The following report to lake members is an update on various issues as of April 15, 2008. This report lists what has been accomplished, what’s pending, plus other misc. notes following the Dec. 3, 2007 flood.

We hired Aqua-Technics, a Washington firm, to do the depth sounding of the entire lake. We received the completed results on March 8 at a cost of $5,500.  We are currently having professionals evaluate the report to confirm our suppositions, and those of Nehalem Dredging, that 250,000 cu. yds. of silt need to be removed from the lake to return it to its original depth.

If the figures are correct, we are considering the following options:

• to increase the capacity of the lake’s current dredge so we can remove the silt ourselves.  The board projects it may take up to ten years to do this. Cost of the upgrade would be approximately $10,000. to buy a larger dredge and do the work ourselves. Price is not yet known.
• to hire a commercial dredging company, like Nehalem Dredging, to remove the silt. The board predicts it will take three to four weeks to remove the 250,000 cu. yds. Cost would be approximately $1.7 million dollars.

We have applied for nine repair grants from FEMA. Five of them have been denied, and we will appeal these as soon as the board receives the official denial.

These grants include:

• clearing Lakeview Drive and Fieldcrest Drive
•  repairing Northshore Road
• debris removal
• repairing the glory hole.

Four of the grants have been forwarded for approval, and we have been told by officials that they will be approved.

They include:

• replacing the lagoon at the waste water plant
• donated resources
• repair of sewer lines and lift stations
• repair of the drinking water plant.

Board members have also applied for eight mitigation grants for the future for $4.3 million dollars. We’ve been told that it’s likely several will be denied, including dredging, the spillway, purchase of land for dredge spoils, and clearing Fishhawk Creek, as they’re not covered by the Oregon Department of Emergency Management. We are awaiting confirmation on these.

We received the application back from Art, who had completed about 25 percent of the documentation. A lake member, Marianne Cursetjee, has volunteered to finish it and is currently working to do so. Once we are notified by the IRS that the tax exempt status has been granted, and we are indeed a 501(C)(3) tax exempt foundation, then we’ll need volunteers to identify additional funding sources for more grants. Please contact the lake office if you’d like to volunteer.

The dump boxes will be removed on May 31! Therefore, if you need to have construction materials, etc. hauled away, please drop off your items before that date. Appliances can be left near the dumpster. If you have questions as to what is appropriate to leave off, please call the office.

Three seats on the board of directors will be open at the annual meeting in August, as Kinton’s, Eugene’s and Eileen’s terms will expire. All members in good standing are eligible to apply. Notices have been posted on the bulletin boards. If you are interested in serving on the board, please submit your name and brief bio. information to Diana Mahar by July 20.

Also, if you would like to suggest topics for discussion for the annual meeting, please submit your suggestions in writing to Diana or Glen. The lake’s email address is: fishhawklake@centurytel.net and Glen’s address is: glenpost@msn.com.

The board has been asked by the Mist-Birkenfeld fire department to re-evaluate the moratorium on July 4^th fireworks. More information to come.

Break-ins: “It appears that our idyllic lake community is starting to feel the encroachment of the big city mentality,” says Glen Post. Post said there have been three break-ins in the past month. They include:

• a forced entry into our fire station, where wires were stripped out of the fire truck, making it inoperable without costly repairs. The repairs have been made since then
• a forced entry into the maintenance building, where the generator, welder, and assorted tools were stolen
• a private home, where a bag of sheet rock nails, a jigsaw, drill, guitar, etc. were taken

In spite of the flood and the break-ins, many good things have happened. Some are amazing, even heartwarming. In all, more than 2900 hours of volunteer work were completed, in January alone, by folks who helped during/after the flood. The board appreciates the time and effort expended on behalf of the lake and our neighbors.

“The way this community came together was awesome. Just awesome,” said Glen Post. “Thank you to all of you.”