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Meeting Overview

Date:  March 9, 2026

Attending:  Paul Hoyt, Dave Skogland, John Tuschner, Ted Schnaare, Larry Vollmar, Jim Paulson, Scott Sousek (Remote)

• Lake cleanup timing: The board discussed moving the annual lake cleanup earlier in the season despite fish houses potentially still being out, due to poor turnout and safety concerns from inconsistent ice conditions in recent years.
• Curly-leaf pondweed treatment: Members were unsure if the permitted under-ice winter treatment occurred (expected early March).
• Treasurer/financials: The treasurer’s report was approved. Balances were roughly $61.7K in checking and ~$87K in money market/CDs with low returns; the board discussed aligning reserves and potential longer-term investing.
• Lake Management Plan (LMP): Progress continues on a formal LMP using MPCA shallow lake classification. Cedar Lake is in the Western Corn Belt Plains region; key impairment is excess phosphorus (target 90 µg/L vs. current ~185 µg/L).Plan is to present only a high-level outline at the annual meeting until a defensible plan exists, especially before requesting levy increases.
• Grant activity (high priority): Two LCCMR grants were submitted: boat launch cleaning units (~$85K) and curly-leaf biomass removal/weed harvester (~$150K). Strategy emphasizes phosphorus reduction through biomass removal, alignment with TMDL, and in-kind contributions (~$24.8K). The board approved a resolution supporting submission.
• Levy increase planning: No immediate levy increase; consensus is a clear LMP and budget must come first. They reviewed Minnesota levy cap/procedural requirements and want readiness to pursue changes by year-end if warranted.
• Annual meeting/postcard: Postcard planning underway; agenda to include financial overview, grant updates, and curly-leaf management. They want to remove wording suggesting residents “approve” the budget. Printing/mailing logistics were reviewed.
• Website: Current site is Joomla (last updated 2021), hosted by Bevcomm, and difficult to maintain. Options include upgrading Joomla vs. migrating to a simpler platform (e.g., GoDaddy); decision deferred pending costs.
• Other notes: Website is intended as the official archive, while Facebook is for informal updates. Carp were mentioned briefly; no action planned.
• Next meeting is the Annual Meeting on April 13, 2026 at 7:00 at the New Prague Fire and Safety building.
• Meeting adjourned at 7:35