What’s Happening at the Beach? Summer 2015 Update

From the Chairman of the Access Committee:

The Park Committee is active to improve our beach and park. We are doing the following:

1. Driveway: New stones should be installed within a week.

2. Goose control: The wood posts and strings we did last year will be done again, hopefully by this weekend. These worked in the pontoon area last year, but were less effective on the other side because the geese would walk up the beach to that grass. Therefore, we’ll be adding a Coyote decoy near the beach which reportedly scares the geese away. It will be on a chain, and can change position and location — feel free to move it if you’re around. Change is good! We’ll also try a silhouette for the raft, and hopefully swimmers won’t consider it a toy with which to play.

3. Raft: The raft earth-anchor has somehow moved, and at the earliest opportunity, we will try to put it closer to the swim line where it has been in the past. In the meantime, please caution your swimmers that it is further out than it has been, and further than it appears to be.

4. Buoys: When we re-seat the raft, we will install the buoy now at the lake which will have new stickers. We also have two new additional buoys to install.

5. Invasive weeds: The Eurasian Milfoil is an invasive plant in lakes, and is infecting many in the area, including Strawberry. Algae is also a big problem recently. The Eurasian Milfoil is choking out the beach area, and is a danger to swimmers in terms of entanglement. Also, if someone went down, it would be nearly impossible to find them. It is ruining the lakefront. We have a State permit to treat the beach and pontoon WATER for this invasive weed and algae the week of June 21st. Many other places on Strawberry Lake, including the group of homes directly across from us, and other lakes in the area, e.g., all of Hamburg Lake, are being treated similarly. Aqua Weed Control is doing the treatment. They treated Whitmore Lake and were recommended by Washtenaw County’s water conservation Director. Signs will be posted the day before, but there is no swimming for 24 hours after. There will be a second treatment in August.

6. One boat ramp cement slab on the side of the large one moved over the winter. Can anyone help to move it back in parallel with the large slab? Please let me know.

7. We’ll be putting in orange tie-downs for all the pontoon boats next year. Some owners already bought them, but everybody will have them next year.

Mary McLaughlin
for the Parks Committee.

Mary Eileen McLaughlin
memc@ieee.org
734-646-5363

=====

Beach proposed and actual maintenance and activity expenses - 2015 
(Not including regular expenses for grass, Lashbrook, etc.) 
 
                                                     Estimate   Total
Two buoys, shipped free with labels                   $264.00 $528.00 
Three swim line clamps (Recreonics)                    $10.30  $30.90 
One swim line pole                                     $35.00  $35.00 
Aquatic nuisance (invasive weed) control permit        $75.00  $75.00 
Aquatic nuisance (invasive weed) control herbicide
 treatment (Aqua Weed Control)                        $425.00 $425.00 
Goose barrier (wood posts and string)                 $100.00 $100.00 
Goose repellant grass application (FlightControl)     $265.00 $265.00 
Coyote predator decoy for geese (Gander Mountain)      $75.00  $75.00 
Stones for road and grading (Knight Excavating)       $800.00 $800.00 
Chain and 4 cemet blocks for new buoys                $100.00 $100.00 
Picnic table repair - materials                        $85.00  $85.00 
Picnic table repair - labor                           $100.00 $100.00 
Meijer's - Easter stuffed eggs                         $22.66  $22.66 
Amazon - Easter stuffed eggs                           $61.97  $61.97 
Amazon - Easter stuffed eggs                           $20.97  $20.97 
Misc. hardware, Wards - anchors and hooks for swim raft chain; auger end piece for swim line pole;
   line to tie swim line to poles; orange spray paint because pontoon people use poles(!);
   rod to put into poles to screw them down           $150.00 $150.00 
 
                                                      Total $2,874.50