Category: Lake News

Gardner Lake Association

Minutes to Monthly Board Meeting

3/16/24

Meeting Called to order by Amy Heaven at 9:00 AM at the JCCC Olathe Education Center

Present:           Ryan Mueller, Mike Rankin, Blake Larson, Amy Heaven, Greta Jahraus, Leslie Hind

Absent:            Blake Larson, Sandy Adams, Melinda Broward

Amy Heaven opened up the meeting with some historical meeting minutes from the past. Some new residents introduced themselves. Amy then introduced members of the GLA board.

Agenda: Presented by Amy. Updates were: Mike would present for Sandy Adams and Ryan’s role was corrected to Secretary. Agenda was approved.

Secretary: Minutes presented by Ryan, approved as submitted.

Treasury: Leslie discussed the treasurer’s report. Leslie had the GLA finances and records reviewed by a CPA, and no issues were found. The GLA is still building membership for the year, we currently have 14 members who have paid dues. Towels have profited $646 in total for the GLA. Calendars cost $930, Directories cost $498, $1,394 collected from directory advertisers. Chili feed profited $446. $142 in costs for Light Up the Lake contest. $486 has been collected through the ladder raffle. New jackets were a cost $1,954 and we have recouped almost all of that in sales. Report was approved as submitted.

Task Force: The group continues due diligence to investigate the dam, spillway, and dredging. A benefactor has financed an engineering firm to research these topics and build a report. This investigating has been taking place over the last few months and is wrapping up soon. The Taskforce will plan to share the report with residents this summer.

Old Business:

  -By-laws update: Ryan gave a quick update. He told residents that he will be resharing the current draft of the by-laws + the few edits discussed in the Spring 2023 meeting soon. After resident review and comments, if no major concerns are found, the by-laws would be voted on in the Fall 2024 GLA Resident’s meeting.

New Business:

  -Lake Road Reps: Greta presented a new idea to help coordinating with Lake Road Reps. She plans to increase communication with Reps and therefore communication with Residents. We are always looking for more involvement, let the GLA know if you would like to be a Lake Road Rep! There will be a Lake Road Rep meeting soon to check-in with the group.

  -Special Events: Dumpster weekend will be 6/8, see flyer for appropriate items. Spring weed whacking event 6/29 before July 4^th. Boat parade – July 4^th, Rock the Docks – 9/1, Kayak Race – 9/2 , Fall weed whacking event 9/28, Fall Chili Cookoff – 10/5, Light Up the Lake contest December.

  -Merchandise: Greta and Shawnna presented many items from the inventory that Sandy has built. Items include bucket hats, coozies, stickers, tank tops, jackets, and towels. Talk to Sandy or come to a GLA event to see what is in stock!

  -Zebra Mussels: Leslie presented about the invasive critters. Gardner Lake has been identified as infested with Zebra Mussels. We were one of the last lakes in the state of Kansas to be infested. At this point, some adults have been found, indicating that they have been present for at least 3 years. There are many implications because of this finding. Please see refer to Kansas regulations for specific guidance but among some changes are any watercraft need special treatment after being in the lake and fish can not be transferred to other lakes. 

  -Fish Habitats: Leslie discussed the new fish habitats that were installed at the lake. There were 6 in total placed around the lake. They should not snag fishing lures and should promote fish numbers.

  -Bradford Pears: Leslie discussed the troublesome tree. It has been established as an environmental nuisance that is a net negative for communities. The state is giving away free trees to replace removed Bradford Pears.

  -Board Elections: Amy presented on some guidelines for Board Elections. She wants to get back to a consistent process for ensuring that members of the Board are chosen by the electorate. We will begin 3-year terms, with 3 of us expiring each year. Amy chose the first 3 people that will expire this year and they are: Amy Heaven, Ryan Mueller, and Clifton Bencke (post-meeting Ryan Mueller and Sandy Adams switched. We will have an election at the Fall Resident’s meeting to vote for these positions. These board members have the option to run for re-election if they so wish.

  -Facebook Page: Mike Rankin presented some thoughts on the Resident Facebook page the Board unofficially helps administrate. He clarified that the group is for residents of the lake primarily and only in special circumstances will others be allowed into the group (child caretakers, etc.).

  -Butterfly Milkweed: Jan had prepared some packages of butterfly milkweed seeds to share with residents at the meeting. Monarch butterflies specifically like these and will benefit.

  -Ladder Raffle: Darlene Brown was the lucky winner of the Mac’s Docks Ladder! Congratulations Darlene and thanks again to Mac’s Docks for the generous donation!

-Paddle Board Raffle: Amy presented the new raffle for 2024! It is a Hyperlite Elevation 2.0 generously donated by the Ladies of the Lake (thank you!). It is valued at over $400 and can hold more than one person. Perfect for Gardner Lake! Raffle tickets are $10 each and will be sold at events across the summer, and you can Venmo the GLA to enter (put “paddle board raffle” in the comments!). The winner will be announced at the Kayak Race 9/2 this Fall. May the best paddler win!

Adjournment:

  -Amy asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting and this was seconded.

Gardner Lake Association

Minutes to Monthly Board Meeting

2/21/24

Meeting Called to Order by Amy Heaven at 4:04 PM on Zoom

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

Absent:            None

Agenda: Approved as submitted.

Secretary: Approved as submitted. Greta motioned to approve, seconded by Leslie.

Special Presentation: Clint Anderson joined the group to discuss sanitation facilities at the boat ramp for Gardner Lake. Need: a lack of bathrooms at a public facility leads to people urinating/defecating in public around the lake or in the lake. Options: fenced in enclosure with gate for access, “concrete vault” restroom, full-on bathroom. Cost: city as a first priority, potential for residents or GLA to contribute as well. Ongoing Maintenance: ~$100/month for pumping. Ongoing Management: needs locked at night and cleaned.

   Discussion: The board agrees with the need for restrooms. All agreed that it would be a good topic to request from the city. Some are unsure of the long-term maintenance and costs. This will be continued in future meetings. Leslie said she would investigate options further.

Treasury: The GLA checking account totals $23,411 and in addition there is $1,301 in the Venmo balance. Ryan motions to approve, Mike seconded.

Old Business:

    -Taskforce update: Fact finding continues. The taskforce has additionally taken on the zebra mussel issue as a priority. The team will have an in-depth report from the Engineering firm soon and so plans to set up a special meeting for resident when fact finding concludes.

    -Merchandise: Sandy and the team discussed new ideas for 2024. Ideas included bucket hats, stickers, hand towels, and clothes with different logo designs. Also discussed a Facebook survey to get resident feedback.

    -By-laws: The team reviewed the by-laws status and committed to resharing them at the Spring meeting to be voted on at the Fall meeting. Ryan will work on these and share with residents.

New Business:

    -The group discussed the Spring Members Meeting planned for March 16th. We have received good feedback on the new location (JoCo Olathe Health Education Center) and will continue to have meetings there. The group discussed agenda items including zebra mussels, By-laws, and raffles.

    -Special Events: Sandy is looking into ways we can add a volunteer component to our annual activities. The team also discussed how to increase involvement with the community at events.

    -Lake Road Rep coordinator – Greta identified a gap in the Board’s communication with Lake Road Reps and volunteered to help with this. She wants to help coordinate with reps when we have projects where we request their help.

    -The Facebook group that is unofficially associated with the GLA was discussed. The Board believes the group should stay focused on residents and only add non-residents when necessary (e.g. child caretaker).

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

Gardner Lake Association

Minutes to Monthly Board Meeting

1/17/24

Meeting Called to Order by Amy Heaven at 4:04 PM on Zoom

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

Absent:            Clifton Bencke, Blake Larson, Mike Rankin

Agenda: Added a discussion of a permanent bathroom at dam to new business. Agenda was then approved.

Secretary: Approved as submitted.

Treasury: We have 5 members added for the new year. Incoming credits were towel sales of $346, ladder raffle of $389, advertisers for calendar/website $798. Outgoing payments were $930 for calendar, $498 for directory, and $142 costs for holiday light contest. Current assets total $23,976. Zoom membership renewal will be paid soon.

Old Business:

    -Membership update: We forgot to put dues envelopes with the calendars, please send $25 member dues to Leslie Hind.

    -Taskforce update: The task force continues on a fact finding mission to determine the condition of the lake and its structures.

New Business:

    -Zebra mussels: Leslie has shared the info from the KDWP. Gardner Lake has been found to have zebra mussels. Signs are being added to lake entrances. There are no easy solutions to this new issue.

    -Special Events:

        -Light Up the Lake contest: This was a great success, we had 10+ contestants and lots of voting on Facebook. Greta and Ryan presented gift baskets to our winners. Larry Keegan was our 1^st place winner!

        -We are looking for new events and new volunteers for 2024! Contact Melinda or Greta if you are interested or have ideas! Some early ideas the group is exploring are a poker run, a casual kayak day, a food drive, and home tours.

    -Calendars and directories were delivered to the community! We have identified a few areas we missed and will get them covered ASAP, please let us know if you haven’t received a calendar and directory!

    -We are planning to have our Spring Members Meeting March 16th. We have received good feedback on the new location (JoCo Olathe Health Education Center) and will continue to have meetings there.

    -Clint Anderson requested a discussion of a permanent bathroom solution by the marina and boat ramp. The GLA board discussed some points and look forward to discussing more with Clint at the next GLA meeting where he will be invited to present his thoughts.

Meeting Called to order by Amy Heaven at 9:00 AM at the JCCC Olathe Education Center

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

Absent:            None

The meeting was kicked off with some of Amy’s reflections on living at this special lake.

Agenda: Presented by Amy, merchandise item added to previously distributed agenda. Approved with the addition.

Secretary: Minutes presented by Ryan, approved as submitted.

Treasury: Leslie discussed the treasurer’s report. This year we have 126 total members, a record! This year the organization brought in $2,661 in total over all events and projects. Included in this are the fun new Gardner Lake towels that brought in over $600 and the Kayak Race that brought in over $300. Thank you to Chuck Lawrence and Larry Desmarteau for hosting the dumpsters for the clean up weekend! That project was a cost of $1,152 but is important and something we will be sure to do again next year! Other expenses include $150 for the meeting room for Resident meetings, $40 for taxes, and $539 for 4^th of July prizes and supplies. Total bank account assets are $24,769 plus $27 in Venmo. Also Leslie has submitted her books to an accountant for review and no issues were found.

2023 in Review: Amy gave a summary of the last 8 months of work that was initiated by City of Gardner comments to drain the lake. In this time, a task force of dedicated and concerned residents has been convened to understand the options residents have at their hands to better maintain this lake. This group has met and had calls with city, county, and state representatives in an effort to get answers. During this time, the state and city has taken notice of some nuisance items and remedied them – namely the brush at the lower end of the spillway and the removal of the broken fish feeder.

Old Business:

  -By-laws update: Ryan gave a quick update, in addition to what was previously reviewed, he is going to work on an update for a clearer definition of the financial review as discussed in the Spring of this year. Ryan wants to share the by-laws over the Winter and vote on them in the Spring.

-Taskforce update: In summary, the team has met with Shirley Allenbrand of the county as well as city officials trying to determine what level of funding they are willing to contribute to the lake. In short, the county may be willing to contribute some but the city does not seem willing to assist without passing those costs directly to residents through dock fees. Because of this, this group has been investigating whether there are any other options for residents to consider. The CID is mechanism that allows residents to fund large projects themselves. Of course, any significant contributions from the community would require a shift in the way the city of Gardner is maintaining and managing this lake. This has led to considerations such as if there is any possibility or interest in residents taking the lake private, or creating a public/private partnership with a more defined relationship with the city.

      The next major step in our investigation is to take serious steps towards understanding the condition of the lake. To do this, the team felt the need to get a pulse on the community’s opinion of this project. They conducted a survey that asked: While we recognize that there are many unanswered questions and issues yet to be nailed down, based on the information that you have seen thus far, would you be willing to pay _____ a year for up to 20 years to repair the dam/spillway and dredge the affected areas of Gardner Lake? This amount was $1000-1500 for first tier residents living on the lake, $500-$750 for residents that are not lake-adjacent but have docks, and $250-$375 for members of the community with neither. Speaking generally, a good portion of residents responded and of them, Tier 1 was generally supportive 73% for/27% against, Tier 2 was 53% for/47% against, and Tier 3 was 35% for /65% against. The taskforce believes the Tier 1 resident opinion was significant enough that they should continue their investigation. With this support, the team will begin working with an engineering firm to do our due diligence in understanding this lake’s status quo, needs, and costs. A firm would investigate the structural components of the spillway as well as the overall health of the lake, including dredging needs. In addition, they will be able to provide estimates for costs.

New Business:

  -Merchandise: Sandy presented some fun Gardner Lake merchandise to get ready for Winter. Specifically, there are some great new jackets in stock!

  -Ladder Raffle: Sandy presented the newest raffle item from the GLA. Donated by Mac’s Docks, this ladder is valued at nearly $1000! Raffle tickets are $10 each! The ladder will be raffled off at the Spring Resident’s meeting!

-Soup Challenge (Chili cookoff): Later today!

-Calendars and Directories: Mike presented updates on the calendar and directory projects, both of which should be out around the new year.

Adjournment:

  -Amy moved to adjourn the meeting and this was seconded by many in attendance.

Meeting Called to Order by Mike Rankin at 4:10 PM on Zoom

Present:           Ryan Mueller, Mike Rankin, Blake Larson, Amy Heaven, Greta Jahraus, Melinda Broward

Absent:            Leslie Hind, Clifton Bencke

Agenda: Approved as submitted.

Secretary: Approved as submitted.

Treasury: A treasury report was submitted listing assets at just over $25,000.

Old Business:

  -Taskforce Update: The taskforce is investigating dredging and infrastructure projects and looking into engineers to give us our own expert opinions. The team is preparing an update for the resident’s meeting.

  -Calendar Update: Calendar is in progress, hoping to share before 2024

  -Directory: Directory is in progress, hoping to share along with Calendar before 2024. Discussed a digital directory but have put this on hold for security concerns.

 -Lake update: KDPW has been out checking the fish population and plan to add more fish in the Spring

 -Soup cookoff: the team is getting ready to hold the annual cookoff down by the dam on October 21^st

 -Fall Resident’s meeting: the team is preparing to meet and update members on October 21^st

 -Ladder raffle: We are selling $10 raffle tickets and in the Spring we will raffle a top-notch dock ladder donated by Mac’s Docks to a lucky resident!

New Business:

   -Light Up the Lake Contest: the team is preparing some flyers and information for the light contest in December

Adjournment:

  -Greta moved to adjourn the meeting, this was seconded by Melinda.

Meeting Called to Order by Mike Rankin at 4:07 PM on Zoom

Present:           Ryan Mueller, Mike Rankin, Melinda Broward, Leslie Hind, Clifton Bencke, Sandy Adams

Absent:            Amy Heaven, Blake Larson, Greta Jahraus

Agenda: Presented by Mike, approved as submitted.

Secretary: Presented by Ryan, approved as submitted

Treasury: Presented by Leslie Hind. The kayak race brought in $588 including the raffle and donations. Towel sales have brought in a profit of over $500. Chili cookoff/ soup challenge costs adding up to $78 so far. Assets for the GLA currently total $25,196.

Old Business:

  -Taskforce Update: The taskforce reviewed the survey results and feel they indicate a continuation of research on the projects. Accordingly, research into dredging and the dam infrastructure continues. The team checked to make sure the city is still open to negotiating major projects and potential change of ownership and they are. The taskforce is looking forward to presenting next considerations to residents at the fall meeting.

  -Terms for officers: The board discussed implementing terms for board members into the by-laws and plan to work on something to present to residents.

  -Lake update: Presented by Leslie. The city has added some signage to indicate public water access. In addition, they have put in some fish habitats. There were concerns about catching anchors and fishing lures on these, the city has said we should not have issues – they said they will do much better than Christmas trees.

  -Special Events: Presented by Melinda. We debriefed on the successful kayak race and discussed improvements for next year.

New Business:

-Soup Challenge (Chili cookoff): coming on October 21^st, arrive hungry and please bring your best soups. We will have great raffle prizes!

-At the Fall Resident’s meeting, we will begin selling $10 raffle tickets and in the Spring we will raffle a top-notch dock ladder donated by Mac’s Docks to a lucky resident!

-The board planned for the upcoming Fall Resident’s meeting on October 21^st

Adjournment:

  -Mike moved to adjourn the meeting, this was seconded by Leslie.

Meeting Called to Order by Amy Heaven at 4:03 PM on Zoom

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

Absent:           

Agenda: Presented by Mike, approved as submitted.

Secretary: Presented by Ryan. Note added for kayak race per Melinda suggestion. Approved as with that change.

Treasury: Presented by Leslie Hind. Outgoing funds included $40 annual fee for non-profit organization status, $150 for renting meeting space, $1189 for towels, and $427 for 4^th of July parade supplies and prizes. Incoming funds included $1135 for towels, and $70 for other merchandise. This gives a total of $24,291 for all assets. Approved as submitted.

Old Business:

-Resident Directory: Mike is working diligently on this. We discussed giving residents a heads up in case they want to be excluded from the directory.

-Special Events:

     -Kayak race: discussed logistics and planning for upcoming kayak race on 9/4. Clifton is going to create a Facebook event for this.

     -Chili cookoff / Soup challenge: Will take place October 21^st! Weed wacking event will take place weekend before on October 14^th

     -Rock the Docks: Schedule is set for multiple bands over the Labor Day weekend. Going to investigate ability to set up Venmo tipping for the bands

-Sailing/Kayak program: Clifton is working on setting up a sailing and kayak program with the city of Gardner, more to come and please contact Clifton if you are interested in helping.

-Algae/moss: this is being monitored and if it gets too aggressive will call the city and request a spraying

-Lake Taskforce Update: The board reviewed and discussed the high-level results from the anonymous surveys. After the taskforce reviews the survey, the results will be circulated on the Facebook page for residents to review.

New Business:

-None at this time

Adjournment:

-Ryan moved to adjourn the meeting, this was seconded by Mike.

Meeting Called to Order by Ryan Mueller 4:00 PM on Zoom

Present:           Ryan Mueller, Leslie Hind, Melinda Broward, Sandy Adams, Clifton Bencke, Greta Jahraus

Absent:            Amy Heaven, Mike Rankin, Blake Larson

Agenda: Presented by Ryan, approved as submitted.

Secretary: April minutes presented by Ryan, approved as submitted.

Treasury: Presented by Leslie Hind. Total assets are $24,763.64. Memberships are continuing to come in at a good pace.

Old Business:

-Lake Update: June 10 preparations are under way. Still finding a location, most places cost $1000+ or are booked. Team will work on a zoom broadcast/recording for the June 10 meeting. Leslie has been researching dredging and associated costs. Our most recent sedimentation rate study was done in 2004 and would need repeated.

-Dumpster Weekend: Also on June 10, we have determined where the dumpsters will be located. The team is making sure that proper labeling and instructions are posted for do/do not. Leslie will let the metal recycling guy know about the event.

-July 4^th Event: Preparations are under way including choosing a parade Grand Marshall, designing a banner to celebrate the 20^th annual parade, finding trophies for parade winners, and setting up the Facebook voting. Some residents have expressed concern at the amount of unruly behavior around the dam on the 4^th of July evening. Many on the board share these concerns, but the GLA does not have authority to patrol, shutdown, or otherwise control the dam visitors.

-Signage/Buoys: Many of the “no wake” buoys have gone loose around the lake. Ryan and Clifton will work to find and reset these in the lake. Leslie mentioned that we need to add a sign for not removing carp at the South end of the lake, Sandy going to work on moving an extra sign.

-Directory: Lake Road Reps have been hard at work confirming and adding resident’s contact information.

-Spillway work: City planning to clear spillway to 151^st street.

New Business:

-Fishing Report: Leslie spoke to the Kansas Wildlife and Parks after they performed a fish survey. They noted a decrease in the number and weight of bass but were not concerned with the amount of change at this time. This year they put 900 lbs. of bass in the lake and they are planning to add the same amount in the fall. Leslie asked if they noted any concerns with lake weeds. They were not concerned with the curly-leaf pondweed that has been identified here at Gardner Lake and mentioned it could help give the undersized bass more coverage. They did not think any spraying was needed for the lake at the time they assessed. The GLA is not 100% satisfied with the caretaking of the fish population and is keeping a close eye on whether to raise concerns with the KDWP.

-Clifton Bencke’s Sailing program: Clifton is discussing specifics with the city. The vessels needed for this project could not be privately owned, they would need to be donated. These would also need a storage location at Gardner Lake. Clifton is looking for assistance from residents on this project.

-Fish Feeder: Needs to be marked with reflective tape. Ryan will look into doing this.

Adjournment:

-Leslie moved to adjourn the meeting, this was seconded by Melinda.

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

Present:           Amy Heaven, Ryan Mueller, Leslie Hind, Melinda Broward, Sandy Adams, Blake Larson

Absent:            Clifton Bencke, Mike Rankin, Greta Jahraus

Secretary: Presented by Ryan. Approved as submitted.

Treasury: Presented by Leslie Hind. The GLA brought in $2,661, from 86 dues this year. Board members voted to approve spending for a lake road rep meeting for up to $200 for food and supplies. Leslie is working with a resident on performing an annual review of the GLA finances.

Old Business:

  -Lake Update: Presented by Leslie Hind. The taskforce is meeting and corresponding frequently. They are researching dredging and spillway repair options for presentation on June 10^th. Preparations are also being made for that meeting. The taskforce is communicating with the city of Gardner, trying to learn more about the history of the lake’s infrastructure so that residents have the most accurate information to make decisions from.

-ByLaws: Presented by Ryan Mueller. He discussed the suggestions that came up during the Resident’s meeting. The group decided the proposed by-laws update will be tabled for now so that the Board can focus on Lake infrastructure projects.

-Lake Resident Directory: Still building a complete directory. Reps are meeting with GLA soon to get organized and get on the same page for efforts this summer.

-Social Events: The Board agreed to allot $600 for the 4^th of July parade and $500 for each other major social event through the year.

New Business:

-Newsletter: in progress and coming out soon!

Adjournment:

-Ryan moved to adjourn the meeting, this was seconded by Leslie.