WPA Newsletter-Summer 2014
The meeting of the WPA was held on June 7, 2014. The minutes of the last meeting were read and accepted. The Treasurers report was given. The balance in the account was $8548.64. The expenses for July 9, 2013 to March 14, 2014 were $327.78. Expenses included fees for the water quality testing, WPA Corporation registration, picnic expenses and postcards. The proceeds realized from the annual picnic were $1205.00. A vote was taken to accept the report and passed.
Under old business a discussion was held about repairs to be done on the dam. There is about 200 feet that need to be repaired. $5000.00 was allocated last year for repairs that were not able to be done. After discussion it was decided to allocate $ 8000.00 this year for repairs on a 100ft section of the dam. A motion was made, seconded and carried. This is a really good reason to send your dues now. They are due in June and if we use the $ 8000.00 for repairs, we will have just a small balance in the account. Thanks so much to the members who have already contributed with their dues.
Under new business a report was made concerning the water analysis done last summer. The water quality analysis showed no E. coli from specimens taken at the inlet, middle and outlet of the pond. Copies of the report were available to those members present. A mention was made concerning docks and floats that are off shore. It was suggested that owners should equip them with some kind of lighting to avoid possible accidents after dark. Also, all people enjoying water sports and boating on the pond should remember that there is a “No Wake” policy when traveling down the channel and no water-skiing through areas less than 400 ft across. In addition to this, please remember when you have visitors to remind them of these laws and that people in canoes, kayaks and other small craft have the “right of way” and you should reduce your boat speed when traveling near them.
Information about the Annual Picnic was given. Melissa Pink and her family have volunteered to host the picnic this year at 47 Chappell Shores Road. We are grateful for their generosity. The picnic will begin after the annual boat parade that begins on Roberts Pond at 11 am. There is the “Traveling Trophy” for best decorated boat, but it is not necessary to decorate to be in the parade. The date for the picnic is August 9, 2014. As always, hot dogs, hamburgers and corn on the cob will be provided. Please BYOB and a dish to share. We will have the raffle table and any donations to that will be appreciated. The raffles seem to be the most fun. Please come and enjoy getting to know your “pond people neighbors”, it is always a good time.
Again we thank the Alves family for donating Red Sox tickets to be raffled. They can be purchased before the picnic by contacting Sharyn King ([email protected]/ 207-247-5318) or Jeanne Dulong ([email protected]/207-247-3119). The prize is 2 Red Sox tickets for Sept 7, Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays. The price is $5 for 1 raffle ticket/$20 for 5 raffle tickets. If you are able to sell some to friends or family that would be a big help for the WPA dam fund.
The election of officers was held, with all officers agreeing to remain on the board for the next year. Hope to see many of you at the picnic. Please have a safe and happy summer…..
WPA Newsletter-Summer 2011
Greetings Wadleigh Pond Friends, Neighbors and Relatives,
I hope this newsletter finds you all well and getting ready for summer, it will be here soon, and we will be boating once again on our “Magical” Wadleigh Pond!
This newsletter will mark the beginning of our Membership Drive. The amount has been increased to $50.00 as noted in the June 2010 newsletter as was voted on at last years meeting. These are tough fiscal times for some, and if you are able to support the Association with your paid membership we are very appreciative.
Because of the efforts of so many, we hit an all time high with 64 members last year! Many thanks to all who joined, or helped out with recruiting members, I appreciate it! Maybe we can top that this year?
You may be interested in knowing that the amount of money spent on repairs to the Dam over the years exceeds $90,000.00, with $50,000.00 of that being spent in the 1990’s. That is an awesome task and we all reap the benefits. We will probably be looking at repairing another 100-foot section in the near future.
Please visit our website at www.wadleighpond.com. There you can print out a current membership application and mail to:
Sharyn King
24 Sullivan Lane
Lyman, ME 04002
Our annual meeting will be held on June 18, 2011 at 11:00 AM at Sharyn Kings. Refreshments will be served and dues are due at the meeting. Please plan on joining us there.
We have a limited supply of Wadleigh Pond Association T-shirts for sale at a cost of $15.00 each. These are unisex white shirts with the Wadleigh Pond Logo. They are available in sized Medium, Large and Extra Large. We will mail at no additional cost. Contact me Tom Turner or by phone at 781-289-2893.
Please mark your calendar for the Annual Wadleigh Pond Picnic to be held on Aug. 20, 2011, at our camp. We are located at 32 Fernwood Loop. Please bring a dish to share, and the WPA will provide hamburgers, hotdogs, and corn. The cost will be $5.00 per adult and $3.00 for children. If you have an item in mind for raffling, please try to let us know ahead of time. We will have the boat parade beginning at Roberts Pond at 11:00. The judging will take place at the picnic so that the coveted trophy can be passed along. Last year we had lots of new faces join us and everyone had a great time! We would love to see more this year! Some folks have new neighbors and it would be wonderful if you could reach out to them as well.
Remember our door is always open, stop by sometime.
Cheers,
Tom Turner
WPA News Letter-Date: June 22, 2010
Dear Friends, Neighbors and Family
I am writing to let you know of some changes to the Wadleigh Pond Association. A new slate of officers was elected at the Annual Meeting held on June 05, 2010. They are as follows:
President – Tom Turner – 781-289-2893 (home)/ [email protected]
Vice President – Eileen Kelly 207 247 -3734/ [email protected]
Secretary – Sharyn King – 207-247-5318/ [email protected]
Treasurer – Jeanne Dulong – 207-247-3119/ [email protected]
I first want to express my heartfelt thanks to our past President, Dave Dulong and Vice President, Arthur Dupius for their years of dedication and hard work. We all have reaped the benefits of their efforts.
My appreciation to Sonny Bishop who has stepped in to replace Charlie Saidon as the Dam Agent. This is a critical role and many thanks to Charlie for his help these past few years. Because of their efforts, the many volunteers and donations the dam is in pretty decent shape. This is NOT to say that the work is done. We have bought some time, which will enable our coffers to grow.
There will be a Pond Picnic being held at Brian Dulong’s at 105 Chappel Shores Rd. (thank you Brian) on Sat. August 21. Please bring a dish to share and as always the WPA will provide the hamburgers, hot dogs and corn. The cost will be $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children. A donation of items to be raffled off would be appreciated as well. The raffles are always fun. There will be a boat parade beginning at Roberts Pond at 11:00 am, with the picnic to begin after. Please feel free to decorate your boat, as there will be a prize. If you could RSVP to either Jeanne or Sharyn, we would appreciate it, as it is extremely helpful in planning for the food. We are looking into getting some WPA T-Shirts to sell. Details will follow soon.
If you have been thinking about coming to this event in the past and just never did, please mark your calendar and join us this year! We would love to see some new friends as well as some old. Many of you have new neighbors. Please share this invitation with them. It would be a great opportunity to meet and greet!
Also, it was voted to increase the annual dues to $50.00, beginning in 2011. I know that increasing the dues is an unpleasant topic, but this action was long overdue and much needed. This increase is less than $1.00 a week. The future of the pond depends entirely on the WPA. There has not been and will not be any sort of government help. The future of the dam is up to us, so please be understanding of the increase and plan accordingly.
The first task that lies ahead is increasing membership. If those numbers were to grow, so would our funds. My goal this year will be to make every effort to boost our membership. If anyone has thoughts on this or anything else, please email me. I welcome any input that will be for the betterment of our association.
As I stated at the meeting, I am more than happy to help out by taking on the role of President, but my concern is that I do live 100 miles away. I will be relying heavily on those of you who have the privilege of living on “Magic Pond” (lovingly coined by our friend Kenny King).
My door is always open, so please stop by 32 Fernwood Loop to say hello. We are in the cove, next to Charlie & Estelle Saidon.
I look forward to seeing lots of you over the Fourth of July.
Cheers,
Tom Turner
President, WPA
WPA News Letter-Spring 2010
It was a pretty good winter, the beginning brought abundant snow and it looked like we would have a great snowmobiling season, but alas Mother Nature had other ideas. The rain in January and the warm February and March killed any hopes of snowmobiling in Lyman this year. Maybe next year. On the bright side, it looks like the warm winter will result in an easy mud season.
As you all know, we finished the new spillway last year, at a cost of approximately $40,000. It sure has gotten a workout this spring. We have had 2 major events…so far. Both brought the Pond water level to within inches of the top of the dam; I am convinced that, without the new spillway, it would have topped the dam and we would have had a major washout, if not a failure. Because of the new spillway, the dam never over topped and the road never washed out. Your generosity in contributing to the project has saved the large expense of repairing any washout which may have occurred and may have saved the dam from washing out all together.
There was some minor movement of rip-rap on the spillway, but this is expected and can be easily repaired, we may set up a work day some time in April or May, depending on the weather, (the spillway must be dry to work on it), or maybe this fall if we have a wet spring.
While all seems to be well with the dam presently, it will continue to need maintenance and repair in the future. If we keep it well maintained it should last indefinitely, however, if we neglect it, it may not survive flooding like we have seen in past years. For that reason, I encourage all who are current members to keep up your membership and those who are not; I encourage your future participation. The dues are only $25 per year, and if everyone participates, we can put much of that money aside to cover future repair requirements.
The annual meeting to elect officers, etc will be 10:00am, June 5th at Sharyn King’s, 24 Sullivan Lane. Hope to see you there. We are in need of people willing to fill the officers positions. If you have ideas and goals for the association, this is the time to step forward. Your service will be appreciated, as some officers will not be serving another term. We encourage all to participate.
If you have any questions about the dam, activities, etc, bring them with you and we’ll try to answer them. I have attached an application for your use in renewing/establishing your membership.
Thanks,
Dave Dulong,
President WPA
WPA News Letter-Spring 2009
We had another great winter here this year. It snowed early and we had plenty of ice. Snowmobiling hit a new high with the newly improved trails of the Lyman Snowmobile Club. I hope you joined this year and supported them. As I write this, spring seems a long way off; we still have lots of snow, but mud season will be here before you know it. Let’s hope that Mother Nature gives us a gradual and normal spring. We don’t need any flooding this year.
We were all saddened by the loss of Kenny King after a courageous battle with cancer. Kenny was one of the first on the pond and many of us are here because of him He was always ready to help. You may be aware that his family asked that donations in his memory be given to the dam construction fund; $1,330.00 was received and will be used to further the construction of the new spillway.
As you may know we got our permit from the DEP, Fred Pink gave us permission to cross his property, and, thanks to the help of many volunteers (see the picture above left), we cleared the site. We were also able to fund a good portion of our new spillway project before the money ran out. The picture above right shows what we accomplished. New culverts were put under the road and about 2/3rds of the spillway channel was rip-rapped.
As you can guess, this has been another expensive year. We spent $17,501.43 in 2008 on the dam and other miscellaneous expenditures. After adding the funds that were donated in Kenny’s name, we have a balance of about $4,639.46 in the treasury.
Our plan is to cut the opening in the dam as soon as the water goes down and finish the spillway as soon as possible. We have a bid of $5500 for cutting the dam; the remaining excavation, rip-rap and concrete work is estimated at $10,000. If we receive enough money, we should be able to finish buy early summer. However, we cannot put the boards back in the existing spillway to raise the water level until the new spillway is complete. So, the pond may be low this summer, and possibly next, if we cannot fund the entire project this year.
Which brings me to the part I don’t enjoy; begging for money…. again. We are asking everyone to give what they can. I am hesitant to specify an amount, but somewhere in the range of $350 each (some can afford more and some less) should get us through the year with a little cushion.
We have about 113 property owners on the pond, 48 joined WPA last year. I am attaching a list showing members and nonmembers alike. If you know any of the nonmembers, please let them know we need their help; after all, it is their pond as well. Also attached is an application for use by new members and current members alike. Please send dues ($25) and your contribution for dam repair to our secretary; her address is on the form (make checks payable to WPA).
Sincerely,
Dave Dulong
President WPA
WPA News Letter-Spring 2008
We really had a winter wonderland up here this year. If you like winter, you loved being at Wadleigh this winter. Record snowfalls and plenty of ice. It made up for the past couple of dreary winter seasons. So far the spring has been quite nice to us. The snow is almost gone and, as I write this, (April 18th) the ice has almost gone out. I am guessing that this weekend will melt the last of it. Luckily the weather wasn’t too warm too fast and we had little rain…….so far. Keep your fingers crossed that we have a normal spring, we don’t need the dam overtopping again this year.
As you may know, last spring, due to the flooding, we had to regrade the embankment ($2520). We also patched the badly cracked and eroded area next to the spillway ($3303), and put in two culverts, one was paid for by the road association and the other by us ($837).
As many of you are aware, the dam is badly in need of additional spillway capacity. We have been working with the DEP and had to hire an engineer to do the design and prepare the application for a Natural Resources Protection Act Permit. This has really set us back. So far we have paid the engineer $7920 and the DEP fee was $253. We turned in the application on March 30th and are now waiting for the DEP. They have already come back with requests for more information. We have a site visit on May 6th, let’s hope we don’t have to put more $$ into this phase of the project. We are hoping to have a permit in hand by the end of the summer so we can start the work this fall after the water goes down.
As you can see this has been an expensive year, adding the cost of the dam to a few other miscellaneous expenditures, we have spent $15,770.70 this year, that leaves us with a balance of about $39, and there are still a some outstanding expenses out there, luckily a few folks are carrying a tab for us.
Which brings me to the part I don’t enjoy; begging for money. We would like to get one of the new spillways in this fall and loam and seed the dam embankment to reduce erosion.
We think it will cost us around $15,000 to do this, if we get our permit that is. We are asking everyone to give what they can. I am hesitant to specify an amount, but somewhere in the range of $350 each (some can afford more and some less) should get us through the year with a little cushion.
I am attaching an application for use by new members and current members alike. If you have email, give us your address. Please send your dues ($25) and your contribution to the dam repair (make checks payable to WPA) to our treasurer; her address is on the form.
Our annual meeting is scheduled for Saturday, May 24th at my camp, 107 Chappell Shores Rd, at 10:00AM. Hope to see you there. We’ll have more info on the dam.
Sincerely,
Dave Dulong
President WPA
WPA News Letter-Annual Meeting 2007
The annual meeting of the Wadleigh Pond Association was held on July 25. There were about 20 members/family members in attendance.
The first order of business was the election of Board Officers. Dave Dulong agreed to serve another year as President. Arthur Dupuis was re-elected as Vice President. Sharyn King was newly elected as Secretary. Anne Bishop was re-elected as Treasurer. We thank Gloria Snowman for her service as past Secretary, it is much appreciated.
Anne Bishop gave the Treasurers report. There is $ 1923.00 in the WPA account. Over the past two years we have spent over $ 41,000.00 on the repair of the dam. It was suggested that a detailed report, specifying the amounts spent on each facet of the repair work be prepared and made available to members.
Anne stated that she would prepare a report and it will be sent out to all members.
A motion was made and carried to amend and make a revision in the bylaws at the next annual meeting in order to raise the annual dues. We are hopeful that an increase in membership will make available enough money so this may not be necessary. To that end, a Membership Committee was formed with Mark Aloisio and Alan Colarusso agreeing to serve as Co-Chairmen. If you would like to join or volunteer to help, they can be reached at the following numbers. Mark at 978-750-1895 ((email [email protected]) and Alan at 508-982-7779 (email at [email protected]).
The date for the annual picnic was set for Saturday, August 15th with a rain date of Sunday, August 16th. The picnic will be held at Arthur and Cecile Dupuis’ camp. The address is 53 Chappell Shores Drive. The price for adults is $5.00, children under 12 are $ 3.00. There will be hot dogs, hamburgers and corn. Also please bring a dish to share. Donations of items for the raffles would also be appreciated. We are having the boat parade and it will begin at 11:00, forming at Roberts Pond and then going around the pond ending at the picnic site. You can decorate your boat or not, but a Blue Ribbon will be awarded to the “best”. So good luck! Please come and enjoy!
There was discussion about liability insurance for the board of officers. There was a motion made and a vote taken which passed to look into and acquire liability insurance coverage for the officers of the association… The cost could be between $800 and $1500.
There was a discussion about aquatic weeds, which seem to be invading many areas of the pond. We have been told by the State that these are not the invasive type of milfoil, but Bladderwort a native species. It was mentioned that one of the main contributing causes is the use of fertilizer for lawns and gardens in the watershed area of Wadleigh Pond. We can all help by not using fertilizers on our lawns and gardens.
It was mentioned that it would be a good practice for everyone to label their dock with their name and phone number in case the dock floats away, this would enable anyone finding it to call the owner and let them know where it is so they retrieve it.
There was also quite a discussion about boating and sea-doo use on the pond with regard to speed and safety regulations. It was mentioned that some boaters may not be aware that there are “no wake zones” and regulations about pulling skiers or people on tubes through areas less than 400’ across. You must be at least 200’ from the shore to be legal and safe. Also the “channel” is a “no wake zone” since there is no place on the channel that exceeds 200’ from both shores.
SEE YOU AT THE PICNIC!!!
WPA News Letter-Summer 2007
Summer is in full swing and many are taking advantage of the weather to enjoy the Pond. You may have noticed that the pond has been low this year, when I wrote the spring newsletter I was a bit too early and optimistic. I couldn’t predict the massive rains we got which severely affected our dam. The dam overtopped again and we had numerous washouts. The worst one was just west of the spillway. It revealed some sever damage and leaks through the concrete. So, we left the boards out until the repairs could be made. Luckily we had enough money in the treasury and we repaired all the damage at a cost of about $5000.
At our spring meeting we approved the hiring of an engineer to inspect the dam, design the sorely needed spillway expansion, and apply for a permit from the DEP to do the work. The cost of the engineer will be in the range of $5000 to $7000 before we are finished. Then we will have to fund the construction. The engineer is currently doing a hydrologic and hydraulic study to determine the required size of the spillway expansion. He will then prepare design plans and specifications and the NRPA permit application. This work should culminate in a permit from the DEP sometime next summer. We are planning to do the work next fall, if we can collect enough money by then. The current estimate for the required work is about $8000. This will include cutting the spillway, preparing the downstream area so it will not erode and placing loam and seeding the entire length of the dam to limit any further erosion of the embankment. I will get back to you all when the estimate gets firmed up by our engineer; I anticipate sending out an appeal for money sometime this winter to allow the construction to be done. When this work is completed I anticipate that the dam should be able to do its job of protecting all our investments for a long time to come.
In the pictures below you can see how the dam looked after the heavy rains; the one on the right shows the repairs that were done this spring. This is the area where we plan to expand the spillway.
If you haven’t joined the Association yet, and you wish to, I have enclosed a membership application for your use.
Thanks for your support,
Dave Dulong
President, WPA
WPA News Letter-Spring 2007
Winter is winding down, I hope, (it really never started until “spring”). Winter sports took a beating this year; let’s hope the summer ones make up for it. I just wanted to drop everyone a line to fill you in on our very active year. As you may know we put in the new retaining wall at the spillway, patched some badly cracked areas, and regraded the embankment. Well, a representative of the DEP came out and inspected the work and was not pleased. They sent us a notice of violation, in September, stating that the work we did was not considered repair and we would have to stop all work and get a permit. They also said that they were going to levy a fine on us.
I contacted them and explained that we felt that the work was repair and set up a meeting with them to discuss it. Arthur Dupuis and I met with them in October. They wanted us to file for a permit, which would have to be done by an engineer licensed in the State of Maine. The permit fee was $500 and the engineer wanted about $6000 to do the work. We went back to the DEP and told them we couldn’t afford that and asked them to reconsider. We wrote up a full explanation of the work we had done and were planning to do and reiterated that we thought this was maintenance and repair. The DEP had several meetings and finally decided, in January, that all the work we had done was, in fact, repair and that we would not need a permit for it after all. The only part of the planned work that they would not consider as repair is the spillway extension that we wanted to cut into the top of the dam. The DEP pointed us to the National Resources Conservation Service, saying that they may be able to help us. We went to them, but they can not help us. They did offer to come out this summer and look at the dam and maybe make some recommendations. I’ll call them in the spring, but I don’t expect too much.
We collected $12,250 in contributions last year for the work on the dam. So far, we have spent $1055 building the new retaining wall and $8475 backfilling the embankment. This coming spring we will finish grading the embankment; this will probably cost us another $1500 or so. We still want to cut the new spillway, but the DEP has us blocked for now. We may be able to do this sometime in the future. We need this to preclude the dam from overtopping during sever rain events and washing out the embankment (which costs us about $3000 to $4000 to fix each time it happens). The spillway will cost us about $8,000 to $10,000, not including engineering costs and permitting fees. However, this is not something we need to rush into. If anyone knows an engineer, licensed in Maine, who will work cheap or gratis, let me know. And let’s hope that we don’t have another spring like last year.
I am attaching an application for use by new members and current members alike. If you have email, give us your address. Please send your dues ($25) to Gloria Snowman, her address is on the form.
Our annual meeting is scheduled for May 26th this year. It will be held at Arthur & Cecile Dupuis’ camp, 53 Chappell Shores Rd, at 10:00AM. If you drive you may want to come in from the Mast Road to miss the hill. Hope to see you there.
Sincerely,
Dave Dulong
President, WPA
WPA News Letter-August 2005
Dear Wadleigh Pond Property Owners,
As you may be aware, this spring we had a series of events that resulted in the overtopping of the dam. This overtopping occurs very seldom, but when it does it washes away some of the fill backing up the dam. This fill reinforces the dam and protects the concrete from further deterioration. While we were inspecting the dam for damage, we found that, in addition to replenishing the fill behind the dam, some repair of the concrete is also required. This repair involves reinforcing the area to the left of the spillway with a wing wall and also placing some patches on areas that are leaking or severely deteriorated.
We met with a representative of the Maine DEP. He indicated that, under current Maine law, we could replenish the fill without applying for a permit. He also recommended that we establish turf on the fill to reduce erosion, this also requires no permit. However, he was under the impression that the concrete work may require a permit and we intend to contact the DEP permitting folks to discuss this with them.
We had a meeting of the Wadleigh Pond Association (WPA) in June and voted to spend the funds that are currently in the treasury to replenish the fill, (these funds are from dues paid to the association by members over the past several years). We have completed some of the work at a cost of $3500. Next we plan contact a contractor and get a price for doing concrete repairs around the spillway and loaming and seeding the embankment to stop erosion.
If the dam were to fail, the water level in the pond would drop approximately 10 – 12 feet. As you can imagine, if this were to happen our property values would surely plunge, not to mention what it would do to our view and recreation opportunities.
The total cost of the required repairs will exceed what is in the treasury. To enable us to accomplish the required repairs, we are asking that each property owner, whether an association member or not, (we certainly encourage all to join) to donate $250, or whatever they feel they can afford, toward the repairs. Please mail your contribution to the address above. If you wish to join the WPA, I have enclosed a membership application for your convenience. We appreciate your help.
Sincerely,
Anne Bishop
President,
Wadleigh Pond Association