ªªª

ªªª

ªªª

LAKE GASTON ASSOCIATION

Minutes (approved) Director’s Meeting – February 2010

Lake Gaston Baptist Church Littleton, North Carolina - 9:30AM, First Wednesday

Mission: To identify lake issues affecting our membership and pursue resolution with the responsible organizations.

Location:         Lake Gaston Baptist Church

                        Littleton, North Carolina

Convened BY: President Doug Hughes

Pledge of Allegiance:  Led by President Hughes

Moment of Silence: Led by President Hughes

Visitors: There were 12 visitors and one press, Bill O’Neill Lake Gaston Gazette/Observer. The crowd was small in part to icy road conditions.

Executive/Director Attending:  Doug Hughes, Linda Hedgepeth, Moira Underwood, John Cataldo, Ron Skow, John Boyle, Laura Kolb, Fred Kneisel, Vernon Wilson, Barbara Burgdoerfer, Ralph Domach, Bill La Monte.

Guest Speakers:  Mr. Dick Mergehenn, Lake Gaston Retirement Foundation:

• Introduced the idea for a ‘Continuing Care Retirement Facility’ (CCRF) for the Lake Gaston area.

• Stated the CCRF would provide for Independent Living, Assist with Daily Living and Needed Care Living.

• Stated the CCRF would provide for 70 full-time and several part-time jobs. That it would have a Medical Clinic, a Restaurant and Child & Adult Care all open to the public.

• Stated the CCRF would increase interest in retiring to the lake area with personal benefits being lake residents bringing their parents closer to them with decreased travel distance to visit, and a confidence in the care their families would receive at the CCRF.

• There would be a variety of indoor and outdoor activities available to residents and guests.

• $150,000 is the N.C. average for joining a CCRF community (a 2 bedroom, 1450 sq ft bungalow). There would be a minimum monthly fee of $2,500 for an individual and $3,300 for a couple. The fees would cover Meal Plans, Appliances, TV, Housekeeping, Maintenance, Phones, Trash Removal, Taxes and Scheduled Transport to various locations.

• Surviving family members may be entitled to up to a 90% reimbursement of the join fee. This is much higher than other organizations that only reimburse 75 % or 50% or less. This reimbursement would be available after the vacated residence was re-sold.

• The CCRC is currently in limbo because of the economy and willing participants unable to sell their current residences.

• That it would cost $40-50 million to build all phases of the CCRC and right now there is no one willing to partner with the planners to provide funds or expertise.

• He stated that N.C. and S.C. are popular retirement states and that 20% of all retirees live in a ‘Retirement Community’.

Citizen comments included:

• The monthly fee is above most retirees Social Security income. Mr. Mergehenn stated that if people were unable to sell their house before moving into a CCRF, they could possibly get church or family financial help until their house sold.

• How many people would it take to start a CCRF? He responded there would need to be a minimum of 150 one family houses with a marketable increase from there.

• One citizen commented that a real ‘deal-breaker’ in people wanting to live/retire around the lake is the poor cell phone and internet service in the lake area.

• Mr. Mergehenn advised that information about CCRC can be found on the internet at: LakeGastonVillage.org.

President Hughes thanked Mr. Mergehenn for taking the time to attend the meeting and for his presentation.

Secretary's Report: Bill La Monte presented the January 2010 Minutes for approval and the Board approved them.

Treasurer’s Report:  Doug Hughes presented the report for Jack Saunders and the Board approved the budget report.

Committee Reports:

Marketing:  Bill LaMonte

• Reported that for 2009, Marketing had contacted 80 businesses and 67 of them joined the LGA (an 84% success rate).

• Advised there was a sign-up sheet available on the LGA info table for upcoming events with the first planned event being the Home Show in Roanoke Rapids on 17 & 18 April.

• Advised that there are several businesses that have not renewed, but the Marketing Committee will be contacting them over the next 2 weeks to try and get them to renew.

Planning & Development:  Doug Hughes for Jack Saunders

• Reported on the success of the 5 County Forum even though the forum could not get the five county managers to agree to fully support (fund) weed control initiatives for 2010.

• Stated there is a need for $40,000 to conduct a “Baseline Survey” by the Center for Watershed Protection.

Lake Environment/Aquatic Weed:  Vernon Wilson

• Reemphasized the fact that the forum did not get a weed control commitment from the five counties.

• Attended a meeting centered around controlling “Inter Basin Transfer of Lake Waters to other locations.

• Stated the Motocross Track in Littleton is still pursuing operating permits.

• A tobacco farmer has extensive run-off into the lake because it has been too wet to plant crops and there’s no protection from the tobacco fields to the lake.

• Said there was a study to determine if there was a decline in Large Mouth Bass in Kerr Lake. Every 5 years 250-300 fish are trapped to check the ecological sources of fish populations and it was found that Lake Gaston Bass were larger than Kerr Lake Bass.

• It was estimated that fishing tournaments add $2.5 million to the local economy. For Kerr Lake its over $7 million.

• PLM got the 2010 Weed Control Contract at a rate of $29.65 per treated acre. Laura Kolb stated that another weed control advertiser ‘D&G’ (trying to solicit private home owners and small cove sub-divisions) has NOT filed proper paper work with Dominion Power to treat noxious weeds on the lake.

• There is a 50% increase in the frequency of finding ‘Lyngbia’ in the lake, but mostly in small pockets on the lake and small coves.

• Kerr lake is in ‘Flood Stage’ again (the 4th or 5th time since last Fall). They are releasing an additional 25 million cubic feet of water into Lake Gaston.

Safety:  John Cataldo

• Reported a small response to the January Safety Breakfast due to icy/snowy conditions and most EMS personnel committed to highway safety.

• Reported that there is good communications between Sheriff’s Departments.

• Reported that it costs around $450 thousand for a county to put one more deputy on the road full time (actually need to hire 4 for 24 hour coverage, then there is medical, insurance, retirement, a vehicle, uniforms, etc). Most counties around the lake cannot afford this cost.

• Stated there are 5 Home Owner Associations committed to a LGA sponsored Neighborhood Watch Forum on 21 February.

• Reported that the Safe Boating Alliance is trying to get Virginia to enforce the law that states that anyone under age 13 must wear a life vest while on a boat/PWC. VA does not currently enforce this law.

• Northampton County issued a “Code Red” during the latest snow storm. You MUST BE REGISTERED with the County Code Red system to receive these notifications.

• Barbara Burgdoerfer reported there is a safety issue on Route 903 in Mecklenburg Co. in that logging trucks are leaving large clumps of dirt on the road and this is dangerous for cars and smaller vehicles. She said Sheriff Danny Fox had been notified of the situation and is pursuing resolution with the logging companies.

 Membership:  Moira Underwood for David Duxbury

• Reported that 2009 ended with over 1,500 households and business members. That there are currently 1,312 paid members for 2010 and beyond.

• There are 214 non-renewals that will be divided among all Directors to call and try and encourage the lapsed members to renew. This 214 stopped receiving the bulletin the end of January.