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LODGE LOG Blue Lake Springs Homeowners’ Association March 2017

11:00 am – 1:00pm

Adults: $26.00

Children Ages 9-12: $13.00

Ages 6-8: $6.00

Ages 5 and Under: Free

Menu:

Eggs Benedict

Roasted Potatoes

Belgian Waffles with fresh fruit and Whipped Cream

Salad

Baked Salmon with seasoned panko crust and Lemon Butter

Scrambled Eggs with Cheese

Bacon, Italian Sausage

Baked Ham with Apricot Sauce

Parker Rolls

Orange and Cranberry Juices

Mimosas

For reservations please call the Business Office (209)795-2357

Payment is due at time of reservation. You will be charged the full amount for cancella-

tions after April 12, 2017, or no shows.

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2017 Calendar of Events

Tuesday Evening Bridge Every Tuesday at 7 p.m. Bruce Utter 890-7643

Thursday Morning Duplicate Bridge Second Thursdays at 9:30 am Bev Vasquez 795-1356

Friday Morning Bridge Every Friday at 9:30 a.m. Debbie Kushnir 795-0600

Bridge Lessons 1st and 3rd Wed. at 1pm Bobbie Neely 795-7815

(Please note for all bridge groups,

please call ahead to save a spot)

Mahjong Every Wednesday at 10 a.m. (May 2017 through October 2017)

Sandy Stowe 810-9692

Mahjong First and Third Thursdays at 10:00 a.m.

Leni Salayko 795-7166

Texas Hold’em:

Second Thursday at 2:00 p.m.

(September 2016 through May 2017)

Cathy Fitzpatrick 795-4806

Louise Cooke 795-4657

Potluck

Second Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m.

(September 2016 through May 2017) Chair Harriet

Johns 795-0563 co chair Jody Raley 795-2876

If there is any member

who knows of someone

who may need a get well

card or sympathy card,

please call the Sunshine Lady,

Joan Shawver at 209-795-5619.

WELCOME NEW OWNERS

Nazareth & Qail Vartanian Unit 7

Michael & Marilyn Williams Unit 8

Robert & Kelly Savukinas Unit 9

Steven DeBono &

Erin Donovan Unit 11

William Carey & Rebecca Eling Unit 12

William & Sydney De La Torre Unit 12

Molly Foley & Andrew Martinez Unit 13

Michael & Joslyn Kipperman Unit 13

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President’s Message February 2017

Hello Fellow Blue Lake Springs Members

Last month close to 200 of our members and guests enjoyed a very successful Crab Feed at Snowflake Lodge. They had a great time and ate tons of crab. Now we’re all looking forward to the next event the ”Spring Fling”.

The Facilities and Long Range Planning Committee reviewed the first draft of the five-year master plan for Fly-In Lake and the Lodge. The committee is refining the plan and will have it ready for presentation at the annual meeting in June.

Details for how to apply for partial reimbursement for dead tree removal are completed and the form will be included in the March 22

nd annual mailing. Also included in the packet will be Annual Call for Candi-

dates, anyone interested in running for one of the two Board of Directors openings that will occur in June may submit a resume.

Normally I like to have positive things to relate to you, but unfortunately not this month. At the February Board of Directors meeting our maintenance crew informed us that that they had discovered several storm related problems that will require immediate attention and repair and will cost a good deal of money.

They are:

At the lodge:

A section of the asphalt walkway between the basketball court and the family fun zone has collapsed due to erosion caused by a blocked culvert in a driveway across the street from our property.

The right side of the lake beach has washed out and must be rebuilt.

A large section of the pathway on the right side of the lake that leads to the bridge by the spillway has washed out. We must build a retaining wall and the entire area must be filled with crushed rock then the pathway reformed.

A hole has formed in the concrete decking under the lifeguard stand at the pool, and a spring has formed under it that is pumping out approximately fifty gallons of water per hour. Potentially this spring could weaken or crack the pool wall, or cause the pool wall to collapse. A sizeable section of the con-crete near the pool must be removed so that we can examine the situation, determine the cause and engineer a solution.

The drainage around the pool and the lawn was poorly engineered years ago and poses a potential problem for the covered deck at the south end of the pool. This must be reengineered.

The large culvert under the lower tennis courts has badly corroded. The leaking that has resulted is weakening the soil at both ends of the culvert and under the tennis courts and must be repaired or sleeved. The leakage is also undermining the asphalt pathway at the lake end of the tennis courts leading to the lifeguard stand. This pathway may also require rebasing and resurfacing.

Continued on next page.

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The four Lodge Lake wells have experienced erosion and both the water outlet lines and the electrical lines have been exposed. These lines will need to be moved farther underground and covered with crushed rock to prevent further erosion.

Cracks have formed across both the lower tennis courts and the upper tennis courts. These cracks must be patched and the courts resurfaced.

The cart path along the lower tennis courts has substantially collapsed and must be rebased and new as-phalt installed.

The base sand and the reserved sand for Lodge Lake have washed into the lake and must be replaced.

At Fly-In Lake:

An approximate 20’ section of the rock retaining wall along Moran Rd., above the Fly-In Lake spillway, was stuck by a car and collapsed into the spillway. This is a serious safety hazard and must be repaired as soon as possible. We believe the wall is on county road right of way and its repair is the responsibility of the coun-ty. However, if the county can’t or will not repair it, we may be required to do so. That could entail removing the entire wall and replacing it with a newly engineered wall that meets the current building code.

We must remove the fallen rock from the spillway and repair the cracked concrete wall along the side of the spillway.

A drainpipe that feeds the lake has washed out and must be replaced.

Both the base sand and the reserved sand have washed into the lake and must be replaced.

All of the repairs must be completed before the summer season begins. They will cost a good deal of money to complete, much of which we do not have. The Finance Committee is working with our General Manager Tony Alba, and our Maintenance Manager Mark Owens to prioritize the repairs, come up with estimated costs and find a plan to pay for them.

With regards to getting repair work underway as quickly as possible, I have authorized Mark Owen to begin hir-ing temporary maintenance personnel as soon as he can find them to get the work underway.

Other issues:

Our ongoing lawsuit with a member who disputes our assessment policy is becoming more costly than planned. Based on the original estimates from our attorneys we budgeted $80,000 to defend the HOA. However, after the billing we received from our law firm last week, we have now spent more than $100,000 on attorney’s fees to date and expect the additional costs through the trial in May to be an additional $30,000 to $40,000. People have asked why we are fighting this lawsuit. The reason is that if the member prevails, it will cost the HOA ap-proximately $100,000 in lost assessments every year going forward, and could force us to refund nearly $300,000 in past assessments to members who own multiple lots. A loss in court would result in significant in-creases to all of our member’s annual assessments every year going forward. This is something that we can’t ignore.

Additionally we have experienced another lengthy power outage at the Lodge that cost us a good deal of money. Not only did we lose about $1,200 of food in the refrigerators, we also lost approximately $4,500 in lost business profits. This marks the third time in about 18 months that we have experienced this sort of loss. As a result, the Facilities and Long Range Planning committee is looking into options to obtain back-up generators that will per-mit Snowflake Lodge to remain open even when the power is out.

It is the Finance Committee’s feeling that in order to complete the repairs and deal with the other issues men-tioned above we may be required to either pass a special assessment, borrow money from a bank, or increase next years annual assessment, or a combination of all three. The Finance Committee will review our financing options and present them at the March 18

th Board of Directors meeting.

Continued on next page.

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As I began this message I said that it was not good news, but it is information that I had to share with you. And, you should know that the board will do everything it can to minimize the financial impact to our members.

They say that into each life some rain must fall. But, did we have to get it all at one time?

Mike McAtee, President

Last month we talked about some of the areas that the Association was working on. Some of those projects/improvements have had to change. Due to the amount of rain we have received, there are areas of the facilities at both Lodge and Fly-In Lake, that have been damaged and will now need repair. Some of those areas are:

Fly –In Lake:

Main beach drain near the peninsula has been washed out. This will be rebuilt before Memorial Weekend.

Rock wall on Moran Road will need to be repaired

Bridge Replacement:

Replacement of bridge from main beach to new property. The bridge was removed due to safety reasons.

Disc Golf:

Plans are still moving forward to install the disc golf at Fly – In Lake

Lodge:

Section of walkway leading to the bridge at the lake has collapsed and will need to be built back up.

Section of walkway at the Family Fun Zone was collapsed due to water erosion from a storm drain located on Blue Lake Springs Drive.

The playground equipment and amphitheater are still scheduled for this spring. All of the cleanup and repairs will be predicated on the weather. We hope to have everything completed before Memorial Weekend.

Projects and Improvements

From the General Managers Desk

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VOLUNTEERS IN PREVENTION (VIP)

Pete here:

The Good Lord has blessed us with a super winter, far better

than last winter which gave us just shy of 50 inches of rain

and some snow. This winter, on Tuesday Feb.21 we have had

75 inches of rain at my house and a really good amount of

snow so far. I think we are about 12 to 14 inches from setting a record up here for rain fall, which is

the rumor anyway. The ground is pretty saturated to the point that some live trees have uprooted

and fallen down. Amazingly, almost all the trees that have broken off and fallen, or just uprooted and

fallen over in BLS were live, green trees. Very few dead Beetle trees have come down. As I write

this article, Feb. 21st we had very strong, howling winds late yesterday and all last night. I have not

been out yet to asses any damage from this. I am optimistic that this great winter weather, combined

with last year’s good winter will slow down our dead Beetle tree issue this summer.

Our PG&E tree cutting contractors have been making a huge effort this winter to get as many of

these dead beetle trees down, to minimize damage to homes and/or properties. They have contin-

ued working in the rain and snow. The only time they stopped working was when we had lightning

around us. Some people have been aggravated because these contractors might have dropped a/

some tree (s) on their property from a neighboring property. Let’s get a grip folks. This is a horrible

situation we all are going through, and we need to work together in a neighborly way to get through

it. If you have damage from this happening, act in a civil, nice way and you will get a much better

response to get your damage taken care of. Logs will be removed, maybe not in your desired time

frame but the work will get done. Huge efforts are being put forth to deal with this Dead Beetle tree

issue; work with all those putting out this effort. Many of you will be happy to know that PG&E con-

tractors for removing logs from our BLS properties have begun doing so as of the first week of Feb-

ruary. Some of this took place earlier. So far, I have seen 5 different PG&E Contractor trucks in BLS

hauling logs at least 5 days a week. As I watch this process, I realize that it is going to take quite a

bit of time to get all the PG&E logs removed from our properties in BLS. These workers move fast,

but there are just so many logs to remove. All of us need to exercise patience with this process.

Please slow down when traveling in the BLS subdivision. Please be mindful that there is a lot of

large equipment on the streets of BLS coming at you from all directions. Your diligence with this

matter is appreciated.

Your CAL FIRE BLS Coordinator- Pete

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VIP Continued:

Jimmy Cooke here-

If any of you are interested in being a CALFIRE Blue Lake Springs VIP (Volunteer in Prevention) In-spector, please let us know at coord@blsvip.com. There will be 2 VIP Inspector Training dates. Friday, April 28, 2017 and Friday, May 12, 2017. Both

will be at 9am at Snowflake Lodge. All VIP Inspectors need to attend one of these meetings.

The Inspection date for CALFIRE PRC 4291 Compliance will be starting on JUNE 1, 2017.

I am including information on how to comply with the PRC4291 requirements. This information is the

reason why we are involved in the CALFIRE Volunteer in Prevention (VIP) Program in making our

properties fire safe! So please read “The Reasons for the Rules”.

I do see that there is a lot of debris, (mostly bark), that falls off these logs when they are removing

them. Not sure yet if PG&E contractors will be removing this debris (I don't think they will be). This

may leave a lot more cleanup than normal for each home owner to deal with this year to meet the

CAL FIRE PRC4291 rules. There are also a lot of limbs and debris from this winter’s storms off your

live trees. Your lot cleaners will be assessing the work on your properties and your cost will probably

be greater than last year. The Lot Cleaning contractors will more than likely have higher costs for

moving your lot debris to a dump site. This is caused by many factors happening in this county not in

the Lot Cleaners control. Don’t expect PG&E contractors to do this work for you. Remember, PG&E is

saving you the average cost of $1,000 a tree you would have to pay to have your dead trees re-

moved. Don’t get greedy.

Blue Lake Springs looks like a logging camp and there are still thousands of trees that must come

down. It is hoped that this present winter weather will help slow down the Western Pine Bark Beetle.

Listed on our website (blsha.com) under The Fire Prevention Tab and Tree Cutting Services link, are

tree service providers who are available to help with the backlog of tree removal here in Blue Lake

Springs. This is not an open recommendation of all those listed, please still take care in negotiating

the help you may request. All companies listed have the licenses indicated and have indicated that

they will come up here to help. Please confirm worker compensation coverage and the time frame,

cost and method of help they will provide.

Understand that there is a problem with where to take the logs and debris. Having to haul the logs

long distances will cost more money; so be sure you understand the work to be done.

As you negotiate for tree removal, consider the bark, branches and needles produced as a result of

taking down a tree. Different companies have shown that some are very conscientious and others not

so….so be clear how your property will be left when the work is done. Consider, in June you will still

need to comply with the requirements of our VIP Program and compliance with PRC 4291. (More in-

formation will be presented in April regarding VIP). Don’t be left with 18 inches of needles on your

property.

BLS Management knows that tree removal will take time and cannot be done in 30 days. It is asked

that the best effort be given to clearing your lots.

Jimmy Cooke - BLS VIP Coordinator

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Snowflake Lodge Restaurant is open year round Friday and Saturday nights,

as well as Sunday nights in the summer to members and their guests. It is a

full service restaurant serving an extensive, ever evolving menu featuring the

finest food on the mountain prepared by Chef Marc Kirby and his talented

team. With a full service dining menu, a more casual Lounge menu, and Chil-

dren’s menu, you are sure to find your new favorite! Although alcohol is not

served, you are welcome to bring your own wine with no corkage fee. Snow-

flake Lodge always offers complimentary soft drinks. We hope to see you in

the restaurant soon!

For Dinner reservations please call 209-795-2357. Walk-ins will be accommodated as

space allows.

SNOWFLAKE LODGE HOURS:

FRIDAY/ SATURDAY 5:00 pm - 8:30 pm (year round)

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On February 8th BLSHA held their monthly potluck celebrating Valentine’s Day. Tables were decorated with hearts, can-dles, rose petals and chocolate kisses making it a very festive evening. Attendees wore red, pink and white in celebration of St. Valentine’s Day. We had a total of 68 members and guests who enjoyed the many excellent dishes that were brought. Pete Padelford was recognized for his outstanding work with Arnolds Fire Wise program. Pete was 1 of 14 people nationwide who received this award from the Wild Land Mitigation Association. Congratulations to Pete Padelford and the many people that assisted in this very important program.

I would like to thank those who volunteer to make our monthly potlucks a success. Starting with my co-chair Dodie Raley who is there to fill in where needed. Our callers who really organize everything for the evening: Bev Vasquez, Anne Friborg-Evans, Kathy Enea, Kaaren Babb, Mary Peterson (filling in for Linda Penney) Dodie Raley (filling in for Marcy Craw-ford), Michelle Stahlberg, and Maureen Dinnocenzo. Thank you to our kitchen help who do a great job in keeping the food just right for serving: Laurie & Ron Andrade (in Charge), Michelle & Ed Stahlberg, and Ginny and Jim Harrington. Thank you to Bingo caller Chris Gosswiller ( Filling in for John Vasquez) and Harry Tittle....that part of the evening is especially fun! Also, always stepping up, is Dodie Raley for selling Raffle tickets and Laurie Andrade who sold Bingo cards. A special thank you to BLSHA security Vernon for keeping us all safe.

Potluck is always fun and the following are the prizes that were won:

Secret sticker/ complimentary dessert for two at Snowflake Lodge: Pauline Kramer

50/50 Raffle: Harry Tittle

50/50 Bingo Blackout : Ed Stahlberg

Bingo #1 Tom Jones

Bingo #2 Debra Dornell

Bingo #3 Luann Baugher

Bingo #4 Don Dornell

If you would like to join our monthly Potlucks, held on the second Wednesday of each month September through May (except December), please contact Harriet Johns 795-0563 or Dody Raley 795-2876 to have your name added to the calling list.

Our next Potluck will be held Wednesday March 8th and we will be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. Looking forward to seeing you there.

Harriet Johns, Chairperson

Potluck Dinner

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We will be hiring: Certified Lifeguards, Recreation Office Staff, Lake Monitors, Snack

Bar Staff, Restaurant Staff, and Summer Aides. Must be available from Memorial

Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend.

For more information call (209) 795-2357

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Employee of the Month

March 2017

Thomas Hein

Snowflake Lodge- Prep Chef

Thomas has been with the Restaurant for almost 3 years. He is always a team player, willing to help whenever needed with a cheerful attitude. He is always courteous and helpful. Thomas is an integral part of our Kitchen team, and we thank him for

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Texas Hold’em Poker

Texas Hold’em Poker started again in

September for

Blue Lake Springs Homeowners

and their guests.

All levels are welcome.

Age: Adult

Check in 1:30 PM

Location: Snowflake Lodge

Date: 2nd Thursday for the Month

Come join the fun!

Reservations required for seating, email

Louise Cooke, lcooke11@yahoo.com

Blue Lake Springs Texas Hold'em Hosting

Volunteers Needed

Blue Lake Springs has had monthly Texas Hold'em poker games at the Snowflake Lodge for the past few years. These games are for members and their guests. There are usually 25-40 members and guests attending each month. The event is held on the 2nd Thursday of the month from September through May (excluding December).

The 2 member couples who have hosted for the past 4 years will be “retiring” after the 8th Annual Tournament in May. We have a real-ly good and enthusiastic turnout for this event. It's a friendly group and a great way to get acquainted with other members and guests.

We are hoping that this event will continue and are asking for 4 member volunteers that would like to make the commitment and take this on. If you are interested, please contact any ofthe following individuals for details.

Thank you and we are looking forward to

hearing from you.

Louise & Jimmy Cooke (209) 795-4657

Cathy Fitzgerald & Cam Deen (209) 795-4806

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Administration

General Manager,

Tony Abila

Assistant General Manager

Amber Meyer

Office Manager

Leah Springman

Snowflake Lodge Restaurant

Lodge Operations Manager,

Amber Meyer

Snowflake Lodge Chef,

Marc Kirby

Facilities

Facilities Manager,

Mark Owens

Summer Recreation

Summer Recreation Director,

Judith Anderson

Assistant Recreation Director

Veronica O’Boy

Security

Vernon Nicholson

Production of the Lodge Log: Blue Lake Springs HOA Staff

Blue Lake Springs Homeowners’ Association

Office Hours

Tuesday-Saturday ~ 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Office Phone: (209) 795-2357 ~ Fax: (209) 795-4438

Email: blsoffice@caltel.com

Post Office Box 712, Arnold, CA 95223

Web Site: www.blsha.com

Snowflake Lodge Restaurant

Friday and Saturday 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Please Call for Reservation (209) 795-2357

Summer Recreation (Memorial Day to Labor Day)

Recreation Office Phone (209) 795-4009

Email: blsrecreation@caltel.com

Board of Directors Meetings

Third Saturday, 9:00 a.m.

Your Association welcomes letters from members and will

publish them in the Lodge Log on a space available basis.

If necessary they will be edited for style and shortened to

200 words. Letters will not be returned to author. Formal

policy is on file at the Association office. Members should

request a copy of the policy If they are considering

submitting a Member to Member letter

Board of Directors

President, Mike McAtee

Vice President, Chris Gosswiller

Treasurer, Guy Pollak

Secretary, Linda Penney

Director, Jimmy Cooke

Director, Bob Podesta

Director, Bev Vasquez

Blue Lake Springs Mutual Water Company

Board Meetings: Second Saturday, 9 a.m.

Office Phone: 209-795-7025 Emergency: 209-795-7030

Post Office Box 6015, Arnold , 95223

Office is located next to the Arnold Post

Office at 1011 Blagen Road