Spring Meeting Of PLPOA

COMMENTS OF PGOLID PRESIDENT TO THE SPRING MEETING OF PLPOA,
FARGO HOLIDAY INN 5-17-04

A copy of the PGOLID 2003 Annual Report is in the April 2004 Pelican Lake News. The 2004 Annual Membership meeting and election of Directors is at 9:00 a.m. August 21 in the Pelican Rapids High School Auditorium. Three directorship positions are open for nomination and election; e.g. Noah, Poolman, and Lund. Lund cannot be re-elected and we need to return 2 residents to the board in order to comply with County rules that a majority of the board lives in the PGOLID district as their permanent residence

PGOLID has contracted for mosquito control in 2004 with Professional Mosquito Control Co. (PMC) from Clearwater, MN. This effort will be monitored by volunteer mosquito counters using light traps and larva counts in water ponds in the PGOLID district. Ground and aerial spraying and larvicide are all available for use. You should have received an orange Mosquito Control booklet in the mail as part of this effort. PMC is available for additional service on your property at discounted rates if done in conjunction with spraying of common areas. Call 1-800-240-4262 for a free quotation.

3.	Norm Robinson has developed for PGOLID a water safety brochure that will be distributed at the public access and resorts in the PGOLID. You will get a copy in the May Pelican Lake News.

Also we expect a report at the Annual PGOLID meeting on the Blue Water Science (BWS) Comprehensive Water Quality study and the results of the septic system survey drawn from the Otter Tail County Land and Resource Management files. Over 1000 systems have been studied for age, site, construction, condition, and etc. by an intern under the direction of PGOLID and BWS. Blue Water Science had reviewed the curly leaf pondweed nuisance in the PGOLID Lakes and it continues to be our #1 weed. Chemical control is a potential. BWS evaluation indicates that the lake bottom environment in the PGOLID lakes is not very supportive of the growth of Eurasian Watermilfoil.

The Pelican Group of Lakes Improvement District exists by order of the Otter Tail County to serve the property owners in the Improvement District and to use an allotment of the property taxes to fund issues of importance to over 1250 pieces of property within 500 feet of the lakeshore in the four lakes. We are developing Rules of Governance, in addition to the County and State laws; in order to serve you all better in areas of concern to you, the taxpayer..

The persons present at the 2003 Annual PGOLID meeting moved that the board pursue the hiring of a lake management officer. A job description is being developed and the cost/benefits of such a position is being developed for potential presentation to the members at their Annual Meeting. The issues in this Improvement District in the future may not all be well addressed by an all-volunteer board.

The Fish Lake Dam disrepair has been brought to the attention of the DNR and they will review its condition and potential for repair or replacement this summer. Remember the high water years? They will return and we need to redo our agreement with Big Cormorant regarding the control of water inflow.

Also the board is seeking to evaluate the environmental impact of agricultural activities on the quality of the inflow water in the several major inlets to the PGOLID Lakes. We would plan to encourage Best Management Practices of the land and property owners that share the river and streams flowing into the lakes. For example, encourage buffer areas between the rivers and streams and farming or ranching activities. Also phosphorous - free lawn fertilizers.

Second and third tier development in and outside of the PGOLID is a major concern of the directors and we have secured professional review and advice of Environmental Assessment Worksheets and other requests for development in these sensitive areas and will seek compliance to assure protection of water quality and safety.

10.

The PGOLID board continues to acknowledge the presence of naturally occurring arsenic in deep wells on private property and offer advice on how to manage safe levels of arsenic in your private drinking water. Public funding and grants for wastewater and drinking water systems in the LID continue to be “on the back burner”.

11.	No doubt you have noticed the updated navigational aids and buoys in the PGOLID Lakes. If you know of dangerous areas in need of protection or other concerns, please notify the PGOLID Board at P. O. Box 336, Pelican Rapids, MN 56572, (which is our new official mailing address).

H. Roald Lund,

PGOLID President