Twin Lakes Association Newsletter

Volume 9 - April 2004

Make Your Voice Heard! Lake Association Meeting May 4th

Mark your calendar and plan to attend this year’s Lake Association Annual Meeting scheduled for May 4th at 7:00 pm in Room 102 at the Windsor Road Christian Church to the East of Cherry Hills. Make your voice heard on the following agenda items:

• Annual Financial Report (draft enclosed)
• Review Lake and shoreline improvements this year (repair of west inlet and east outlet, lakeshore rock and clean-up, need for fish stock)
• Discuss homeowner responsibilities for shoreline maintenance, weeding, etc.
• Lake treatment review
• Discuss a spring clean-up party and possible annual lake picnic
• New Board officer nomination & vote
• Discussion and distribution of 2004 Lake Owners Directory

Get Involved – Be a Lake Association Board Member

Many Thanks to our current Board members: Hadi Esfahani (president), Brigitte Stevens (vice-president), Bill Conlin (treasurer), Kris Campbell (secretary) Abbas Aminmansour and Greg Fann (board members at-large) who have been on the Board this year. Board members hold 2 year terms of office and meet approximately 4 hours/year. Brigette Stevens and Greg Fann have been valuable members of the Board but both need to “pass the baton.” If you would like to volunteer or nominate someone to run for a board office come to the May 4th Lake Association Meeting to make your voice heard.

$$ Lake Association Dues are Due! $$

The yearly $75.00 Lake Association Dues are due June 1st of each year. So…if you haven’t sent your 2003-2004 dues in yet do so ASAP. Dues are used to pay for Lake Insurance, repairs to Association property like signs, purchase lake treatment supplies, restocking fish, and care and maintenance of trees and shrubs at the Windsor outlet. Please make your checks payable to Cherry Hills Lake Association and send to : Treasurer, Cherry Hills Lake Association, c/o Bill Conlin, 2502 Lakewood Drive Champaign, IL 61822. Not sure if you have paid this year call/e-mail Bill at 351 5780/ user0871@aol.com.

Red Flags Along the Lakeshore!

This spring and summer as the lake is treated with Copper Sulfate to reduce Algae growth, red flags are placed along the shoreline. Flags are removed in the evening or the next day after treatment. There are no official restrictions on the use of the water after treatment (copper sulfate is used to treat drinking water), but we suggest waiting 12 hours to swim or to let dogs swim/drink in the lake.

Regulations for The Care and Use of Cherry Hills Lake

Do you know what to do if you want to add a dock, tree, or other construction along the lake commons area? What are your swimming, fishing, hunting and boating rights as described in the Regulations? Please read over your Lake Association Covenant for rules and guidelines. If you can’t find yours they are also available on the web at: http://www.cherryhillsassoc.com/twinlakes/
and http://www.cherryhillsassoc.com/phases.html. It is the right and responsibility of All Lake Association members to obey and to enforce these regulations.

Fishing/Swimming is Great Fun – But Remember:

If a friend wants to swim or fish – you must be with them while they are on or at the lake.

A “Catch and Release” policy is encouraged. Remove the hook barbs to make removal less stressful on the fish. Wet hands before handling fish. Quickly return the fish gently back to the water!
If you keep the fish – a “Keeper” is defined as 12 in. or longer with a limit of 1 Bass per day. NEVER keep Grass Carp – we stock those to aid in grass removal in the lake.

Discourage children from throwing the shoreline rocks into the lake.
Respect your neighbors, curtail backyard and lake noise after 10:00 pm. As we all know too well, the slightest sound is magnified across the water.

Pick up hooks and line along shoreline!

NO minnows, goldfish, or leeches as bait!

Never add or introduce new fish into the lake without first checking with the Board!

Do Your Part to Care for Our Lake

In order to control erosion and weeds, each homeowner is responsible for installing and maintaining a weed barrier and rocks along the portion of the shoreline that abuts his/her property. All shorelines must be retained with rock, underlaid with a weed mat. The rock will extend at least 1 foot below, and 3 feet above the normal lake level. The Shoreline should be grass and weed free. Pulling weeds is the preferred method, Round-up may be used along upper rock edge to kill grass, but NEVER along the water edge as it will KILL or sicken fish and other animals which come in contact with the chemical. Please don’t put grass (including grass clippings from your mower) or tree limbs in the lake. Remember, the more organic matter that goes into the lake the more copper sulfate has to be used to combat algae growth. A daily quick once over to pick up blown or washed in garbage can make a BIG difference for all.

Comments and Suggestions

To: Lake Association Members

From: Twin-Lakes Lake Association Board Members

Date: April, 2004

Re: Lake Commons Maintenance

At the 2003 annual meeting of the Twin-Lakes Association Members, the board was asked to develop a three phase process of keeping our membership informed about potential issues relating to the lake commons areas.
This memo is the first step in that three-phase process. Asking each homeowner to take an assessment of their lakefront property in the following areas by June 1st:

Edging between the grass and rock boundaries: Is it intact, at or slightly above ground level and not a tripping hazard? If it is not intact or extends high enough above the rock/grass to be a tripping hazard, please see that it is removed and/or replaced.

Retention rock and weed mat: Do you have 2” thick layer of retention rock extending 3’ above the normal water level and 1’ below the water level covering an intact weed mat? If not please add a new weed mat and/or additional rock to this area. Although the Lake Association guidelines state that the rock must be 3”-5” angular white rock, you may install smaller rock if you prefer. If your grass is growing into the 3’ area above the water level, you will need to remove the grass, see the following item.

Grass growing in the retention rock: Is there significant grass growing in the retention rock along your lake front? If there is, please remove by hand all weeds that are near or in the lake front. Round-up or a similar product may be used to kill the grass and weeds growing along the outside edge of the retention rock (it will harm fish and other animals that may drink the water if you spray it near or in the water!).

Boats and water craft: Is there standing water in your boat or water craft? This is a significant threat to creating an ideal habitat for mosquitoes and therefore West Niles Virus. In the past, we have been blessed with relatively few insect problems on the lake, PLEASE check to make sure open boats are flipped upside-down or if covered, any standing water is frequently removed! This is also true for drain pipes and empty flower pots and bird baths around your house.

Docks and ramps: Is your dock is good condition with no broken boards where someone might fall through? If not, please repair the wood. While you are doing this, check any concrete steps near or in the water to make sure that they are not a tripping hazard.

If we all can take one weekend each month this spring and summer to answer the above questions and then make any needed repairs, our lake property will be something we can all enjoy and admire. If you are for any reason unable to inspect or make needed repairs please contact one of the board members so other arrangements can be made.

The Board Members will walk periodically around the lake to determine if there are any problem areas that still need attention. Any households that are not in compliance with the “Regulations for the care and use of Cherry Hills Lake” will be initially visited by a board member to determine the reason for noncompliance. A letter will then follow explaining the necessary repairs and expected date of compliance to the regulations. If the issue persists, the work will be contracted out to be completed and a lien will be placed on the property in issue. We know that no one wants to reach this very unpleasant step in the process.

Thank you and have a safe and enjoyable spring and summer. Please feel free to contact any Board Member at any time with a concern or question.

Comments and Suggestions
Board Members

Hadi Esfahani ­ 359-1856; esfahani@uiuc.edu

Brigitte Stevens ­ 351-4169, brigittest@aol.com

Bill Conlin ­ 351-5780; user0871@aol.com

Kris Campbell ­ 398-6368; kjc@uiuc.edu

Abbas Aminmansour ­ 355-1234; aamin@uiuc.edu

Greg Fann ­ 202-8231; gregfann@hotmail.com