Category: GLA Meeting Minutes

Meeting Called to Order by Mike Rankin at 4:00 PM on Zoom

Present:           Ryan Mueller, Amy Heaven, Leslie Hind, Mike Rankin, Sandy Adams, Mike Stappert, Blake Larson

Absent:            Greta Jahraus, Melinda Broward

Board Roles: Mike Rankin was unanimously selected to be the next GLA President after Amy Heaven stepped down in the Fall.

Agenda: No agenda prepared for this meeting.

Secretary: Ryan presented the minutes from the previous meeting and they were approved as submitted.

Treasury: Leslie presented the finances. Currently $2,303 in Venmo account plus $26,047 in the bank account for a total of $28,350.10 for the GLA. We have collected $1970.41 from 85 members. Recent expenses include Zoom for $172.65, Light Up the Lake Contest for $248.06, and Calendars for $880.25. $1600 has been collected for calendar advertisements, leading to a net profit of $719.75 for the project. A huge thank you to all of the advertisers! There are 2 outstanding invoices for advertisers.

Old Business:

-Spring Meeting Planning: The team reviewed topics to be discussed at the Spring Meeting including the taskforce, by-laws, and social events. The meeting will be at 9:00AM on 3/29 at the Johnson County Community College: Olathe Health Education Center by the Olathe Medical Center.

Old Business:

-Calendars: The team will order more calendars next year as we ran low. Apologies to any GLA members that did not get one. A special thanks to the Lake Road Reps for distributing the calendars! The team also discussed opportunities to add more advertisers next year.

-Merchandise: There is extra inventory that the group discussed strategies on how to reduce. Ideas included trying to sell to larger Gardner area, giving away to GLA members who volunteer to help around the lake. Leslie confirmed that the merchandise project has overall been profitable to the group. Mike said he will put out a survey to gauge excitement of some new ideas. Suggested new items included: bucket hats, beach bags, flags, wind socks, sport fishing shirts.

-By-laws: Ryan reviewed the latest updates. Vivian Levin, Sandy, and Ryan all met as a subcommittee and discussed potential improvements to the minutes after discussions that came up in the Fall meeting. The group has found some improvements that can be made to further clarify the scope of the GLA and limits of its authority. Because of this, the draft by-laws will be shared at a future date hopefully for a vote in the Fall.

-Taskforce: The team briefly discussed the survey results that the taskforce distributed. It showed an unclear direction with less than 70% support and so next steps will be further discussed at the Spring Meeting.

-Raffle: A very awesome floating cooler was donated by The Dock Box Guy and will be raffled off at the Spring meeting. Make sure you are there to enter the raffle! Check Facebook for a QR code to enter early! Raffle tickets will be $10 each The meeting was moved to adjourn by Amy and seconded by Mike

Meeting Called to Order by Amy Heaven at 4:00 PM on Zoom

Present:           Ryan Mueller, Amy Heaven, Greta Jahraus, Leslie Hind, Melinda Broward, Mike Rankin, Sandy Adams, Mike Stappert, Blake Larson

Absent:            None

Agenda: No agenda prepared for this meeting.

Board Roles: Amy stepped down as President of the GLA Board, leaving the position open. The team is going to reflect and determine a new President of the Board. The team welcomed the newest member of the Board – Mike Stappert.

Treasury: Leslie presented the finances. The GLA currently holds $26104.91 in assets. We recently had $600 paid for some more calendar ads and also had $50 in expenses to rent the meeting room for the Fall.

Secretary: Ryan presented the minutes from the previous meeting and they were approved as submitted.

Old Business:

    -Fall Meeting Debrief: The team discussed Fall Meeting topics including by-laws and the vote for Board members. Ryan is going to set up a By-law subcommittee to review the by-laws in preparation for the spring meeting. The subcommittee should review the renter/owner membership issue that came up. The Board wants to emphasize the limited scope of the GLA that is focused on building community, and because of that, renters should be potential members of the GLA.

    -Taskforce: Following the news that the city may fix the spillway but has again requested the residents to take ownership of the lake, the team discussed the survey that the taskforce plans to distribute to property owners soon. The taskforce needs to gauge interest of lakeside property owners at a high level before spending the time on deep knowledge gathering of owning and paying to maintain the lake.

    -Technology: Blake is updating the email lists to reflect the new board and lake road rep changes.

    -Calendars: Sandy is working on the calendars and is still looking for a few more advertisers. The team is going to reach out to people they know to try and fill the slots. The team discussed a letter to residents that could be included with the calendars.

    -Lake Road Reps: Greta is going to help coordinate with Reps to deliver Calendars. We are hoping to deliver them by 1/1 or as close as possible.

    -Special Events: Team discussed the Light Up the Lake Contest. Also discussed pros/cons to having the Fall meeting and Fall Cookoff on the same day.

The meeting was moved to adjourn by Amy and seconded by Mike

Meeting Called to Order by Amy Heaven at 9:00 AM at the Johnson County Community College: Olathe Health Education Center

Present:           Ryan Mueller, Amy Heaven, Greta Jahraus, Leslie Hind, Melinda Broward, Mike Rankin, Sandy Adams, Clifton Bencke

Absent:            Blake Larson

Agenda: Amy reviewed the submitted agenda. Approved as submitted.

Secretary: Ryan read the minutes from the Sprint meeting. Minutes approved as submitted.

Treasury: Leslie presented the finances. The GLA currently has $25,405.37 total assets. Recently for the kayak race, we brought in $280 for raffles, $70 in donations, and $669.99 in apparel/merchandise. Expenses for the event were $257. At the fall cookoff, we collected $601.02. We added $200 in raffles for the summer raffle items between the two events. Treasurers report was approved as submitted.

Old Business:

-By-laws: Ryan reviewed the proposed by-laws. Question was raised whether renters could vote on matters in the GLA. Some suggested renters should not be members of the GLA at all. Points were made regarding the scope of votes in GLA and that major property owner votes would be different. A motion was raised by Jim Shipee to allow only property owners to be able to vote on anything on the agenda. Discussion was had by members with points raised on both sides. No disagreement made by any that renters should not be voting on major decisions related to property. Some suggested two tiers of membership in the GLA. Larry Desmarteau, Jim Shipee, and Vivian Levin volunteered to join a By-laws subcommittee to further review this and any other issues in the proposed by-laws. For this meeting a vote on the proposed by-laws was skipped.

-Board Elections: Mike led the process. 3 board positions were being voted on – positions held by Amy Heaven, Ryan Mueller, and Clifton Bencke. Clifton Bencke decided to step down from his position on the Board. Mike Stappert volunteered his name for consideration. Votes were casted by 62 people present at the meeting. Results were the following: Clifton-4, Amy-51, Ryan-50, Mike S.-52, and 5 votes for no candidates.

-Taskforce: Leslie introduced the Taskforce members and then passed the mic to Tim Orrick. Tim emphasized that the scope of the GLA does not include any enforcement or authority to require residents to do anything. A benefactor funded an engineering report to independently verify the condition of the dam, spillway, and lake in general. Tim reviewed the timeline that has led to now, including past GLA meetings and city/lake history. The Taskforce has been working to show that the spillway and dam need addressed. Indicators show that this work has made progress and the city of Gardner is considering a grant and project to address the spillway/dam. The city has again reminded the Taskforce that they do not want to maintain or even own this lake – only pull water for the golf course. Any ownership would have to be taken by a new entity – not the GLA – and agreed upon by residents. The group fielded some questions from members about what ownership could look like. Details are not exact, but for some amount of money generally around $750 minimum per year per resident, the lakeside residents could maintain the basic costs of owning the lake. Many factors to consider including liability, water rights, exact costs, other possible lake owners, etc. Please contact Amy or Leslie with your particular questions. Tim then reviewed the engineer report bathymetric survey. This shed light on the amount of sedimentation that was accumulating in various parts of the lake. Two focus areas were Pirate’s Cove and the South end of the lake. In Pirate’s Cove, analysis shows that there is some sedimentation, but that Pirate’s Cove is generally a shallow area based on bedrock depth. Expenses to dredge this area would be cost prohibitive. In the South end of the lake, sedimentation is significant. The Taskforce’s engineering report showed that it would be approximately $2M to dredge just the central channel area of the South end.

New Business:

-Merchandise: Sandy reviewed some of the great items the GLA has for sale. She also is looking for feedback for new product ideas.

-Lake Road Reps: Greta discussed some projects that the Reps are working on including neighborhood magnets. The GLA is also working on a process so that LRR’s can update contact info easier.

-Special Events: Melinda shared information about the upcoming Light Up the Lake contest in December. She also reflected on our year of successful events and reminded the group of the meatball contest happening the same day.

-Zebra Mussels: Leslie shared the latest information on these pests. Our lake has been confirmed to have an infestation. Please use caution, anything left in the water can become covered with the mussels. These animals do have ‘boom and bloom’ cycles where the population will balloon – it is suspected we are in this phase now. Fishermen should use extra caution when removing their boat from the lake, there is a protocol to follow before a boat can be put in another body of water. The State KDWP analysis showed that we have a strong fish population currently.

-Summer Raffle: Two items were raffled at the meeting. One was the Hyperlite Elevation SUP won by Ryan Mueller. The second item was an inflatable kayak won by Angie Eck.

The meeting was moved to adjourn by Blair H and seconded by Ryan M

Meeting Called to Order by Amy Heaven at 4:00 PM on Zoom

Present:           Ryan Mueller, Amy Heaven, Greta Jahraus, Leslie Hind, Melinda Broward, Mike Rankin, Sandy Adams, Clifton Bencke

Absent:            Blake Larson

Old Business:

    -Fall Meeting Preparations: The team is making a list and checking it twice as we prepare for the Fall Meeting. Subjects will include the proposed by-laws update, board elections, and a big infrastructure update.

    -Lake Road Reps: Reps are hard at work distributed neighborhood magnets. Look forward to seeing yours soon. We are always looking for more volunteers for the Lake Road Rep program, please let someone know if you are interested in joining the team.

    -Membership: The team continues to work on improving the directory and ways to keep it updated. Lake Road Reps have been a huge help here and the Board extends a special thank you to them.

Agenda: Approved as submitted.

Secretary: Minutes approved as submitted.

Treasury: Leslie presented the finances. The GLA had 92 members and collected a total of $2977.71. Total current assets of the GLA total $25,405.37. The Kayak race profited $92 plus apparel sales of $669. Not including expenses yet to be summed, $601 gross revenue from meatball cookoff.

-Calendar Update: We are looking for pictures to feature for the calendar, as well as advertisers to include. This is a great opportunity for your business. Contact [email protected] if you want to be a part of the 2025 Calendar.

The meeting was moved to adjourn by Mike and seconded by Sandy

Meeting Called to Order by Amy Heaven at 4:00 PM on Zoom

Present:           Ryan Mueller, Amy Heaven, Greta Jahraus, Leslie Hind, Melinda Broward, Mike Rankin, Sandy Adams, Clifton Bencke

Absent:            Blake Larson

Agenda: Approved as submitted.

Secretary: Minutes approved as submitted.

Treasury: Leslie presented the finances. The kayak race brought $380 in raffles, $70 in donations, and $669 in merchandise. We spent $257 on the race, to give a profit of $862 for the GLA. Thank you, neighbors! A very successful event! $23,163 currently in assets.

Old Business:

    -Taskforce update: The group wants to discuss dredging test results at the fall meeting. Based on the results, the group is considering making a specialized taskforce to tackle just dredging projects at the lake. This taskforce is urging the city to take action on the spillway and dam repairs. The group is emphasizing to the city that we want to be informed of any large projects that are planned at the lake.

    -Zebra Mussel update: Leslie met with KDWP recently and discussed the invasive species. They explained that we are in the ‘boom and bloom’ stage where we will see the most infestation. In addition, in the fall and spring the mussels lay their eggs so now is when engine and water hose inlets will be at extra risk. They’re ‘invasion’ of a lake has a cycle where the population peaks about now, hopefully decreases over the next few years then hits a resting period.

    -By-laws update: There is a summary of the changes posted on Facebook for residents to quickly see the changes that are proposed. Please review and send any questions/comments to [email protected].

    -Lake Road Reps: Greta is dispersing Resident packets to Lake Road Reps. These include a magnet with a place for your Lake Road Rep’s info if you need to contact them. Greta is next going to tackle welcome baskets for new lake residents. After some discussion, the decision was made that Reps should both be residents of Gardner Lake and up-to-date on their dues. We are always looking for more volunteers, please let someone know if you are interested in helping.

    -Special Events:

-The Fall Cookoff will be meatball themed this year! You can help decide who has the best balls at Gardner Lake. We will have fun, music and great food. To join in the fun, tickets are $10 per adult (5 vote tokens) and $5 for kids (2 vote tokens), extra vote tokens will be$2. There will be prizes for winners and a $5 raffle for everyone to participate in. If you would like to help with the event or participate in the competition, let Melinda know! The group approved $150 for a portable restroom for this event.

-Light Up the Lake Contest will be happening again this December! Get your best Christmas light decorations ready. Plan to submit your photos. We will have a vote through Facebook with winners receiving gift baskets!

-Fall Resident’s Meeting is going to be on October 19^th this year. Topics will be forthcoming. We will announce winners of the raffles for the inflatable kayak and inflatable stand-up-paddleboard at this meeting.

New Business:

-Clifton raised a concern with dogs being overly aggressive to pedestrians. This led to multiple anecdotes of people having issues with dogs charging them while they are walking at several areas at the lake. The board discussed what potential options are available for to address the issue. The GLA board respects the JoCo rural area we have, but strongly emphasizes the need for a safe and friendly neighborhood, where neighbors can safely enjoy walks along our beautiful lake.

The meeting was moved to adjourn by Mike and seconded by Ryan

Meeting Called to Order by Amy Heaven at 4:00 PM on Zoom

Present:           Ryan Mueller, Amy Heaven, Greta Jahraus, Leslie Hind, Melinda Broward, Mike Rankin, Sandy Adams

Absent:            Blake Larson, Clifton Bencke

Agenda: Approved as submitted.

Secretary: Minutes approved as submitted.

Treasury: Leslie summarized that the GLA current assets are at $27,711. The $80 annual fee for being a non-profit organization was paid.

Old Business:

    –Taskforce update: The team continues to make progress on the spillway issue. An independent assessment of the lake’s condition has been made and is being compared to previous assessments. The team has results for dredging tests that will be shared at the Fall meeting.

    –Zebra Mussel update: Biologists were concerned about the amount of zebra mussels already at the lake. Studies are going to be performed here at the lake to realize the scope of the issue. Solutions are unclear. For instance, a chemical has been quoted at $1.5Million but the results are not guaranteed and it would have unintended side-effects to other wildlife.

    –By-laws update: Ryan is going to put a summary of the changes in each section on the Gardner Lake Facebook page.

    –Lake Road Reps: Greta is continuing to try and think of ways that reps can help keep residents informed on the board and vice-versa. She had an email distribution list made for keeping in contact with the reps. She has been leading an effort with Sandy and the Lake Road Reps to get magnets for residents.

 –Special Events:

–Weed whacking event will take place on 8/25.

–Kayak Race is happening on Monday 9/2! $40 gift card for 1^st prize winners! Don’t forget about the new event – peddle boat course! A shorter race where boaters need to collect items along the way. If you are not feeling like an Olympian, we will have ldots of raffle items, snacks and drinks for all! Melinda and the team are hard at work preparing for the big day. The team discussed whether to get a port-o-potty and decided not to get one this year. There are vandalism/security concerns. We will need to look into ways to secure a port-o-potty if used more often for events like this. Leslie is continuing to press the city to address restrooms at the lake.

–Rock the Docks will be here soon on Sunday 9/1! A schedule will be shared on the neighborhood Facebook group. We will not have a food truck this year, last year the food truck did not get much use and so wasn’t justified.

-The Fall Cookoff will be meatball themed this year! Prepare your favorite spherical meat and meet us down below the dam on October 5^th. There will be great raffles and prizes as always! We will have fun, music and great food. If you would like to help with the event or participate in the competition, let Melinda know!

–Fall Resident’s Meeting is going to be on October 19^th this year. Topics will be forthcoming. We will announce winners of the raffles for the inflatable kayak and inflatable stand-up-paddleboard at this meeting.

    -Ryan demoed a form for easier updates in the resident spreadsheet. He will work with Greta, Mike, and Leslie to determine requirements and build it further.

The meeting was moved to adjourn by Mike and seconded by Ryan

Meeting Called to Order by Amy Heaven at 4:00 PM on Zoom

Present:           Ryan Mueller, Amy Heaven, Greta Jahraus, Leslie Hind, Melinda Broward, Clifton Bencke, Blake Larson

Absent:            Mike Rankin

Agenda: Approved as submitted.

Secretary: Minutes approved as submitted.

Treasury: Leslie presented. We currently have dues paid from 87 members in 2024 leading to $28,217 in the GLA’s current assets.

Old Business:

    – Raffle: The raffle is still going! We have added a new item to the big raffle this year! In addition to the Hyperlite SUP, we will be raffling an inflatable Intex Challenger K2 Kayak. Tickets are $10 each or 6 for $50. The winner will be announced at the Fall Resident’s meeting (do not have to be there to win). There will be a 1^st draw and a 2^nd draw, with the 1^st drawer getting to pick their choice of item. Get your tickets for $10 or 6 for $50.

    -Taskforce update: The taskforce continues to wait for results from the engineering firm. After results are in, the team plans to hold another infrastructure-only resident’s meeting to share the findings and discuss potential paths forward.

    -By-laws update: Proposed by-laws have been shared on the GLA website for members to review. The team discussed ways to help residents better view the suggested changes. We are going to work on a summary for the newsletter and possibly Facebook.

    -Minutes update: Ryan shared the meeting minutes on the Facebook page last month. Generally positive feedback for this, though some members were concerned about sharing the minutes. However, to clarify, the minutes have been publicly accessible through the GLA website for many years. The recent ‘change’ was to share that public link on the Facebook page once the latest minutes are added – there has been no change to the privacy of the minutes.

    -Lake Road Reps: Greta is continuing to improve the communication between the GLA Board and the Lake Road Reps. She is currently trying to empower Reps with information about their nook in the community. Ryan is working on improving the electronic side of this project. Greta is also working on welcome packets for new residents and ‘helpful info’ magnets.

    -Special Events:

-A few intrepid souls attended a weed whacking event before the 4^th of July Parade… speaking of which… the parade was another great success. We had 6 awesome boats participate with online Facebook voting. The winners were given grand prizes of Gardner Lake swag and merchandise including blankets, pillows, and tumblers.

-Rock the Docks will be here soon! This will continue to be a DIY event where the GLA’s involvement is sharing the scheduled bands. Let us know if you plan to have someone play at your house the weekend before Labor Day and we will add you to the schedule!

-The annual Kayak Race on Labor Day (9/2) is quickly approaching and preparations are being made. The team will be introducing a new event this year – peddle boating! (The 2 to 4 person boats you peddle with your feet). If you have a peddle boat, kayak, canoe, or stand-up paddle board, meet at the dam! (Life jackets required!) There will also be some items up for raffle ($5 per ticket, be present to win) and trophies for the winning vessels. In case you haven’t heard, this will also be where we announce the winner of the Hyperlite Elevation 2.0!

-The Fall Cookoff will be meatball themed this year! Prepare your favorite spherical meat and meet us down below the dam on October 5^th. There will be great raffles and prizes as always! Raffle winners will be announced at the event. We will have fun, music, and a raffle with winners announced at the end of the event. If you would like to help with the event or participate in the competition, let Melinda know!

-The Light Up the Lake contest will take place again this December. To participate, when the time comes, decorate your house and send your picture and name to the GLA. We will have Facebook voting for the best decorations with prizes for the top winners. The team is planning to have voting 12/20-12/26 with prizes distributed shortly after.

    -Newsletter: Amy is working on a newsletter highlighting exciting happenings in our wonderful community.

The meeting was moved to adjourn by Clifton and seconded by Ryan

Meeting Called to Order by Amy Heaven at 4:02 PM on Zoom

Present:           Ryan Mueller, Amy Heaven, Greta Jahraus, Leslie Hind, Mike Rankin, Melinda Broward

Absent:            Clifton Bencke, Blake Larson

Agenda: Approved as submitted.

Secretary: Approved as submitted.

Treasury: Leslie reported that the current GLA current assets total $32,106. That figure does not include the forthcoming dumpster expenses but is a great value indicating a healthy organization. Team discussed budgeting some money for next year’s now annual Lake Road Rep meeting.

Old Business:

    -Taskforce update: The team continues to investigate the avenues available to get the dam/spillway fixed. This includes how to finance the work as well as what work needs done. As soon as there is tangible work to present to the group, the team plans to set up a special meeting for residents.

    -Membership: The Board discussed ways to make storing member information easier for the team. Ryan will be looking into different solutions that keep in mind Lake Road Rep needs, membership/directory needs, as well as treasurer needs.

    -Lake Road Reps: Greta and the Board hosted a meeting with Lake Road Reps. The meeting was a great time where people from all parts of the lake were able to meet. Greta also got down to business and discussed new ideas she has for the Lake Road Rep program with the goal of building a stronger community. Every Lake Road Rep and volunteer helper was contacted by Greta to hear thoughts and share the latest ideas. Topics discussed included: coordinating tasks, updating resident directory, and new resident welcome packages. Also improving communication with residents including sharing minutes more widely and quickly. In addition, some new special event ideas were discussed including corn hole, a “Gardner Lake” night at a local restaurant, and a open house tour day.

    -Special Events: The team discussed preparations for the 4^th of July parade including logistics, choosing a Grand Marshall, trophies, and prizes (we have very cool prizes planned this year!). Melinda is looking for leaders for the Chili cookoff and the Kayak Race if anyone is interested!

      -The dumpster weekend was another great success this weekend. Both dumpsters were totally filled! Thanks to all of the members who participated. A new idea for next year’s dumpster weekend, the GLA may try to have a bit of an item swap for items willing to give away but aren’t quite ready for the landfill.

      -Some residents have already made their plans for Rock the Docks on the Saturday/Sunday before Labor Day. If you are hosting a band that weekend, let us know so we can add it to the schedule!

New Business:

    -Merchandise: The team discussed new items including bucket hats, blankets, and floaties. Let Sandy know if you have any ideas for new items!

The meeting was moved to adjourn by Ryan and seconded by Sandy.

Meeting Called to Order by Amy Heaven at 4:08 PM on Zoom

Present:           Ryan Mueller, Amy Heaven, Leslie Hind, Mike Rankin, Melinda Broward

Absent:            Greta Jahraus, Clifton Bencke, Blake Larson

Agenda: Approved as submitted.

Secretary: Approved as submitted.

Treasury: 68 members have paid dues so far this year. $2083 collected so far this year, $24,889 in the bank account, $2,504 in Venmo. Approved as submitted.

Old Business:

    -Resident’s Meeting debrief: The team discussed the meeting topics and resident reactions. Seemed that the meeting was well received by most and so the format will continue.

    -Taskforce update: Fact finding continues. We should have a report from the engineering firm any day now. The team is turning over every rock possible to bring as much information as possible to residents.

    -Merchandise: The team discussed new items that might be interesting to residents including bucket hats. We will be replenishing stocks soon! See Sandy if you need anything Gardner Lake.

    -Dues: The team discussed suggesting an increase in dues to residents at the Fall meeting.

New Business:

    -Special Events: The team discussed upcoming events including a Spring cleanup and 4^th of July Boat Parade. The Board voted and approved $600 per event maximum for major events this summer. Melinda suggested an exciting new idea – a Cornhole tournament! We are figuring out the details and will have info soon.

The meeting was moved to adjourn by Leslie and seconded by Sandy.