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FEBRUARY 2020
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February 2020
VVA Board of Directors February 9, 2020 Call to Order Troy Lesan, Lot 576, called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. in the lower level of the clubhouse. Members in attendance were Flint Hibler, Lot 183; Mark Leggett, Lot 72; Mike Booth, Lot 1259; Eric Odette, Lot 220; Tony Gronniger, Lot 2281; and Susan Zalenski, Lot 364. Shad Mort led the Pledge of Allegiance. Mark Leggett led in prayer. Approval of Minutes Eric Odette moved to approve the minutes of the January 12, 2020, board meeting. Susan Zalenski seconded; motion passed. Committee Reports Handbook Committee: No Report. Finance Committee: Eric Odette reported on finances. We ended 2019 on budget with a $32,793.41 gain. There was a motion made last month to use money from the deferred capital funds for the engineering study. Eric is asking for a new motion tonight to use what money we have in a State Farm Money Market account and the balance from the general funds for this study. The Finance Committee discussed the options for financing the construction phase of the dredge program and concluded that borrowing money was not a good option. Other possibilities are the sale of community areas and an increase in the special lake assessments. Eric also mentioned buying a wood chipper from Shad Mort, but Shad has decided not to sell his. Rental is an option and it will be discussed later in Board Action. Strategic Planning Committee: The Strategic Planning Committee did not meet this month, but Susan Zalenski announced the Board Candidates running at the March Annual Meeting. Those candidates are Celeste Armanees, James Funk, Marvin McNabb, Doug Holland, and Mike Booth. Activities Committee: Flint Hibler reported activities for March are the Wine & Cheese and Sip & Paint. Building Committee: Flint Hibler reported 2 new permits were issued in January. Fire Department: Tony Gronniger reported the Fire Department met Saturday and had a training session and tested the sirens. Tony also said one of their brush rigs is down, but parts have been ordered. Campground: No Report. Lake Committee: Troy Lesan reminded everyone about the Polar Plunge coming up on February 15. Infraction Committee: No Report. Dredge Committee Shawn Hepinstall reported on the Town Hall Meeting that was held Feb. 1. There were approximately 60 people in attendance and for the most it was a very positive meeting. Everyone realized the south end is in a critical state. Shawn broke down in to 3 parts what came out of the meeting. Two parts are short-term. We are going to propose to our members to sell some community areas. We have 23 of these areas and 5 have been identified that we could possibly sell. No one is losing access to the lake. There will still be 18 community areas that give members access. We are also looking at a one-time assessment to help fund this project. Shawn challenged the Finance Committee to think about short-term financing if we don’t get approval to sell the community areas or if they don’t sell right away. The third part is asking for an increase in the Special Lake Assessment. We need to do long-term planning. We need funds to possibly hire another full-time dredge person and funds for long term accrual. Even if we build a new structure now, 8-10 years down the road we may need to clean it or build another one. Shawn and Shad Mort went to Lake Lotawana last week. They have the same kind of dredge we have. They have reconfigured their dredge, so it is not breaking down as often and not clogging as much. There is a system for the front that we can purchase for about $1,200, as well as better seals so they don’t go out as quickly. We gathered a lot of useful information to improve the dredge. Part of the engineering process is that it dewaters the silt. This is why we need an engineered system. Our pond retains the water, so the dipping process can’t keep up. We need to go to the members and ask for support
Next VVA Board Meeting:
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Volume 32, No. 10
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
ANNUAL MEETING March 1, 2020 The Viking Valley Association Annual Meeting will be held March 1, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. in the upper level of the clubhouse.
In order to attend the meeting, each person must be an Active Member in good standing. EACH PERSON MUST have their 2019 Membership Card with them to be admitted to the meeting. This is the only verification we have during registration that you are a paid member in good standing. A valid driver's license may also be required to validate identification. As stated in the Viking Valley Association By-laws, Article I and Article II, Renters and Associate Members are not entitled to receive notice of any meeting, to vote, or to participate therein. Only “Active Members in Good Standing” (record owner of a lot or tract of land located in Valkyrie Valley Subdivision) are eligible to attend and participate in the meeting.
Please remember: EACH PERSON MUST HAVE THEIR 2019 MEMBERSHIP CARD IN ORDER TO BE ADMITTED TO THE MEETING! in the 3-part process. Jim Miller asked if we were going to reconfigure our dredge like Lotawana has. Shad Mort responded that yes, we are going to try some of these things, but to keep in mind, this doesn’t mean we will never break down. Another thing Shawn learned from Lotawana is they have 2 full-time people running their dredge. We need to consider this. In the increase we will be asking for, some of that will need to be allocated to hire another person. Lotawana charges fees for boat docks, paddle boards, boat stickers, and even kayaks to accrue money.Jeff Yuratovich asked how the funding options would be voted on. Shawn reiterated that the sale of community areas would be voted on first, followed by the one-time assessment. For the long-term revenue we would vote for an increase in the Special Lake Assessment. These will all be separate votes and the increase to Special Lake Assessments will be ongoing every year, with a vote every year. The realtors that appraised the community areas believe a couple of them could sell quickly, even this year. If the sale of these lots and the one-time assessment passes, that would give us the revenue to start from a construction standpoint. If they don’t sell, then we would have to go back to the Finance Committee and the Board and ask about short-term financing. We have options to work with, but we have to do something in order to keep our lake. Resa Wiltse asked what the realtors fees would be and Shawn responded that we would like to market them ourselves and save paying those fees. If a realtor would bring a buyer, we would certainly pay them a commission. Rex Williams asked what the proposed figure is for the one-time assessment. Shawn said it could be $100 or even $300 depending on the other options passing. The one-time assessment is so we can get started on the south end because it is in a critical state. Lake Manager Report (Shad Mort) 1. Dredge: The main pump is in Blue Springs for repairs. We are going to do some of the upgrades that were discussed in the dredge report. 2. At the last meeting Shad brought up a letter from the Assessor about the campground covers. Shad has talked to the Assessor again and these covers will not be assessed this year. 3. Annual Meeting Agenda – Shad asked the Board if they had anything to add to the agenda and if so, we need to know in the next couple days. 4. Lake Managers goals for 2020: Shad will update these goals at the April
6:30 p.m. Sunday, April 5, 2020 Lower level of the clubhouse
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All members in good standing are welcome and encouraged to attend. If you want on the agenda, you must notify the office on or before the Monday prior to the board meeting.