VILLAGE DISTRICT OF EIDELWEISS
SEPTEMBER 2019 NEWSLETTER
In This Issue:
State of the Municipality
Canoe and Kayak Racks
Reinach water tank
Water System Update
Environmental Committee Update
Water meter analysis
Dam Management Policy
Electrical Upgrades to Pump Houses
Water System Seasonal Shut off
Road Equipment Update
EPOA News
Correction to August Newsletter
Upcoming Meetings
State of the Municipality
On September 28th, the BOC is hosting a “State of the Municipality” address. This meeting will occur at 10am and is being held in the Lodge at the top of Oak Ridge. Information on Water, Roads, Environment and Budgets will be presented.
Canoe and Kayak Racks
All canoes or any other watercraft of any description shall be removed from all storage racks no later than November 11th. Any watercraft left on the beaches or on the storage racks after November 11th will be impounded and may be auctioned off or otherwise disposed of at the discretion of the Board of Commissioners. Should the owner of the craft claim the watercraft during the impound period of 180 days or prior to disposal, the owner will be charged a $100 fee for retrieval of the impounded craft.
Reinach Water Tank
The Reinach Tank plans are on schedule. The schedule is on the district website.
Water System Update
A leak was located on Interlaken Circle in early August. Unfortunately, it was impossible to identify the exact location of the leak. Many of the leaks in our water system originate in this general vicinity and the BOC wanted to investigate the possibility of replacing a large section of pipe rather than replacing one small leak. By early September, the leak became more severe and it was decided that due to limited available funding, the only responsible option was to fix the leaking pipe and not replace a larger section. Because the leak grew, it was also easier to identify the exact spot of the damaged pipe.
Also, the BOC completed an application on behalf of the district for a grant from the NH Water Trust Fund.
Environmental Committee Update
The committee is working on three significant projects at the present time. First, the outhouses on four of the VDOE beaches have not been “pumped clean” in many years. The committee is working on a long-term plan and hopes to have something for the voters at the annual meeting.
The committee is also working to create a warrant article with the goal of having the voters decide on whether the VDOE should continue weekly beach testing. The BOC does not support weekly beach testing but is eager to have all the information to present to the voters in March so that the voters can decide if they think this is a good expenditure of tax-payer moneys.
The third project being undertaken by the environmental committee is to address erosion and runoff at several of our public beaches.
Water Meter Analysis
The commissioners adopted an official policy on September 17, 2019 with guidance from Rick Skarinka of DES, Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau, and Stacey Herbold – Program manager for Water Use, Registration and Reporting.
In short, the VDOE would be ill advised to install water meters in homes within the district and would benefit more from “zone metering”. Less than 20% of the entire water bill is allocated towards actual water usage. The rest is allocated towards infrastructure costs. As such, it makes no sense to spend hundreds of dollars each year to determine the best way how to bill water users an average of less than $70 worth of water. To see the full policy and rationale, visit the VDOE website.
Dam Management Policy
The BOC made a concerted effort to keep the pond levels higher this year than in any recent year. A new policy has been approved by the BOC and will be submitted to the state and Madison Fire Chief for approval. Included in this plan is a request for the Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) to install a floating loon nest.
Electrical Upgrades to Pump Houses
Two of the pump houses in the district will be having their electrical systems upgraded this fall. A third pump house will have it done in the spring. Funding for these projects came from the reallocation of the bond money first approved in 2018 during the annual meeting and then reallocated during the 2019 annual meeting.
Water curb stop seasonal shut off
Seasonal shut off for winter will be available Monday, November 4, 2019 at a cost of $50.00. Please contact the office to make an appointment. You may choose to schedule your seasonal shut down at a different time at actual cost incurred by the District.
Road Equipment Update
The grader is back in service and the new 5500 is outfitted and on the roads.
EPOA News
Thank you to the EPOA for the following projects & contributions:
-Repairing the fencing around the playground and maintaining & painting the swing-set this fall.
-Purchasing 2 additional speed bumps for Eidelweiss Drive to be installed near Boulder Beach next year.
-Ongoing landscaping & gardening at multiple locations and VLAP pond testing this past summer.
-Presentation on Pond Health & Invasive Aquatic Plants by NH State Biologist was on Sat 9/14.
-UPCOMING EPOA EVENTS
-Italian Shared Dinner on 10/12
-Fall Foliage Coffee & Donuts on 10/13
Correction to August Newsletter
The capital reserve funds update stated that the Water Tank CRF has a balance $40,842. It neglected to also state that $20,000 would be added to the fund this year.
Upcoming VDOE Meetings
Check the VDOE website for all meetings & locations.