Spring, 2013 www.austinlakeportage.com Portage, Michigan Save the Date for the Annual Meeting: The annual meeting of the Austin Lake Riparian s will be held on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, at 6:30-8:30 PM on at the Portage Library in the Austin Lake Meeting Room. (Note this is a time change from previous meetings) Come meet your neighbors and learn more about your lake. Agenda: Call to order Pledge of allegiance Introduction of board members Introduction of guests President's report Treasurer's report Lake communication liaisons Social Committee Report Newsletter & Website report Lake health report Governmental Lake Board Marine Patrol Election of Officers Governmental Lake Board Update: Austin Lake Aeration Project By Brian Johnson The following update is based on the Austin Lake Governmental Lake Board meeting of March 15, 2013. A full presentation by Jennifer Jermalowicz-Jones (Restorative Lake Sciences LLC) on the 2012 laminar flow aeration results will be presented at our annual meeting but in brief, the mean losses of sediment were measured at 0.9 feet and 0.5 feet in diffuser and control sites, respectively, last summer. The Board approved signing a contract with Restorative Lake Sciences (RLS), LLC. The advantages were keeping continuity of consulting services by Jermalowicz-Jones (formerly of Lakeshore Environmental). The motion passed 5-0 authorizing Ed Sackley to execute a one year contract (annually renewable) with RLS. John Tucci (Lake Savers) presented an overview of the 2012 aeration project. He reported that the Austin Lake south basin is less impaired compared to other lake remediation projects his company has experienced. He stated that this could be the reason why results were better than expected. John recommended adding a couple of more diffusers behind the berm along the southwestern side of the project area. They would be teed off existing lines at no extra charge. There was general agreement to proceed with this modification during the 2013 aeration season. The board discussed varying levels of noise emanat- (Continued on page 2) 1
(Continued from page 1) ing from the three compressor cabinet locations. The compressor of most concern that can t be ameliorated by landscaping is located on the north side of the south basin. Noise reduction for the two other compressor locations can be addressed by landscaping. Motion passed 5-0 to authorize Sackley to 1) budget $1,800 this year for noise reduction (muffler and fencing) for the compressor on the north side of the basin; and 2) investigate landscaping options and costs for the other two compressor sites. Boat Brunch Austin Lake Events By Dani Kinder June 9th Boat Brunch Meet in front of the Public access at 11am. Bring your own beverages and a dish to pass. July 20th Boat Parade Meet in front of The LaCombe s house (10073 Woodlawn) at 4PM for boat judging. Dinner and entertainment will be provided after the parade at 10077 Woodlawn. Please bring towels and bathing suits to be donated to Pretty Lake Camp. Last year we raised over $1800 for the Camp, thanks so much, and let s keep up the good work. August 24th Progressive Party Logistics will be determined. We are looking for volunteers to host stops. Austin Lake Burgees for Sale The Riparian's will be selling Burgees at the annual meeting. These 10" x 15" heavy-duty pennants are silk screened on both sides with our logo. The cost is only $20 each and they make a nice addition to your boat or dock area. They can be purchased at the annual meeting, Daane s Party Store and Double L Bait and Marine (see advertisements in this issue). All proceeds go to our Social Committee. If you are interested in being on the Austin Lake Social Committee please let Dani know. To keep abreast of lake events see our website or give Dani your email. Dani Kinder: 269-998-3473; DaniL700@aol.com. 2
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WHO NEEDS BOATING CLASSES? EVERY BOATER! Published by the Marketing/ PR Committee United States Power Squadrons With permission of Boating Times Long Island I ve taken many boating classes already! I ve been boating for years! Police on the waterways don t check for licenses and it is not as if our waterways are as rigidly controlled as our roadways. If I have boat trouble, I can always just pull into the nearest shop to get it fixed. We ve all heard these excuses; however, we can never learn enough to stay out of trouble on the water. Our waterways and boats are always changing and we need to make sure that our knowledge of them keeps pace. The only way to do this is to continually improve our skills and knowledge. Look at marine electronics. Today s boaters have a rich array of instruments to help get them from point A to point B. These instruments are getting more powerful, sexier and cheaper, too! However, having a tool and using it effectively are two very different things Much of my career was spent in technology and my experience is that most user manuals are written for technologists, not for users! I ve found that they describe the basics, but they do not tell me how to get full use out of my investment. What s the solution? Simple! There are classes available to help boaters understand and use virtually any piece of electronic equipment. The famous Murphy s Law tells us that if something can go wrong, it will! We know the marine environment is especially harsh on electronics; it s not uncommon for something to work perfectly today and not work tomorrow. At some time during everyone s on-board adventures, it will become necessary to revert to manual boating skills such as finding the way or getting an engine started. The question then is, how can we make sure that we have a complete package of boating skills? The obvious answer is education! To that end, we all need to keep taking classes that help us improve our boating skills. Winter is the perfect time to take classes. My favorite source is the United States Power Squadrons (USPS). Each course and seminar is continually reviewed to make sure that its content is current and accurate. USPS volunteer instructors are certified, and seminars are usually given in two-hour sessions (full multi-module classes are longer). Already taken classes? One solution is to volunteer as an instructional proctor. Each time I help out with a class I ve already taken, I either learn something new or reinforce the skills I already have. Another solution is to take refresher classes. Whatever you do to find the classes you need or want and whomever you take them with, follow the advice of the well-known athletic goods company and JUST DO IT! Wally Corder SEO Kalamazoo Sail and Power Squadron 269.365.3398 wccorder@hotmail.com May 6-10 2013 6-9pm Kalamazoo ABC America s Boating Course $35 LORD OF LIFE LUTHERAN CHURCH 9420 Portage Rd. Portage, Mi. 49002 ABC Contact: Wally Corder (269) 365-3398 or email; wccorder@hotmail.com Learn more about safe boating. These classes are offered as a public service by: Kalamazoo Sail and Power Squadron www.ksps-usps.org 7
3053 Woodhams Ave Portage, Michigan 49002 Postmaster: Please Forward Attention Renters: Please pass this newsletter on to the property owner. Thank You! Austin Lake Riparians Board of Directors Kirk Wolf President - expires 2015 254-9653 wolfkirk@yahoo.com Brian Johnson Vice President - expires 2015 321-8536 bjohn3200@yahoo.com Pat Guilford - Secretary expires 2014 327-0853 patguilford@charter.net Larry Pio Treasurer - expires 2014 327-3589 nalcoman1@aol.com Brett Grossman Alternate - expires 2013 324-5572 brett@vicksburg-law.com Gary Hahn term expires 2013 323-7175 ghahn@wightman-assoc.com Win Larsen term expires 2013 978-4687 win.larsen@charter.net Dan Peacock - term expires 2015 567-9876 skyyharbour@gmail.com Jim Pearson - term expires 2013 327-9136 jimpearson4@gmail.com Steve Higgins - term expires 2014 270-3945 shiggins60@gmail.com Other Positions: Dani Kinder - Social Committee Chair 998-3473 danil700@aol.com Norm Young - Newsletter Editor and Website 324-6199 ndyoung@charter.net Website: www.austinlakeportage.com 8