1.  The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM.

2.  All board members were in attendance.

3.  A discussion was had with Billy Peragine regarding his offer to volunteer on a regular basis for the park district.  It was agreed that Billy will perform general maintenance duties around the parklands, and the PAB expressed their gratitude towards his generous offer.

4.  Lake Quality - Dede advised that CSLAP will begin very shortly; also, the depth marker needs to be adjusted; Hank will weight it properly this coming Sunday, June 23.  Also, algae is in bloom.  The board discussed the potential causes being a combination of nutrients, pondweed, recent excess rain water, etc.  Photos were taken and sent to Chris Doyle at Allied Biological for review.   Also, water chestnut photos were taken as well.  Duane advised of areas that are prevalent with this weed, specifically from Interlaken Beach to the north end, and just prior to the island.  The board decided they will meet this Sunday at 9:00 am to hand-pull these weeds.  

5.  A discussion was had regarding leaving the grass uncut in specific areas on the water’s edge, such as Warren Beach as suggested to the board at a previous meeting.   The board agreed that the buffer zone for erosion in these specified areas is currently fine.  Also, if the purpose was to prevent geese, the grass would have to be at least two feet high and unlikely to be effective.  

6.  Daily Operations:  John gave an update; he mentioned a boat being tied at the dock at Jackson beach; John spoke to the owner regarding this.   Additional items were:  Jackson Beach portosan was replaced; he addressed a complaint about golf balls being hit into the water at Fairfield Beach; cars with CT plates were at Jackson Beach; two boats were located in the beach area at Jackson.  A discussion was had regarding whether swimming area roping is accurate or needs to be readjusted; Hank will remeasure.  

7.  Dede advised of a complaint regarding a lifeguard using a cell phone while on duty; Dede went over the policy with the lifeguard.   An additional concern from the resident was the lifeguard should be sitting in a lifeguard chair; Dede substantiated that according to the Health Dept., at least one lifeguard on duty must be sitting in a lifeguard chair with an umbrella.  New umbrellas will be purchased and mounted as soon as possible.  

8.  Dede advised that Andy requested Tommy be considered as a fill-in head lifeguard; he meets qualifications and the board unanimously agreed.  

9.  Regarding drainage issue at Jackson Beach, Russ spoke to Rich about adding another drain; he will look into it.  It was discussed that heavy rain was going over the berm; Dede will discuss with Russ.  Hank will work on investigating additional solutions for drainage and update at a future meeting.

10.  New sheds purchased from Martin’s Country Craftsman, Inc. arrived at Jackson and Warren Beaches.

11.  Dede sent another garbage pick-up request to the town; it was discussed that if the town is charging the district for this service, volunteers will pick it up instead.

12.  Further discussion ensued regarding fencing at Jackson Beach.  It was decided to install temporary fencing as soon as possible as it’s not cost effective to install a permanent, expensive type at this time due to continuing renovations. 

13.  Beach Hours were discussed and the board agreed to open beaches full time starting June 24th (end of school year).  

14.  It was decided that the lawn cutting service is doing a good job with all designated areas.

15.  Parking expansion was discussed at Jackson Beach.  It was discussed to potentially push back fencing to accommodate additional parking.  Board members indicated it is a structural element that has to be discussed and approved by an engineer.  Hank indicated that Unilock Inc. will engineer the work in addition to installation.  Further discussion will continue at future meetings when more information is collected.

16.  Regarding boats stored without registrations stickers, the board agreed to notify residents via the mailed newsletter of the requirement and then place a notice on each boat not meeting the requirement.  The goal is to get all boats to comply this summer.

17.  An update was given on the swim team.  Hank and Mike will paint the kickboards and install at Warren Beach.  Also, the budget was discussed as well as a recommendation to allow the few children who were previously on the Piranhas’ team and out-of-district to continue on the team.  The board recognizes the importance of keeping the team together, and don’t want the kids to feel penalized.  The fee will be assessed at $100.00 plus swim team registration fees for those specific families.

18.  Regarding the baseball field, Mike will advise the contractor that trimwork needs to be done in designated areas.   

19.  Dede gave an update on swim lessons.  Unfortunately, between the two instructors from last year not wanting to continue, little interest by current lifeguards wanting to teach as well as minimal WSI certification classes being offered locally, another option will be considered for this year.  Dede spoke with Hudson Valley Inc., a company that teaches swim lessons at Patterson Veterans Memorial Park, and advised they can teach lessons here.  The board agreed to this option and Dede will confirm pricing of $90.00 for six-week session as well as scheduling; she will advise shortly and Duane will adjust on the public notice.

20.  A discussion was had regarding specifics for the new Park District phone number that will be available for inquiries.  The board will follow-up at the next meeting.

21.   It was decided that a ‘No Overnight Parking’ (around the parklands) comment would be added to the public notice so all residents are aware of this.

22.  Regarding entertainment, the board agreed to permit the Luau event (sponsored by Friends of the Park District) on July 20 at Warren Beach and waive a potential, rental fee.  

23.  It was discussed to continue offering weekend beach registrations at Warren Beach to residents for convenience.

24.  Mike advised that a resident inquired about initiating a dog park on the parklands.  She would also offer her services in helping to make this happen.  The board will discuss and/or consider this for future projects.

25.  The potential ‘shovel ready’ grant offered by Greg Ball was discussed.   Dede will further research requirements such as matching funds, etc. and will advise.  The board continued discussion about the priority improvements.  A plan must be put forth to the town to start the process.   

26.  Dede advised that Allied Biological will start weed mapping in late July or early August.  

27.  The meeting was adjourned.

1.  Lake Quality - Dede reviewed the meeting with Allied Biological; the board discussed volunteering their time to hand pull the water chestnuts.  It was noted that these weeds are located in visible clumps, mostly along the shoreline, and can be hand pulled with kayaks and boats.  

2.  Dede advised that Cathy Winward’s daughter would like to get involved firsthand with water sample testing.  The board unanimously decided that it would be a good opportunity for everyone involved.  Dede will follow-up.

3.  Daily Operations - John reported that there was a lot of fishing going on at the beaches.  He will speak to individuals and advise they cannot fish in swim areas.  John asked about the broken lock on the portosan at Jackson Beach.  Dede explained that she contacted the company and it was supposed to be serviced already; she will call the company once again and advise.  Regarding beach ID bracelets, the lifeguards were advised to start checking for them in July.  A new discussion continued regarding geese waste on the beaches.  Multiple options were discussed and the board agreed to wait to see how bad the problem was before instituting any further solutions.  Geese waste is picked up and removed from both beaches daily before swimmers arrive.

4.  Hank gave an update on his discussion with Greg Ball concerning eligibility for a potential $50,000 lake grant.  Specific criteria needs to be met, such as matching funds and specific construction projects.  Many ‘shovel ready’ projects were considered.  No decisions were made until further information is collected about the grant opportunities.

5.  Dede advised that the PAB minutes need to be compiled and sent to the town clerk on a monthly basis.  Duane will forward previous minutes and all new minutes once approved for the town record.

6.  Hank advised the storage sheds at Warren and Jackson beaches are being returned since they are an inferior product and not to specs.  Hank will contact Martin’s Country Furniture to purchase two new sheds (previously quoted) that are in-stock and will confirm pricing will be matched.

7.  Dede talked with Russ Goff regarding the drainage issues from the road at Jackson Beach.  He advised that putting up a berm/build up black top will help the problem.  

8.  Other particulars concerning the parklands:  It was determined that garbage cans will be placed at additional beaches in the near future.  John advised that there are two illegal docks floating on the lake; one is located south of Interlaken Beach and the other is upside down (with wheels attached) located north of the first dock near Parma Beach.  

9.  An update was given on the swim lessons.  It was discussed that if the lessons were incorporated into the district, someone would be needed to organize the lessons and WSI certification would be required for an instructor.  Payment schedule last year was discussed as well as other particulars.  Regarding swim team, Mike advised that Veronica was currently at a swim team meeting to determine scheduling, etc.  He mentioned that Gerri Dolan will be the contact person for registration on the flyer.   Duane and Alicia will work on the flyer and help advertise it.   Mention will be made regarding swim lessons to be available as well.

10.  Regarding the baseball league, Mike advised the league was paid in full, and Joe wants to start painting at the field; Mike will coordinate with Joe.

11.  Veronica was in attendance and gave an update concerning her meeting, along with dates for meets, fitting date for swimsuits, the Piranhas’ Booster Club, and other particulars.  A sign-up date was confirmed for registration.

12.  Duane presented a rough draft for the public notice newsletter.  There will be mention of the town hall providing a phone number for park district inquiries.  It was agreed to move forward for Wednesday’s town board meeting with logos, pictures, etc.   Duane also presented an updated budget for review.  Dede and Duane will meet to discuss vouchers and receipts to be added.

13.  Other business - Dede will forward all e-mails she receives on the website for the board’s review.

14.  Meeting was adjourned.

1.  The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM.

2.  All board members were in attendance.

3.  A motion was made to accept the minutes from the previous meeting.

4.  Dede advised that Ann Bittner from the Putnam County Health Department inspected and approved the opening of Warren and Jackson Beaches.

5.  Lake Study Report - Duane, Hank, and Dede met with a biologist from Allied Biological to visually inspect the weeds in the lake; water samples were taken.  Dede mentioned that along the shoreline areas there were water chestnuts growing that can become very invasive.  These can be hand pulled in an attempt to control spreading.

6.  CSLAP water sample testing will start at the end of June.  An assessment and mapping of weeds will take place during the worst time for this which is expected to be in August; up until then, a visual inspection will be done.

7.  An update was given on the public notice that will be mailed to all residents in the near future.  It will discuss the brief history of Putnam Lake, deeded lake rights, policies, Advisory Board members, etc.  Also, it will be mentioned that the town will provide a phone number in the near future for anyone who would like to contact the board.  Additional information will include parkland clean-ups, lake water testing provided by CSLAP and Allied Biological and why it’s necessary, the ball field, swim team, swim lessons, Connecticut residents with deeded lake rights, and environmental literature on what we can all do to help the water quality in our lake.

8.  Marge Auteri asked about allowing “associate members” to be permitted to use the beaches; Duane explained that the town code is very specific and the parklands/beaches are for residents within the district lines with deeded lake rights.

9.  Marge Auteri asked about the town charging the district for the use of the bulletin board in front of the VFW.  Dede explained that an approximate $20.00 fee was charged recently to the district by the town for this purpose since it’s the town’s message board.

10.  Sue Logue asked why the Park District didn’t hire someone for maintenance.  Dede explained that there were a lot of start-up expenses associated with the district.  To offset this, a lot of people have been volunteering their time to do the jobs of maintenance personnel.  Also, by doing these jobs firsthand, it’s afforded the opportunity to know who we will need, where, and what jobs will need to be done in the future.   The district saved a lot of money with volunteers has handled all necessary maintenance.  

11.  Sue Logue asked why they didn’t hire a weed harvester.  Dede stated that volunteers manually harvested weeds at the beach areas this year as has been done years past.  She further explained that harvesting weeds without knowing the weed type or having a weed map can be very dangerous.  Fragments can replant themselves and actually make the problem worse.  After a weed analysis is complete as is planned this year in August, the board can make an educated assessment of the problem and develop a comprehensive lake management program. 

12.  Sue Logue asked about the fence continuation at Jackson Beach.  Hank stated he’s working on the fence/getting prices.  Duane added that additional changes are still being considered for drainage at the beach area so a temporary fence is being planned for installation.  Dede and Hank met with the town to discuss additional drainage options and a berm is being added by the town in the next few days to help divert the runoff.  

13.  Laura DeMartino asked about the fencing near Lake Shore Drive.  She explained that the gate doesn’t open up all the way.  Hank will look at it this weekend.  

14.  Marge Auteri asked about security on the beaches and stated anyone twelve and over can be on the beach and she is concerned with bad language she heard being used.  Dede explained that lifeguards will monitor this kind of behavior, and if necessary, contact the Advisory Board if issues aren’t resolved.  Currently, no other district has formal security and it is not a budgeted item at this time. 

15.  A discussion was had concerning disposal of dog waste and residual garbage around the lake.  It was determined that additional garbage containers will be set up in addition to Jackson and Warren beaches and the ball field.

16.  Sue Logue asked if the board could please hand out agendas at future meetings.  Dede will make sure extra copies are made for everyone.

17.  Deb Lawlor asked if the minutes could be publicized.  Duane advised they are available on the www.putnamlakeparkdistrict.comwebsite.

18.  Meeting was adjourned.