Vol. #96 November/December 2006

The ballots on the proposed revision of the By-laws (which was primarily a combination of the old By-laws and Constitution) were sent to 294 Members of the Association. Of the 129 valid returns, 68 approved and 61 disapproved which did not meet the 2/3 majority vote required for approval. Therefore, the Rules and Regulations Committee is now working to modify the proposal to take account of the objections. Ultimately, any such revision will be reviewed by the Legal Committee and require a vote of the Board of Directors and of the Membership of the Association.

Meanwhile, the portion of the old "blue book" entitled "Rules and Regulations" was approved by the Board of Directors last May. These do not require approval by the Membership according to the Pennsylvania non-profit communities law. It is therefore time to have them distributed to the community.

In order to save postage, the Rules and Regulations Committee has recommended (and the Board of Directors has approved) that we use electronic mail as well as the Post Office to distribute the revised Rules and Regulations and copies of the Deed Covenants.

If you wish to receive the document via email, please fill out the request form on the last page of the newsletter and mail it to the WLLA office by January 15, 2007. Your email address will be kept confidential in the office and your permission to use it can be withdrawn at any time by written notification. Persons from whom no form is received will receive paper copies. Once a document is sent by email, it will be considered evidence of receipt of this document.

Treasurer's Report

The Wayne checking balance is holding up very well. This is, in part, the result of the past due notices that have been mailed by Kellee Cicala. The membership has been sending in their assessments, which has helped with the cash flow situation. Our expenses have also been kept to a minimum thanks to some belt tightening in our office and diligent oversight by Kellee. The balance in the Checking Account as of November 17, 2006 is $26,287.76. This balance should take us into the new year with a positive balance. In February, we will allocate any positive balance to "Reserves".
The new invoices for 2007 will be sent to the general membership beginning November 24, 2006. I will call your attention to the dates the assessments are due. The 2% discount is available through February 15, 2007. The assessments are due March 31, 2007. As of April 1, 2007 a late charge will be assessed of 1.25% per month amounting to 15% per year. We are looking into the possibility of assessing a late handling fee in addition to the late charge.

Congratulations to Kellee Cicala on having been promoted to Community Association Manager. I am confident that Kellee will have the community's support and will do an outstanding job.
Talking about outstanding jobs brings me to the subject of Beach and Grounds. When I came to this community 20 years ago, Charlie and Gwen Kieselmann were here doing the job of keeping the Beach and Grounds enjoyable for our community and guests. They helped run functions that were vital to the feeling of "Community" at Walker Lake (as well as bringing much needed revenue to the Association). I have served on the Board on three different occasions and the Kieselmann's were always the people who I knew were part of the backbone of this community. They never asked for recognition, nor did they ever ask for anything that wasn't for the betterment of the community. In short, Gwen and Charlie's picture is what we would see if we opened the dictionary and looked up community.
Thank you Gwen and Charlie for your unselfish dedication and beautification of the beach and grounds. You do an outstanding job on yet another thankless project.
I THANK YOU!

Bernie Reyes,
New on the job,
Treasurer

Lake Report

The Lake Committee needs your help. Crime Watch reported to the Lake Committee that a vehicle was observed on the dam. This is an extremely dangerous situation for our dam's integrity.  The possible damage to the dam cannot be overstated. The community needs to be aware of this so we can identify the person(s) responsible. Please call our Community Manager, Kellee Cicala, at 296-7788 with any information concerning this matter.

The WLLA Lake Committee

For Your Information

Ø Please be aware that there is a float/dock that has washed up on the shoreline by Hemp Lane. The float is made of old wood and is reddish in color. If anyone has any information on who the owner is, please contact the office @ 296-7788 immediately.
It is important to keep an eye out for your neighbor, as you would want the same courtesy.
Thank You:
Kellee Cicala
WLLA Community Manager

Ø Dear WLLA property owners:
At the November 18th, 2006 Board of Directors meeting, the board unanimously approved the issuance of fines for property owners who allow refuse to accumulate on their property or who dump debris on Association property or on other private property. FINES WILL BE SET at $500.00 for the first offense and will INCREASE at $500.00 increments for each subsequent offense.

 WLLA Board of Directors and the WLLA Community Manager.

Ø To Walker Lake Residents:
In the past month, there have been a couple of homes broken into in Walker Lake. We think residents need to be aware of this so they can be especially vigilant in keeping an eye out for anything or anyone that looks suspicious.  With winter coming, we also know that there are many people who will be heading south, thus leaving houses unoccupied.  For those of you who have neighbors who are away for the winter, please keep an eye on their houses as much as possible and generally, just be aware of what's going on around you.

If you see anything, please call the office and inform Kellee and she will alert the crime patrol.  If it is after office hours, you can call John Innaco at 409-1876, Terry Tolsdorf at 409-1111, or the Local or State Police. Also, we have not gotten any response to our plea for more crime patrol volunteers.  It is more important now than ever.  It is our community and our responsibility to protect it.  Whatever time you can give to this will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
The Crime Patrol

Ø The bus trip to Lancaster and Longwood Gardens on December 2 was cancelled. There will be more trips scheduled. If you have any suggestions or questions, please call Fran Orth at 296-5528.

Ø A number of people have been experiencing problems with their local telephone service, such as loud noises, static, and echoing noises. Contact the local Verizon office if you are experiencing problems with your local service as this appears to be a problem at the local level.

Good Tidings

A big THANK YOU to Linda Dubowski for organizing and setting up a great, fun Halloween Pot Luck Party and a big THANK YOU to the Reyes family for the spooky decorations in the clubhouse! The decorations really set the tone for the party.
Barb DiMaio

Best wishes to Dottie Meyer! We are thinking of you.

Letters to the Editor

Opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the WLLA Board of Directors.

Dear Members of Shohola Fire Dept., Walker Lake Division,
        Thank you so much for the great trick or treating here in our community!  You work so hard making Halloween night fun and safe for all the children here at Walker Lake.  We are so fortunate to have caring and generous members in our midst! We all appreciate the hard work you do, not only Halloween night, but year round!
Sincerely,
The Wulfhorst Family

Dear Friends at Walker & Twin Lakes:
These past months beginning in Feb. 2006 (our trip to S.C.) have been difficult for us, but our hearts have been filled with your love & kindness. The dinner party at the Carriage House was attended by many of our friends at Walker Lake & Twin Lakes. Thanks to Bernie & Barbara for organizing the whole affair. The food was great, and it was our first opportunity to be together with all of you.

Thanks to all of you who came, and thanks to all of you who have driven us to the doctors and visited us at Twin Cedars and Newton Hospital. Your friendship meant so much. Also, thanks to the Women's Sewing Group for making the beautiful quilt for me. I will always treasure it!! We have enjoyed dinner at your homes and the pleasure of your company. We'll continue to look for your visits. We are hoping to return to our home in Walker Lake whenever our health permits.
Gratefully:
Lois and Jack Rauch

From the Editor:

Thank you to Bernie Reyes and Kellee Cicala. Credit for the seasonal greetings insert belongs to their collaborative effort! The deadline for submissions to the next newsletter is February 5, 2007. I encourage you to submit items of interest to the community, letters of appreciation or concern, or other articles of relevance to our readers. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions of things you'd like to see in the newsletter, please feel free to contact me at kkilmer@ptd.net or call the office at 570-296-7788.

"When men exercise their reason coolly and freely on a variety of distinct questions, they inevitably fall into different opinions on some of them. When they are governed by a common passion, their opinions, if they are to be called, will be the same."
    --Alexander Hamilton

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