Summary of the RBLPOA Meeting on July 17, 2021
Next RBLPOA meeting on Sat, August 14 at 9:30am. See all upcoming RBLPOA meetings here.
Photo by Alex Harris
We had our first in-person meeting at Children’s Beach since 2019. And the turnout was great. Thanks to everyone who could join us!
Introduction of Abby O’Brien, Lake Superintendent
Abby, who was joined by three of her four children, has been a resident of Roaring Brook Lake her whole life. She has been doing a terrific job setting up the beaches and organizing our new car, beach, and boat tag system.
Photo by Alex Harris
Car tags: each household will receive two. If you have more than two cars, please share the tags between the cars. A guest can use one of your car tags, as long as you accompany your guests to the beach.
Beach tags: each household will receive four. Please place a tag on your beach bag or blanket, where Abby can see them easily as she scans the beach. You do not need to wear them.
Boat stickers: the new stickers are orange. Please register each boat separately by clicking here. You must put new stickers on all your boats this year, even if you got a new green tag recently. We plan to remove unused or derelict boats this fall to make more room on our crowded boat racks for all the boats that we do use, and so it’s important that all boats in use have the current stickers.
Introduction of Sam Oliverio: Sam has been supervisor of Putnam Valley for six years now and has made significant improvements in the quality of life for all residents. This will be his last year as the supervisor of Putnam Valley. During his term, over 1,000 acres of Putnam Valley land have been preserved, including the 300 acre developer’s area abutting the RBL District on the southeast, now part of Fahnestock Park, the Granite Mountain preserve at the center of Putnam Valley, and the recently acquired Catholic Youth Organization property that is now the Town summer camp. Sam put in place legislation to protect Roaring Brook Lake, including a mandatory septic pump-out law for the District and he hired the first professional Lake Manager for RBL since 1990. It may be a coincidence, but this year our lake has been fortunately free of harmful algal blooms. There is a new firehouse on the way. Putnam Valley is now a more attractive place to reside. Thank you, Sam!
Dam remediation plan: There was some confusion about the dam remediation project. Sam spoke with the dam engineers after our meeting, and I can now reassure everyone in the Roaring Brook District that the dam remediation plan is designed to prevent the lake from rising significantly, even with a thousand-year storm. First, we will watch the weather predictions and will plan to lower the lake in anticipation of an extreme weather event. Second, the dam remediation plan includes a large auxiliary spillway that will allow water to exit safely during an extreme event. The third barrier to overtopping or breach of the dam, the parapet wall, is an extra precaution that we do not plan to ever use – but is required by the DEC and is a good precaution to have.
Our next step will be to get the final engineering plan, and then prepare the submission to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. If you have any questions or concerns, let us know at admin@rblpoa.com.
Harmful algal blooms: Sam described the terrible HAB situation at both Lake Peekskill, where all beaches were closed and at Lake Oscawana where three beaches were closed. Fortunately, even with the very algae-conducive weather (rain at night, hot and still in the day), we have not had an HAB or a beach closing at RBL this year. Please continue to work on preventing nutrient pollutants from entering the lake. Continue to pump septic tanks regularly, avoid using fertilizers in your yard, manage stormwater appropriately, and, at the edge of the lake, replace lawn with deeply rooted plants, grasses, and shrubs.
Opt-In Community Solar: Ralph Smith and Wendy Whetsel are working now on a program that will allow Community Solar for Putnam Valley on an opt-in basis. We’ll hear more about this proposed program at one of our next RBLPOA meetings.
Children’s Beach Playground: A modest playset developmentally appropriate for young children including a short slide, a bucket swing for infants, a strap swing for older children, and some climbing areas was budgeted for RBL last year. There are already several similar playsets at the other Town lakes and in the Town Park. The responsibility for the liability and insurance for these playsets will fall to Putnam Valley Town, and not to the RBL District. A playground is something that has been desired at RBL for at least 20 years. Preschool children can meet and play with other kids. Parents can meet and mingle. Sam feels that beach playgrounds already have precedent in the Town and have been very welcome and successful for parents and children. He thanked the parents who worked very hard to make this possible for RBL.
Regatta: With regret, the RBLPOA Board has decided not to hold a Regatta this year. Putnam County has moved from Low Risk (green) to High Risk (orange) this week, as new Covid cases in Putnam County increased 500%. If you are eligible, please get vaccinated; protect yourself, your family, and your neighbors.
There were several other questions about the wetlands areas across from the stores, mosquitoes (we’ll use biologic mosquito control ”dunks”) and the possibility of reasonable speed limits for electric power boats. Lots to discuss at future meetings! We hope to see you at the next RBLPOA meeting, Saturday, August 14 at 9:30.
– Ina Cholst, President, RBLPOA