The Devils Lake Wateri Improvement District held its June board meeting in the District offices on Thursday, June 2nd, 2011. Several interested parties attended the meeting.
Executive Session of the Board: The Board of Directors held an Executive Session preceding their regularly scheduled meeting.
Budget Hearing: The final presentation of the District’s 2011-2012 budget was made during the hearing. The public in attendance was granted a moment to comment on its content. There were no comments from those in attendance. After asking for public comments the Board of Directors unanimously passed the proposed budget.
Public Comment: The Board acknowledged the comments from members of the public in attendance. Public comments included; enthusiastic support for the proposed Devils Lake Festival seen as a great way to boost the District’s visibility in the community, there was one expression of concern over the current lake level. Representatives from the Oregon Department of State Lands provided some information related to last years inventory of structures on the lake. Letters will be sent to all property owners with structures soon and a public meeting will be held in July to answer questions.
Septic Tank Revitalization: This program is currently stalled within City government; so in the mean time, the District has been advocating on behalf of two bills; Senate Bill 83 which would create a revolving loan program to assist individuals to repair and replace failing septic systems and House Bill 5022 which is the DEQ budget. To date SB83 has received a public hearing and work session and was referred to Ways and Means with a “do pass with amendments” recommendation and HB5022 has received its public hearing and two work sessions.
Save our Shorelines: A report was given on the two latest public SOS projects. The Regatta Grounds SOS planting is complete and reported to have accomplished the goals of diverting water off the paved surfaces into bio swale. Work has begun on a planting near the boat ramp in East Devils Lake State Park. Plastic tarps have been laid on the ground to kill existing vegetation; planting is anticipated in October or November.
Grass Carp Application: The Lake Manager reported that he has been researching scientific journals related to grass carp and created a bibliography for future reference. This material will be used to draft answers to questions raised by ODFW related to the District’s application. A discussion occured related to next steps that might include items like a vegetation plan, nutrient budgets, water quality standards that may be required to obtain approval.
Union 50: The DLWID Board has been exploring the possibility of buying the old Union 50 building for potential use for the offices of the District. DLWID Board member Joe Barnes had taken the lead on this project. Strategies for continuing this project were explored.
Communications Report: The District has commissioned the creation of skier down flags to distribute to lake stakeholders this summer. Additionally, the District has produced a full color brochure describing the many recreational opportunities on Devils Lake for local distribution.
Erosion Study: Tetra Tech is scheduled to perform their field work June 14th to 17th. The District has decided to delay construction of the D-River dam until the study has been completed. This decision was reviewed during the meeting and the board determined it would best to stay with the original decision and delay full installation of the dam until after the erosion study is complete.
Water Quality Monitoring: The District just completed the first week of bacteria monitoring. The results showed Thompson Creek had exceeded the state’s limits, and that Sandpoint was in the yellow zone. The DLWID website was updated with this information, email notifications were sent out, and postings were made around the lake. You can follow testing results using the link on the sidebar of the Navigator as well.
Devils Lake Grass Carp Revival Festival: The District has been considering planning a community event to celebrate Devils Lake at Regatta Grounds this summer. The concept as described would include information and educational booths, food, and music. The Board discussed the potential event and instructed staff to begin planning. The District has set mid~August as a tentative timeframe for the festival.
Contract Renewals: The District had five contracts scheduled to expire June 30, 2011 including the Lake Manager, Project Manager, Legal Services, Minute Recording, and Payroll Specialist. Each of the agreements were renewed by the Board.
Outstanding Service Award: Brian Green was awarded the DLWID Outstanding Service Award for his work on the sewer local improvement district this year.
