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Lake Committee Minutes
On June 24, the LOK Lake
Committee met to review where we stand on our list of action items.
Below is a quick summary of where we stand on things. Please pass
this email on to anyone you think may not be on the LOK email blast.
We'll also try to post this on the new message board.
Where we stand on
issues:
Lake Clarity & Color
Everyone on the committee agreed that the water looks good from a
clarity standpoint and we're pleased with the color. We'll
continue to watch it and will add dye as needed to maintain the look.
Here's a picture of what the lakes look like from the ski. This
picture was taken the last week of June.
 Boat
Stickers
Chuck Gleason had his designers at Eagle Sports come up with a new
boat sticker that's easier to see. We have printed all the
stickers and delivered them to Mike Ellem's house. If you have
sent your Proof of Insurance into the Management Company, please stop by
Mike's house to pick up your sticker.
Stickers are to be placed on
the driver's side window, just above your throttle in a place that is
easy to see. All boats need to have stickers by end of July.
If you are unsure of what you need to send the Management Company,
please contact Jessica Grisels at
jessica@mymcinc.com or call her directly at 281-647-6166. Or
ask a neighbor, email anyone on the Lake Committee (see below), or
contact any board member. We'll all be happy to help. We
need to make sure that everyone using the lakes has adequate boat
owner's insurance (at least $500,000 liability coverage) and has the
Lakes of Katy POA listed as a 2nd insured on their policy.
Weed Treatment
Joe Shea & David Welch treated all the pond weed that was growing by
the boat ramp and around several home owners lots. The treatment
seemed to work well. They plan to continue treating as needed.
The next treatment should be within the next couple of weeks. When
we treat for weeds, we need to keep wave action down for at least 12-24
hrs, so Joe & David will be choosing days that they figure will see
minimal traffic. For instance, they may treat late Sunday evening
knowing that few boats are on the lakes on Monday mornings.
Grass Carp
The grass carp fence was installed by Woody Lyles. Thanks to
Woody for making that happen. He worked with Mike Mooney to make
sure it was esthetically pleasing since it is directly across from his
lot. We haven't had enough rain yet to cause any water to spill
over the spillway, so we plan to continue monitoring the gate to make
sure the carp can't get through once the water comes up. We
haven't seen much of the grass carp and are still monitoring the lake
grass activity.
Water Quality
Steve Morse has been testing the water quality on a regular basis
and was pleased to announce that the quality of our lake water is very
good. Bacteria and micro-organism levels are way below danger
levels, hardness and pH are where they need to be. Steve will
continue testing the water on a quarterly basis
Shoreline Maintenance
We had a fairly long, and as always, heated discussion surrounding
our shorelines. The large wakes from the bigger boats and
activities like wake surfing are impacting the erosion of our shorelines
dramatically. Lake depths are much lower than they were two years
ago due to the silting affect that happens when the shorelines are cut
into by the wake action and the bounce-back on the lakes due to the
clifting is very noticeable. We discussed ideas of how were can
monitor the lake depths and shoreline erosion to determine the rate at
which the lakes are silting in and lots are being cut back.
We discussed the idea of
limiting certain water activities such as wake surfing, which cause the
most damage; but since our deed restrictions and bylaws don't limit
anything, we can only ask all boaters to be aware of what your boat's
wakes are doing to your neighbor's shorelines. Some shorelines
seem to be weathering the storm well, but the majority are not. If
you decide to wake surf, we ask that you stay in the middle of the lakes
and not go all the way to the ends before you turn around. Even
consider stopping at each end so the large wakes created by turning will
not impact the ends of the lakes as much. Basically, the longer
the waves have to flatten out before they hit the shore, the better.
The South Lake shoreline has
held up well, but there are a couple of spots that need addressing.
These are the two "Watch Areas" at the East
and West ends of the lake. Joe and Chuck plan to experiment with a
couple different ideas for reinforcing those areas. We'll also be
doing some testing in areas on the Mid Lake island and East end of the
Mid lakes to see what works best. This will be our most important
project over the next 2-3 months. We need to find out what will
work best so when we fix the island, we have a good feeling that it will
be something that lasts a long time.
The Mid Lakes Island is the
next BIG PROJECT on our list of To Dos. We had a long discussion
about it. We are still working on ideas on how to get heavy
equipment out to the island. We agreed that we need a barge (i.e.
a 10ft x 20 ft barge) that can be used to transport equipment whenever
we need to do so, and then be used for other things, such as a
tournament starting dock when we're not using it. We also agreed
that once the island is re-groomed and re-landscaped, we need to
irrigate it. David Welch and Chuck Gleason are doing some research
in what it would cost to either purchase a used pontoon boat that we
convert to a flat-top barge or build a dock from parts we purchase from
a company that supplies floating dock parts such as
http://www.mercomarine.com.
Our goal is to get or build something for less than $7500.
Our rough schedule for the
Mid Lakes island and common area shoreline fix is as follows:
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By end of July - have
our barge option selected and purchase approved by board
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By end of August - have
barge completed, allowing us to get some light equipment out to the
island and test a few areas over the summer.
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By end of Sept - have a
plan on how we are going to reinforce the island once it is
re-sloped.
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By end of Oct - have
contractor identified to do the shoreline maintenance, must likely
on an hourly rate basis. The job should not last more than 3
weeks.
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By end of Nov - have an
exact start date identified
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Dec - begin work and
finish by mid Jan
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Mid Jan to Mid Feb -
shut down the Mid lakes to allow island shoreline to settle and
grass to take root.
Please note that this is a
very rough schedule, but it will give you an idea of what needs to take
place before we even begin work.
Now's
still a good time to fix your shorelines. The lakes are still 6-8"
low
Here's a list of contractors
you can contact to help get your shorelines back to their original
slopes:
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Dixon Brother's
Tractor & Dump Truck Services
(this is who recently leveled the lot next to the Gleason's)
Contact Name: Frederick Dixon - 832-731-6525
Tractor with Box Blade - $60/hour (4 hr min)
Trackhoe - will quote
Dozer - will quote
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Bluestone Patio &
Landscaping Service (also known as Katy Topsoil)
Contact Name: Ed Threatt - 281-371-3611 or 832-428-0981
Services:
Bobcat work - $75/hour (4 hr minimum) - most lots would only require
4 hours
Dirt - 8 yards @ $100/load
Hauling off dirt - 8 yards @ $50/load + loader cost
French Drains - $25/ft
Sod - Tiff 419 - $120.00 per pallet + delivery
St Augustine - $100 per pallet
+ delivery
Sand - Masonry white sand - $30.00 per yard, 4 yard min (same as
used on Gleason's beach)
River sand (sharp) -
$30.00 per yard, 4 yard min (same as used on Joe Shea's lot)
Gravels - $55.00 per yard, 4 yard min
Silt Fencing - will quote (averages $3/foot)
Lawn mowing - will quote
Total Package - Mowing, weeding, fertilizing, etc.. $425/month (most
lots with houses)
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Rent Chuck's Tractor
Do you want to do it yourself? Or maybe you need a tractor
for only a few hours on short notice.
Contact Name: Chuck Gleason - 469-363-4675
4 wheel drive Kubota Tractor with turf tires, grooming blade on
back, and front end loader
$75/half day (5 hours pick up at 9am, return by 2pm) or $130/full
day (pick up at 9am, return next morning)
Pick up at Chuck's house - 3002 Lakes of Katy Lane - drive it to
your house and back
If you're interested in
fixing your lot, but don't know what you'll need, feel free to contact
Joe Shea at 832-265-0039 or Chuck Gleason at 469-363-4675. If we
can get enough lot owners interested, we'll schedule the services with
Dixon or Bluestone so they can come out one time and do several lots
during that trip. Another option is for several lot owners that
live next do to each other to go in together and have the company do all
lots at the same time, thus reducing the amount of time required.
Just let us know if you have any questions.
Chuck Gleason
3002 Lakes
of Katy Lane
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