PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

By Dave Peterson, Board President

Here is a quick summary of current issues:

Marina Settlement. At long last, we have settled our disputes with the marina. The dispute dates to the former marina owner and involved payment for the marina’s share of the east channel bulkhead project and some other issues. The new marina owner, Suntex, has been working with our board committee in good faith to resolve this. It was a complicated process, and my thanks go out to the present and former board members for their efforts. We are expecting to soon receive a check for just under $560,000, which is half the money we are owed. The remainder will be paid at the end of the year, once we have exhausted a purchase process for a piece of land that TKPOA owns near the marina. More details are provided in a separate article in this Breeze.

Budgeting. Budgeting is in full swing. Our Finance Committee is finalizing a proposed budget that will address our underfunded reserves and increased Waterways costs going forward, and attempt to reduce the future need for special assessments. This will likely require a member vote because it would require a dues increase exceeding 20%. We’ll have at least one town hall to discuss this, and you’ll receive more information with your ballot.

Bulkheads. The board voted to approve an emergency special assessment of Cove 3C members to replace their bulkhead. The contractor is planning to start in late October and continue over the winter in order to minimize impacts to east lagoon boating. Bulkhead replacement has gotten very expensive, and this project will cost each Cove 3C member upwards of $140k. It is a call to action for all bulkhead owners (coves and affected houses) to develop a financial plan for their coming replacements.

The 3C work will be done in segments. Docks will be disconnected and floated to temporary storage locations among the other 3C docs, sheet pile will be driven 15’ or so into the sediment, 1-2’ waterward of the current bulkhead using vibratory methods, the annular space between the walls will be filled with gravel, then the top will be finished, new railing installed, and docks reconnected. It’ll be good to get this difficult project done!

We are still awaiting results of a “life expectancy study” on the bulkheads for St. Moritz Isle and Bavarian Isle bulkheads. Those bulkheads are individually owned by the lot owners, but if one fails it could affect the adjacent homes and the waterway. So, the board is compelled to push this study, and the inevitable replacement project(s).

East Channel Dredging. The marina has indicated their intent to dredge the east channel this year, but this is not a certainty. Under a prior agreement, we pay 25%, the marina pays 50%, and Tahoe Keys Beach and Harbor pays 25% toward dredging, and the marina leads. The 3 parties will be conferring on this project in the coming weeks, so I will have more information for you next month.

Well 3. I don’t have any news for you on the Well 3 work.

Our hope is that through some down-hole work we can reduce or eliminate the need for uranium treatment at the site, which would save a lot of money and restore the well’s capacity. We should be getting some answers on this within the next month or so.

Landscaping. Damage to our common area landscaping caused by the 2021 drinking water crisis offered an opportunity to re-envision these landscapes, rather than just replant. The board hired Design Workshop to develop landscape designs for our common areas. They presented two alternative concepts for each of the first four areas of focus at the April 14, 2023 board meeting. The new concepts reduce turf and add interesting features. We plan to hold several town halls to discuss these with the membership and get input. Once a preferred concept emerges for each of the four areas, they’ll develop cost estimates, and we’ll get down to figuring out how to pay for it. Again… budgeting.

In the meantime, our crews have been hard at work cleaning up the common areas and doing repairs. Several of the coves have hired landscape companies to do cleanup and repairs, or re-dos of their landscaping to improve resistance to fires and reduce water use. And numerous individual homeowners are proceeding full tilt toward improving their landscapes. It is looking much better around here!

Bear Boxes. The bears are out and they are active. I’d encourage everyone to move forward with a bear box ASAP. The starting point is to contact the front office for an ACC application. The requirements are pretty cut and dry, and the approval process is quick.

Re-branding “Waterways”. The Water Quality Committee recommended, and the board approved, a re-branding of their committee as the Waterways

Committee. “Water quality” was too narrow a title, and too confusing; some people thought it dealt with drinking water, for instance. So the Waterways committee will deal with all things concerning our waterways: weeds management, nutrient and algae management, harvesting ramps, boating safety, and maybe even west channel dredging. This re-branding also combined 2 other waterway related committees, the Boating and Waterways and the El Dorado Community Foundation Fund committees, with the prior Water Quality Committee. All 3 Committee functions are not operated under the newly formed Waterways Committee.

CMT Year 2. This year consists of testing of laminar flow aeration, bottom barriers, diver hand pulling, and UV light in various areas. There will be no dammed-off areas and no boating restrictions. Year 3 will be much the same. We need to see if these less invasive techniques are effective in keeping the weeds down in last year’s herbicide zones, as well as whether those techniques work in untreated zones. This is a necessary 3-year scientific experiment to guide our long-term weeds management program. Funding for year 2 is via a special assessment that you voted on and passed. Year 3 still needs a funding mechanism; either via another special assessment, or an increase in dues.

Happy summer to all! I’m glad to see the snow gone and the cleanup and renewal underway. I’m happy with the board, staff, volunteers, and members, and the fact that we are confronting these major infrastructure and environmental issues at last. Together we’ll make life in the Keys better!