The SLCA had it’s annual meeting Saturday June 6, 2015 at Borough Park in Lewisberry. Attendance was very good – thank you to all for your continued support.
We opened our meeting with some remarks from Brad Ellenberger, our President, and the introduction of John Masland, the SLCA’s engineer, of ARM Group. Mr. Masland advised that the condition of our spillway is satisfactory, and our earthen dam is doing quite well for it’s 200+ years. The earthen dam is of immediate concern as it doesn’t come close to meeting 21st century engineering standards. Mr. Masland noted:
- The actual engineering and construction of the needed dam reinforcement is quite simple. It is a modest project with no known engineering challenges.
- The PA DEP is working with dam owners such as the SLCA and so long as we continue to show both a willingness and ability to address the dam reinforcement we have some time.
- The wetlands issue is our biggest challenge, and our next step is the wetlands delineation to determine the area of wetlands behind the dam that would be impacted by the dam reinforcement – both the increased footprint of a dam and the disruption due to construction. Dealing with the wetlands issue is likely to cost more than the actual dam reinforcement itself. Mr. Masland was not willing to give price estimates – there are too many unknowns at this point.
- Mr. Masland observed that the SLCA will save money if it has the wetlands delineation done during the winter months, when the vegetation is clear and an engineer has an easier time visually measuring, etc.
- Mr. Masland gave a shout out to SLCA’s Scotty Roberge for the amazing amount of work done on our Emergency Action Plan. Her volunteer efforts saved the SLCA thousands of dollars in professional fees, and Masland noted he has never worked on a project like this where the dam owners were able to “go it alone” on the EAP and completely satisfy PA DEP.
Mr. Masland made himself available for questions from the community, and after approximately an hour he was dismissed.
Brad Ellenberger noted that the SLCA continues to improve its financial situation. In 2014 we made significant repairs and deferred maintenance to all 3 of the Association’s dams – the earthen dam, the spillway and the diversion dam on Bennetts Run. The SLCA also completed the provision of an access road off of Silver Lake Road to the back of our earthen dam. We have been in contact with the York County Conservation District and are pursuing available avenues for the wetlands delineation project, including the Army Corps of Engineers. The Army Corps is not able to help us this year, and we continue to collect data so we can make a decision on the direction we will take.
Kathy Webb presented the Treasurer’s Report, as our Treasurer Tom Imblum was unable to attend the meeting. The Balance Sheet and P&L are presented below.
Webb noted that 70% of SLCA members are current on their maintenance fees. She also noted that several local businesses – The Silver Lake Inn, Reeser’s Soft Serve Ice Cream, and Allen’s Eatery – were helpful with fundraising which has earned the SLCA approximately $1000 in the last year net of expenses. She encouraged attendees who frequent these establishments to express their appreciation on their next visit. FoSL (Friend of Silver Lake) magnets are still available and can be ordered here at our website.
Brad noted that the SLCA has work parties the 3rd Saturday of April through October to keep up with maintenance, shrub and vegetation control, etc. and encouraged all members to step up and help in any way they can, including things as simple as providing coffee, water, sandwiches to workers. The SLCA Board meets monthly. We will post meeting dates/times on Facebook and members who wish to attend and observe are welcome.
The meeting concluded with the election of directors. All returning board members were re-elected and the board will vote on officers at it’s next meeting.
More information about our 2014 Engineer’s Report can be found here.