Lake Carroll News A publication of the Lake Carroll Association and its members The Lake Carroll News is online! www.golakecarroll.com News & Events>Newspaper June 2015
What’s Inside...
LCWC goes all out for Derby Tea. See Page 15A
Photo Club Members “Photo Challenge” See Page 8A WHEN PARKING AT THE MARINAS it is recommended to carpool. YOUTH PHOTO ID’S REQUIRE UPDATING IN 2015: Youth ID cards that do not yet have updated photos on file have been deactivated. Send to photoid@ golakecarroll.com. “LOTS TO OFFER” REFERRAL PROGRAM - See page 22B for details! 2015 BOARD MEETING SCHEDULE: Jun 26, Jul 24, Aug 28, Sep 25, Oct 23, Nov 20, Annual Mtg Dec 6
2015 MANDATORY LOT MOWING #2 – July 31-August 9 Report by 12pm August 10 Report to 815-493-2552 ext 27. Provide Name, Sec & Lot, and date mowed. If you don’t report it, you will be bill for LCA arranging the mowing.
Board President Barb Anderson to Hold Second Town Hall Meeting On Saturday, September 19, 2015, our Board President will hold the second of two Town Hall Meetings which were scheduled in 2015. The meeting will be held in the LCA Conference Center and will begin at 9:00am. All Property Owners are invited to attend. This informal meeting will provide an opportunity to have an open dialogue directly with the Board President. There is no specific agenda or topic, no minutes, and no Board action. BOD President Barb Anderson will provide some insight as to her goals, updates on current Association matters, and welcome any questions you may have. Enjoy your summer and be sure to join us on Saturday, September 19, 2015 at 9am at the Conference Center.
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Vol. 43 No. 6
General Manager’s Report
2015 Dam Grouting Project Completed
By the receipt of this publication, the 2015 Dam Grouting Project will be complete. The project’s intent was to reduce the amount water that is lost around our dam. Grouting is a common method used to minimize the amount of water that seeps through, and around, earthen dams like ours. Lake Carroll’s seepage issue is not through the dam, but rather around the dam through the abutments of natural rock, and it is NOT creating an integrity issue for Mike Schmieder the dam itself. Over the years, Lake Carroll General Manager has done an excellent job to acquire and install measuring devices at the dam that allow us to monitor the amount of seepage going around the dam and through the natural, preexisting rock formations. These devices are called Weirs and Piezometers and through our routine monitoring, we recognized we were losing an increased amount of water at the south abutment of the dam. Due to this increase in seepage, we budgeted a maintenance grouting program for spring 2015. This is not the first time we’ve grouted areas around the dam and most likely, it will not be our last. Over time, water can move soft materials through natural erosion and could create areas that allow seepage around the abutments. Again, I would like to point out that the structural integrity of the dam is not at issue. The dam is structurally sound, but the seepage rate around the dam has adverse effects on the lake level. By retaining more water in the lake, we will have a direct impact on lake levels during the dryer months of the year. A special meeting of the Board of Directors was held on Tuesday evening, May 19, 2015 to discuss and provide an update on the grouting work which began on May 4th. Below is a brief synopsis of what was discussed at the meeting. Lake Manager Joe Rush and Mr. Charles Skouby, the Director of Engineering for Drilling Service, Inc. were in attendance and provided an update of the work which had been performed through Tuesday, May 19th. Our goal for this project was to reduce the seepage on the south side of the dam to a level that would directly impact annual lake level measurements, and provide relief for property owners in shallow bays. At this point, I am glad to report that we have been able to significantly reduce the seepage and anticipate we will see a direct reflection of this project this summer. Nineteen (19) holes have been drilled, 20’ apart and to a depth of 65’ to 75’ deep. Dye is then pumped into the holes with hopes that that dye will become visible on the downstream side of the dam. If it is, it means that there is a conduit from the drilled hole through the rock formation and out
behind the dam, which allows water to leave the lake. Grout (cement) is then pumped into that hole under pressure to fill the voids in the rock formation and the conduit leading around the dam. While some of the holes which were drilled did not show signs of a void, many others did. The grout has set and filled in many of the holes and we have already observed a noticeable reduction in the amount of seepage when measured through the weirs. Some of the holes took 25 to 100 cubic yards of grout to fill. One hole, however, took over 200 yards of grout, which is twice the amount we planned on allocating to any one area. The project originally called for 37 holes to be drilled and approximately 25 to 50 yards of grout to be pumped into each hole; but with the unknowns of subsurface drilling, we anticipated the project scope to change slightly once we started drilling. However, we did not anticipate the holes to take as much grout as they did. The project was designed with more grout than was used in the 19931994 grouting program. After 19 holes had been drilled, we nearly exhausted the funds that were budgeted for the grout, which is why we called a special meeting of the Board on May 19th. The amount budgeted for this project was $500,000.00. Based on the bid, the Board approved $477,600 at the March BOD meeting leaving $22,400 available if further funding was needed. Charles Skouby and Joe Rush agreed that we have seen success grouting the 19 holes which had been drilled as of the special meeting date. Charles explained that he had wanted to drill up to 4 additional exploratory holes so that more dye testing could be performed. Therefore it was agreed that no additional holes would be drilled and the money saved from the drilling would be used to help off-set the cost of the additional grout. The Board also used this opportunity to approve the remaining $22,400 in the original budget for additional grout. As of this writing on May 28, 2015, Drilling Services is still grouting the four holes which remain. They will complete the work on Friday, May 29th and the road across the dam will reopen for traffic. The results of the grouting on the four final holes has yet to be measured, but it is has been reported that conduits were located and the grout which was used held in those holes. Measurements on the weirs will be taken the first week of June which will give us a much better understanding of the amount of seepage we have eliminated by completing this project. Success has certainly been achieved and it will have positive effect on the Lake’s levels this summer. Quantifying that success at this time, however, would be premature and speculative so I will wait until next week to provide those details. An update will be provided in the June 4th E-Blast and the July Lake Carroll News.
Respect Your Neighbors Rights
By Donna Beyer, Communications Director Following several reports to Security and the office regarding “disturbing the peace,” and with the early onset of fireworks at the lake, we felt it was pertinent to remind LCA Members of their neighborly responsibilities, as well as of the State fireworks law. How many have found themselves in this scenario…Ahh, I finally get a chance to sit and relax on my deck…in the yard…or even in my house. Then it’s like an explosion…whoopin’, laughing, carrying on, foul language, and to top it off…FIREWORKS!!! Suddenly all the windows and doors have to shut, and even that’s not enough to block it out. To top it off, the dog hears every hoop, holler, and boom! Sound familiar? This is a frequent complaint to Security and the Admin Office. But what can be done about it? Read on… While coming to LC is about having a safe and fun experience, it doesn’t come without responsibility. Whether you are a permanent or part-time resident, respecting your neighbors’ rights should be a priority over your own entertainment. It’s understandable that you, your family, and guests come to the lake for a good time, but sometimes your good time interferes with your neighbors’ down time, and maybe even interferes with their good time. Besides that, you could be causing undue stress on Members with medical conditions, or maybe even their pets. Just because it’s good for you doesn’t mean it’s good for everyone who is in ear-shot of you. Sometimes that means across the lake or bay. Those who live atop a hill have heard many conversations that were not intended for anyone else to hear. The natural landscape of the LC property allows sound to carry much further than you would think. LCA wants you to enjoy your visits to the lake, as well as those who are here year-round, but not at the expense of anyone else’s experience. Specifically…Most everyone enjoys fireworks, but there is a time and place and LCA reminds you FIREWORKS ARE ILLEGAL AT LAKE CARROLL. Just because Lake Carroll is private doesn’t mean you are not held to the Illinois laws that prohibit fireworks. Lake Carroll allows fireworks following approval of both Carroll County and Lake Carroll permits and with all requirements being met. Refer to the LC Rules and Regulations under “Nuisances.” But what can be done about it? Security is available 24/7/365 at 815-493-2599. If your neighbor next door or across the lake is interfering with your own lake experience, don’t hesitate to call. Whether it be fireworks, loud music, foul language, or just plain too loud, “Disturbing the Peace” is an offense and citations can be issued. LCA is hoping it doesn’t come to that. Respect your neighbors’ rights, enjoy Lake Carroll, and allow others to do the same.
The LCA Office is CLOSED on Sat, July 4th
To Expedite the LCA Registration Process At this time of the year, everyone gets busy preparing for their visits to Lake Carroll. Get the boat on the water, the ATV on the trail, and the golf cart out on the course. No one wants to see you out enjoying the LC amenities more than the staff, and that’s why it’s imperative that you are completely prepared when you come to the office to register your vehicles and “toys.” To make it easier for both Members and Staff, please fax (815-493-2883) or email mclark@golakecarroll.com or pamv@ golakecarroll.com your required documents for registering vehicles with the Association. You need the following before you will receive your decals: 1. Current Information Sheet for 2015 (If not already submitted.) 2. Current vehicles, watercraft, or snowmobile State registration. 3. Current required insurance. (Many insurance companies are not available on Saturday mornings.)
Plan ahead...be organized... and let the fun begin!