resident from Oxford attended.
Treasurer’s Report:
Treasurer Bill May presented account balances, with cash on hand equaling $51,943.34 He reported that the new boat was purchased for $91,488 and there was an $8,000 trade in value with Diamond Marine that considered damage to hull. Bill reported $8,827 has been billed for lights and accessories, and Flash Signs will need to be paid for signage. The old boat trailer is still available for trade in. Member town budget funds will be available on July 31st.
A motion to pass the treasurer’s report was made by Lesley Pires seconded by Mark Saksa the motion was passed unanimously.
Marine Patrol Report:
Marine Patrol Coordinator Dan Semosky reported boat number 1 is in the water. Marine patrol did a survey of this season’s installed buoys on May 9, and found three is one missing at sandbar furthest north. The contractor has ordered a new buoy
Publicity/ Public Awareness:
Lesley Pires reported commissioners attended the first part of a three part series, “What are Cyanobacteria and why should we care?” presenter by Dr. Wong of WCSU, via the CH Booth Library’s Zoom event. The second presentation will be held on Tuesday July 18, 2023 6pm, and the third on Tuesday September 19, at 6pm. Interested residents can register to attend on the events page of the CH Booth Library. The library is located in Newtown.
Lesley reported the Lake Zoar merchandise store is open through online vendor Zazzle. Anyone can purchase lake zoar apparel at https://www.zazzle.com/store/lake_zoar_authority/products
Lesley also reported the t-shirt contest with Great Oak Middle School in Oxford is underway. Students have started creating artistic designs focused on Lake Zoar. The first prize winner will receive $100, and second place $50. This contest is lead by Oxford LZA contact and local art teacher Susan Gibbons, and modeled after successful programs lead by the Lion’s Club.
Dennis Lawler reported he made great strides to update the LZA website and email accounts, which are presented under New Business.
Water Quality
Water Quality Monitoring Committee:
John Morin presented updates to the Cyanobacteria water quality monitoring program. He created detailed collection site maps and supplied them to the WCSU lab. John will be available to guide the first collection date. Lesley shared that WCSU is no longer receiving town funding to test for toxins at Kettletown Beach. Commissioners have interest in still testing this site. Lesley and John will contact the local health department and report back to the commission regarding the costs to pick up this site. Lesley will invite Dr. Wong to discuss the program during a future meeting date.
Weed Treatment Committee:
Chairwoman Barbara McWilliams reported weed treatment is planned for the first week of June. The permit is not yet finished. Diquat will be the primary application chemicals, and others can be added if needed. Pond and Lake will spray in areas where weeds are existing, and will check previously reported areas of high density. They provide a map of treated sites.
Barbara reported there are some invasive water chestnuts by Pomperaug river, in a grassy area, on the back end of the island. The need to be removed by hand and she is interested in a public outreach program.
Barbara reported FirstLight will remove thirty five downed trees, beginning from the shoreline to 100 feet out of shore. FirstLight is obligated to remove loose debris within 100 feet of shore as long as it is not a fish habitat.
Boats and Motors Report:
Dick Speer reported that the lights are almost completely installed on the new boat. The lettering will be quickly applied. Dick needs two more dock wheels for the #1 boat slip so the new boat doesn’t rub on the dock and become damaged. Commissioners agreed the wheels are necessary to maintain the value of the new boat.
Grants:
None.
Bylaws:
None.
Unfinished Business:
Chairwoman Barbara McWilliams reported that the LZA cannot bill Algonquin Gas Transmission for services. The LZA can accept donations for support services.
John Downs provided information on the AED, he will bring in one for a demonstration during the June 6 meeting.
New Business
Chairwoman Barbara McWilliams reported she is planning to promote National Boating Safety Week, May 20-26, 2023 with PR directed towards recreational safety. Barbara will promote the life jacket stand. The LZA will have a safety event at the boat launch with Marine Patrol that weekend.
Bill, Barbara, and James have formed a finance committee. Interested commissioners were encouraged to join.
Dennis Lawler reported on advancements for email accounts and the website via a projected power point presentation. The LZA website is not secure and it is outdated. Commissioners require modern email accounts and Microsoft applications. Commissioners agreed on the need for IT advancements.
A motion to switch hosting of the Lake Authority website domain to GoDaddy was made by Lesley Pires, seconded by Dick Speer, the motion was passed unanimously.
A motion to use was Microsoft365 for emailing and file sharing was made by Lesley Pires, seconded by Bill May, the motion was passed unanimously.
Adjournment
A motion to adjourn was made by Dick Speer and seconded by Bill May. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:01pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lesley Pires
Secretary
The minutes are not considered official until approved at the next regular meeting of the Lake Zoar Authority to be held on June 6, 2023 at 7:00 pm at the Monroe Town Hall.