The meeting was called to order at 7:06 p.m. Board members in attendance were: Alan Dinkelacker, Grant Sheehan, Andrew Twillman, Bill DiLoreta, Brian Kopec, and Lisa Rogers.

Staff in attendance were: GM Stephen Hembree, AGM Clay Edwards, compliance coordinator Kevin Oyler, community resource manager Joy Gurley.

The minutes of the March 15, 2004 board meeting were approved as written.

Security— DFC Venzin will report at a later board meeting.

Environmental Control Committee— Compliance coordinator Kevin Oyler reported that since coming aboard the LLA staff in mid-March the ECC has had one meeting. He said the committee reviewed 15 applications. LLA president Dinkelacker asked how many of the applications were rejected. Mr. Oyler said that approximately four applications were not approved.

Mr. Oyler said that the ECC and staff were recommending Aspen resident Meridee Kerrigan to the board to serve as chairperson of the committee.

MOTION: Director DiLoreta made a motion to approve Mrs. Kerrigan as ECC chairperson. Director Rogers seconded the motion.

VOTE: The board voted 6-0 to approve the motion.

Trailblazers Committee— Co-chairperson Katrinka Westendorf reminded the board about the April 24 "big dig" and the annual Scales ‘n Tales presentation at Coldstream Pool.

Social Committee— Community resource manager Joy Gurley reported that the steering committee had been able to meet once and begin to formulate its own structure, as well as setting plans for smaller scaled summer and fall events until the committee gets up to full steam for planning and producing activities. She said that the date for the holiday party had been set for December 3 and that Ceresville Mansion had been secured as the site of the party.

Election Committee— John Snow reported for committee chairperson Judy Snow. He noted that the deadline for candidates is April 15 and that the candidate forum was set for April 19. He made a request to Pinehurst and Woodridge villages to send volunteers to help serve as election day judges at the annual meeting. Mr. Snow noted that only two people had submitted their names as candidates for the 2004-05 board of directors.

Friends of the Lake Committee— Committee chairperson Bill Strang said the committee was hosting the "big dig" on April 24, which is a project related to the native plant gardens. He said volunteers were needed to help with the work and that volunteers would get some free native plants as a reward.

Meadows Village— Director Rogers, who had been serving as acting chairperson, introduced Ed Duafala who had volunteered to serve as chairperson of the Meadows Village Committee. Director Rogers also asked about the status of the mailbox lighting project and wanted to know if the Aspen entry lighting was included in the project. GM Hembree said that the mailbox project included Balmoral, Meadows, and Pinehurst but did not include Aspen. GM Hembree said that the contractor had started the project but did not know exactly when it would be completed.

Pinehurst Village— Village committee member Glen Weigle presented a report about a dredging machine (Piranha Gasoline Engine Dredge, the Homeowners Dredge) that could help the lakefront homeowners in Pinehurst to reclaim access to the lake waters. That section of Lake Linganore has been hardest hit by the siltation coming into the community lake, he noted, and added that the machine could remedy some of the problem on a short-term basis until the LLA’s long-term plans for dredging the lake could be accomplished. Mr. Weigle said the machine, which he personally used for his property in 1999, can be used by an individual homeowner and accomplish a lot. He added that the lakefront property owners in that village were willing to do the labor, which could save money for the association. He said he had contacted Maryland Department of the Environment and had been told that individual homeowners do not need to apply for a dredging permit to use the machine.

He noted that within the dredging system one of the options is to fill "geotubes" with the silt and use the tubes to line a body of water that essentially creates an erosion-proof shoreline. In addition, the tubes can be filled and placed under water for other purposes.

Another option with the machine is to purchase plastic pipes that will pump the silt out of the lake onto nearby land. The cost of the machine is $7100, with additional costs for geotubes and/or pipes. Mr. Hembree said it was a good price for such a piece of equipment.

LLA directors asked about association insurance requirements if the homeowners used the machine individually or as a group. Mr. Hembree said that he would have to look into the matter because if the homeowners do the work as part of an LLA committee, they would be covered by the LLA insurance. Mr. Hembree said that could create a problem for the permit aspect of the project because if the homeowners are part of an LLA committee, that might require that the association apply for a permit. West Lakeridge Road residents in attendance said they would sign waivers to protect the association but Mr. Hembree said that waivers have no legal standing and would not accomplish the intended goal. Mr. Weigle asked whether the association could apply for a permit for a process, instead of a specific project, which would allow the dredging to be done at any location. The consensus was that the LLA should purchase the equipment and try to make the proposal work

MOTION: Director Sheehan made a motion that the board direct staff to check on the liability issues, as well as the permitting, and to purchase the machine by using funds from the reserve account fund. Director Kopec seconded the motion. GM Hembree said that staff would proceed but stated that he was strongly opposed to using reserve funds for any improvement projects. He said the reserve account was created to give the LLA the ability to replace aging facilities as needed and that using these funds for anything else is contrary to the rationale for having these funds set aside.

VOTE: The board voted 6-0 in favor of the motion.

Westwinds Village— Committee chairperson Carol Thames was not in attendance but LLA director and WW resident Andrew Twillman reported that the tot lot was completed and that the basketball court construction was in progress. GM Hembree said that some adjustment of either the lowest rung on the ladder steps or adding mulch to the grounds was necessary.

Woodridge Village— Committee co-chairperson John Cunha said that the village would like to have a sign installed at the Brosius Dam area about towing. GM Hembree pointed out that such a sign is in place. Mr. Cunha said the village had determined two locations for doggie pot stations and that it had volunteers to mow the parcel C so that the village could reclaim the trail.

Mr. Cunha also submitted to the board a petition from Woodridge residents (attached to minutes) requesting that Woodridge be included in any tree remediation program developed by Land Stewards for Aspen. Board president Dinkelacker said that Land Stewards manager Bob Wilcox had already agreed to do that. Mr. Cunha and several other Woodridge residents stated that if the board would not support this request then Aspen would be receiving preferential treatment.

Kathy Brown reminded the board that Aspen’s intention in its pursuit of protecting the covenants related to tree clearing was to protect the entire community not only the Aspen village.

LLA president Dinkelacker asked that Land Stewards and Woodridge get together to work out a plan of action related to the tree remediation and future planting program. GM Hembree asked if Land Steward and Woodridge cannot work out an agreement, to whom does the committee go to for resolution of the matter?

Candidate Forum Reminder— April 19 is the date set for the candidate forum, which will be held at the LLA office.

Projects Report— the board reviewed the report submitted by new assistant general manager Clay Edwards. Mr. Hembree said that this report was not intended to replace the general manager’s monthly report to the board. Mr. Edwards said the report was something he used to get his own ideas together about where certain projects stood.

Brosius Dam Rehab Project— Mr. Hembree said that Frederick city officials were in the rebid mode and that bids would be due April 15. Director Twillman expressed his concern that the city might be dragging its feet on the dam project because it prefers the Potomac River connection. GM Hembree said that the lake would likely be a water source for the city for a considerable time and that is not the reason that the project is taking longer than anticipated.