2015 MEETING MINUTES
DUDLEY POND ASSOCIATION
Board Meeting Minutes, Nov, 12, 2015
Board in attendance: Doron Almog, John Darack, Lisa Jacobs,
Members In attendance: Margo Melnicove, Karen Lowery, Mike Lowery, Alison &
Ella LaClaire, David Poole
The meeting was called to order at 7:40pm. The minutes from the previous
meeting were read and approved unanimously.
Website: Debra Sarlin is interested in helping Doron with the website. A motion
was made to form a website committee and it was passed unanimously. Deb will
head up the committee. We will need to update current content, and continue
discussing how to use the website and facebook to keep our members up-to-
date. Lisa J. will check old board meeting minutes and capture any website
related items that can form part of the plan.
SWQ overview of Dudley Pond: Mike Lowery agreed to provide a thorough
review of the current pond condition, how it got this way and what our options
are. He compared pictures of the pond in 2002 and 2007 after mechanical
harvesting and gave a treatment history leading up to the current situation:
continued growth of milfoil and presence of other native species: curly leaf
pondweed, tapegrass and clasping leaf. Tapegrass doesn’t respond to herbicides
but mechanical harvesting has been shown to be efffective. Our Order of
Conditions is expiring with the Conservation Dept. and we will be applying for a
Notice of Intent (NOI) for a new Order of Conditions. SWQ will have hearings and
after deliberations, they will tell us what is possible.
There is still a milfoil presence but our efforts to control it have improved, so Mike
thinks a lower dose herbicide in the spring, along with hand-pulling, will provide
much improvement next year.
Mike provided some approximate costs associated with harvesting- ($20K),
handpulling- ($16K) and herbicide ($45K). DPA contributes 25% to the total cost.
There was an extensive discussion about mechanical harvesters. One problem is
that harvesting drags up all the weeds but doesn’t remove them from the pond
nor dispose of them. Mike floated the idea of purchasing one for the town and/or
Dudley Pond. Much more discussion is needed.
Weed Abatement Plan for 2016
We will start in January. With Mike’s assistance (wearing both SWQ and DPA
hats!) we will apply for the Notice of Intent. We will get on the Conservation
Board’s agenda. We’ll argue the merits of owning vs. renting a mechanical
harvester, determine how much $ will be budgeted for the whole next year, the
following year, etc. SWQ still has unspent DPA funds -already transferred- to be
used before FYE June 30, 2016.
Doron has agreed to be the DPA point person for Mike. We will ensure DPA
member participation at hearings, and we’ll get two permits for 2016: one for
chemical treatment and one for harvesting. We have a good reputation for all our
efforts on the Pond in the past so should be able to continue working well with
We will summarize this discussion and send an email to the membership inviting
them to participate in this process. Margo Melnicove has agreed to get the DPA
membership more involved in helping to solve the weed problems. Mike will
provide us with a lot of the relevant information.
Develop some educational materials
Get DPA participation in SWQ and Conservation meetings
Get a draft of the NOI
Check the Conservation Commission chapter.195 permit and NOI permit.
Google tapegrass and find chemical or mechanical solutions from other
affected Lakes and Ponds.
Check ACT website (Aquatic Control Technologies) and its proposal for
Shirley Lake
Look at Sonar H4C as an herbicide choice.
The next board meeting will be Monday, Dec. 14 at Doron Almog’s house.
The meeting adjourned at 9:20 pm
Respectfully submitted
Lisa Jacobs,
Secretary
DPA Board Meeting Minutes – June 9, 2015
Present: Board Members - Lisa Jacobs. Doron Almog, Jamie Pierce, Eric Macklin, John Darack. Guest - Karen Lowery
1. The meeting was called to order at 7:50PM. The Minutes of the April meeting were read by Doron and unanimously approved.
2. Website update- Doron is checking all the links to make sure they’ll work for the Fun Run registration. He’ll post the Ice Cream Social invite there.
3. Ice Cream Social- the board unanimously voted to budget what was needed for this event. We are trying to locate the sign and letters used to publicize this event. It may be in Molly Upton’s barn. Lisa will get the names of past school administrators to Eric so he can email them the details of the Ice Cream Social. Lisa will send an announcement to the Town Crier. Volunteers will meet at 12:30 to start setting up the event. John D. offered his truck. Karen will bring the DPA banners. We will have a membership table, a merchandise table and a raffle ticket table there.
4. Fun Run- 19th year! Karen informed us that this will be her last year running this event. Steve Garone and Jan Dunn are helping get sponsorships. We have $3000 pledged so far. Karen suggested we order fewer T shirts this year. We will start selling raffle tickets in August.
5. Application Form- Lisa has reviewed the old application form and updated it to: include the new $25 family membership category, and recategorize the DPA activities so members can volunteer.
6. Lisa created a “How to get more involved in the DPA” worksheet to be posted on the web and distributed at events so we can get more volunteers to help out.
7. Eric will create a DPA business card with our website and email address, to be handed out at activities. Lisa will provide Eric with the DPA logo.
The next Board meeting will be on July 6 at the Lowery’s.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:40PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Lisa Jacobs, Secretary
DPA Board Meeting Minutes – March 16, 2015
Present: Board Members - Lisa Jacobs. Doron Almog, Jamie Pierce (by Skype), Eric Macklin, John Darack.
Guests - Karen Lowery, Bob Smith, Tom Klem.
1. The meeting was called to order at 7:45PM. The Minutes of the January 12, 2015 meeting were read by Lisa and unanimously approved.
2. Tom Klem presented a proposal for the possible use of a service, RaceMenu, to manage aspects of the Fun Run event.
The program provides value to entrants in the form of a slight reduction of entry fees and the availability of a smartphone app for use in registering (although its use may not be appropriate for small events such as ours).
Impact to DPA would be in the form of a “sharelink” service which can spread publicity through FaceBook and other social media outlets. 10% of the RaceMenu registration fee would be credited to DPA, resulting in a reduction of the cost..
Printed sheets were distributed illustrating all of the above. Any necessary forms for the use of the system would be created by Tom.
It was suggested that we try the system for one year as an experiment. Further discussion revealed that the potential benefit to DPA would be a tiny cost difference from the SignMeUp system that we now use, and that our current system actually offers features that are equivalent.
3. The Board discussed the date of the Annual Spring Meeting. It was decided to change it to May 3.
4. A slate of officer nominations was discussed. Bob Smith volunteered to chair the Nomination Committee. Potential nominees are:
President – Doron Almog
1st Vice President – Eric Macklin
2nd Vice President – Cheryl Kreinbring or John Darack
Treasurer – Jamie Pierce
Secretary – Lisa Jacobs
Additional nominations may be presented by the Nominating Committee or accepted from the floor at the Annual Spring Meeting.
5. It was agreed by the Board to create a new position, Members-At-Large, with no limit on how many are selected.
It was also agreed that a new category of membership, Family Member, with a $5 discount from the total cost of two Individual Memberships, be added.
Both items would require amendments to DPA’s Bylaws, and will be presented to the membership for ratification at the Annual Spring Meeting.
6. The content of the upcoming issue of the Newsletter was discussed, and the following suggestions made:
- An article about Grace Olin. Bob and Lisa will collaborate.
- SWCQ news. Mike Lowery will provide.
- Proposed Bylaw changes. Lisa and John will discuss.
- The upcoming Run/Walk Event. Karen will provide.
- The suggested slate of nominees.
- Newcomers potluck event, Sunday, May 17.
- Ice Cream Social, Saturday, June 20.
- Jazz on The Pond Event, date TBD.
- A Pond Cleanup Event, date and details TBD.
- President’s letter.
7. It was suggested that a committee be formed to organize our various events.
The next Board meeting will be on Thursday, April 9.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:55PM.
Respectfully submitted,
John Darack, Secretary
Board Meeting Minutes, Nov, 12, 2015
Board in attendance: Doron Almog, John Darack, Lisa Jacobs,
Members In attendance: Margo Melnicove, Karen Lowery, Mike Lowery, Alison &
Ella LaClaire, David Poole
The meeting was called to order at 7:40pm. The minutes from the previous
meeting were read and approved unanimously.
Website: Debra Sarlin is interested in helping Doron with the website. A motion
was made to form a website committee and it was passed unanimously. Deb will
head up the committee. We will need to update current content, and continue
discussing how to use the website and facebook to keep our members up-to-
date. Lisa J. will check old board meeting minutes and capture any website
related items that can form part of the plan.
SWQ overview of Dudley Pond: Mike Lowery agreed to provide a thorough
review of the current pond condition, how it got this way and what our options
are. He compared pictures of the pond in 2002 and 2007 after mechanical
harvesting and gave a treatment history leading up to the current situation:
continued growth of milfoil and presence of other native species: curly leaf
pondweed, tapegrass and clasping leaf. Tapegrass doesn’t respond to herbicides
but mechanical harvesting has been shown to be efffective. Our Order of
Conditions is expiring with the Conservation Dept. and we will be applying for a
Notice of Intent (NOI) for a new Order of Conditions. SWQ will have hearings and
after deliberations, they will tell us what is possible.
There is still a milfoil presence but our efforts to control it have improved, so Mike
thinks a lower dose herbicide in the spring, along with hand-pulling, will provide
much improvement next year.
Mike provided some approximate costs associated with harvesting- ($20K),
handpulling- ($16K) and herbicide ($45K). DPA contributes 25% to the total cost.
There was an extensive discussion about mechanical harvesters. One problem is
that harvesting drags up all the weeds but doesn’t remove them from the pond
nor dispose of them. Mike floated the idea of purchasing one for the town and/or
Dudley Pond. Much more discussion is needed.
Weed Abatement Plan for 2016
We will start in January. With Mike’s assistance (wearing both SWQ and DPA
hats!) we will apply for the Notice of Intent. We will get on the Conservation
Board’s agenda. We’ll argue the merits of owning vs. renting a mechanical
harvester, determine how much $ will be budgeted for the whole next year, the
following year, etc. SWQ still has unspent DPA funds -already transferred- to be
used before FYE June 30, 2016.
Doron has agreed to be the DPA point person for Mike. We will ensure DPA
member participation at hearings, and we’ll get two permits for 2016: one for
chemical treatment and one for harvesting. We have a good reputation for all our
efforts on the Pond in the past so should be able to continue working well with
We will summarize this discussion and send an email to the membership inviting
them to participate in this process. Margo Melnicove has agreed to get the DPA
membership more involved in helping to solve the weed problems. Mike will
provide us with a lot of the relevant information.
Develop some educational materials
Get DPA participation in SWQ and Conservation meetings
Get a draft of the NOI
Check the Conservation Commission chapter.195 permit and NOI permit.
Google tapegrass and find chemical or mechanical solutions from other
affected Lakes and Ponds.
Check ACT website (Aquatic Control Technologies) and its proposal for
Shirley Lake
Look at Sonar H4C as an herbicide choice.
The next board meeting will be Monday, Dec. 14 at Doron Almog’s house.
The meeting adjourned at 9:20 pm
Respectfully submitted
Lisa Jacobs,
Secretary
DPA Board Meeting Minutes – June 9, 2015
Present: Board Members - Lisa Jacobs. Doron Almog, Jamie Pierce, Eric Macklin, John Darack. Guest - Karen Lowery
1. The meeting was called to order at 7:50PM. The Minutes of the April meeting were read by Doron and unanimously approved.
2. Website update- Doron is checking all the links to make sure they’ll work for the Fun Run registration. He’ll post the Ice Cream Social invite there.
3. Ice Cream Social- the board unanimously voted to budget what was needed for this event. We are trying to locate the sign and letters used to publicize this event. It may be in Molly Upton’s barn. Lisa will get the names of past school administrators to Eric so he can email them the details of the Ice Cream Social. Lisa will send an announcement to the Town Crier. Volunteers will meet at 12:30 to start setting up the event. John D. offered his truck. Karen will bring the DPA banners. We will have a membership table, a merchandise table and a raffle ticket table there.
4. Fun Run- 19th year! Karen informed us that this will be her last year running this event. Steve Garone and Jan Dunn are helping get sponsorships. We have $3000 pledged so far. Karen suggested we order fewer T shirts this year. We will start selling raffle tickets in August.
5. Application Form- Lisa has reviewed the old application form and updated it to: include the new $25 family membership category, and recategorize the DPA activities so members can volunteer.
6. Lisa created a “How to get more involved in the DPA” worksheet to be posted on the web and distributed at events so we can get more volunteers to help out.
7. Eric will create a DPA business card with our website and email address, to be handed out at activities. Lisa will provide Eric with the DPA logo.
The next Board meeting will be on July 6 at the Lowery’s.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:40PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Lisa Jacobs, Secretary
DPA Board Meeting Minutes – March 16, 2015
Present: Board Members - Lisa Jacobs. Doron Almog, Jamie Pierce (by Skype), Eric Macklin, John Darack.
Guests - Karen Lowery, Bob Smith, Tom Klem.
1. The meeting was called to order at 7:45PM. The Minutes of the January 12, 2015 meeting were read by Lisa and unanimously approved.
2. Tom Klem presented a proposal for the possible use of a service, RaceMenu, to manage aspects of the Fun Run event.
The program provides value to entrants in the form of a slight reduction of entry fees and the availability of a smartphone app for use in registering (although its use may not be appropriate for small events such as ours).
Impact to DPA would be in the form of a “sharelink” service which can spread publicity through FaceBook and other social media outlets. 10% of the RaceMenu registration fee would be credited to DPA, resulting in a reduction of the cost..
Printed sheets were distributed illustrating all of the above. Any necessary forms for the use of the system would be created by Tom.
It was suggested that we try the system for one year as an experiment. Further discussion revealed that the potential benefit to DPA would be a tiny cost difference from the SignMeUp system that we now use, and that our current system actually offers features that are equivalent.
3. The Board discussed the date of the Annual Spring Meeting. It was decided to change it to May 3.
4. A slate of officer nominations was discussed. Bob Smith volunteered to chair the Nomination Committee. Potential nominees are:
President – Doron Almog
1st Vice President – Eric Macklin
2nd Vice President – Cheryl Kreinbring or John Darack
Treasurer – Jamie Pierce
Secretary – Lisa Jacobs
Additional nominations may be presented by the Nominating Committee or accepted from the floor at the Annual Spring Meeting.
5. It was agreed by the Board to create a new position, Members-At-Large, with no limit on how many are selected.
It was also agreed that a new category of membership, Family Member, with a $5 discount from the total cost of two Individual Memberships, be added.
Both items would require amendments to DPA’s Bylaws, and will be presented to the membership for ratification at the Annual Spring Meeting.
6. The content of the upcoming issue of the Newsletter was discussed, and the following suggestions made:
- An article about Grace Olin. Bob and Lisa will collaborate.
- SWCQ news. Mike Lowery will provide.
- Proposed Bylaw changes. Lisa and John will discuss.
- The upcoming Run/Walk Event. Karen will provide.
- The suggested slate of nominees.
- Newcomers potluck event, Sunday, May 17.
- Ice Cream Social, Saturday, June 20.
- Jazz on The Pond Event, date TBD.
- A Pond Cleanup Event, date and details TBD.
- President’s letter.
7. It was suggested that a committee be formed to organize our various events.
The next Board meeting will be on Thursday, April 9.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:55PM.
Respectfully submitted,
John Darack, Secretary
| dpa_5_3-spring_2015_meeting.docx |
| dpa_10_25_15-fall_meeting.docx |
| dpa_board_meeting_minutes_8.3.15.docx |
| dpa_board_minutes_12.14.15.docx |