LODGE LOG Blue Lake Springs Homeowners Association Sept. 2015 Welcome Back Potluck!! Labor Day Weekend BBQ Saturday, September 5, 2015 You are all invited to join us for the first Potluck of the season on Wednesday, September 9 at Snowflake Lodge. Join your friends & neighbors for tasty food & exciting Bingo on the second Wednesday of each month. Social time & appetizers begin at 5:30pm. BYOB as we will no longer be serving wine. Enjoy a sit down dinner with dessert at 6:15pm. The fun continues with 5 games of lively Bingo after dinner. If you would like to be added to the Potluck calling list, please contact Maureen Dinnocenzo 209-890-3369 or 209-795-3226. 1
2015 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 a.m. Bev Vasquez 795-1356 Friday Morning Bridge Every Friday at 9:30 a.m. Bobbie Neely 795-7815 Debbie Kushnir 795-0600 (Please note for all bridge groups, please call ahead to save a spot) Potluck Second Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. (September 2015 through May 2016) Maureen Dinnocenzo 795-3226 or 890-3369 Mahjong Every Wednesday at 10 a.m. (May 2015 through October 2015) Sandy Stowe 810-9692 Mahjong First and Third Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. Leni Salayko 795-7166 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. IMPORTANT! In case of emergency it is important that BLS be able to get a hold of members. If you have a new phone number or you are unsure if we have your phone number, please email your current phone number to us at blsoffice@caltel.com. Texas Hold em: Second Thursday at 2:00 p.m. (September 2015 through May 2016) Cathy Fitzpatrick 795-4806 Louise Cooke 795-4657 Labor Day BBQ Saturday, September 5 6 p.m. Murder Mystery Dinner Saturday, October 17 Holiday Brunch Sunday, November 29 New Year s Eve Party Thursday, December 31 2
Hello Fellow Blue Lake Springs Members! September has arrived and Autumn is right around the corner. I m sure all of you, like me, are hoping and praying for rain, rain, rain (and snow), but not too early or too much just the right amount. If we could only dial in the rain as we need it. But, since we can t, I m ready for whatever Mother Nature gives us. I ll take anything that puts a dent in the drought. This time of year also tends to get a little quieter on our mountain, but there is still plenty of time to enjoy the outdoors so I hope you come up and take advantage of all we have to offer. For those of us that live up here I hope you do the same. And everyone please partake in the delicious meals served at our restaurant. It s hard to beat the price for the quality meal you ll enjoy. I want to thank the BLS staff for another great job making our members happy. After all the only reason we exist is to serve the membership so a job well done! During my visits to the lodge, whether I m on the grounds or in the restaurant, I see lots of smiling faces and the property looks beautiful despite our water issues. I also want to recognize the board members for their leadership with our committees. We have a Murder Mystery Night event coming up soon and planning for the New Year s Eve party is well under way. There are many activities you can enjoy and the best way to check out what s going on, and when, is to go to our website www.blsha.com. We re still working on the bathroom restoration/rebuild project at Fly-in Lake with the desire to commence work this Fall. The Finance committee started work on the 2016 budget and I ve challenged them to prepare a long range look at our reserve account (anticipated expenses for each of the next 30 years). This effort will put us in position to understand how much money will be required to cover asset maintenance and replacement in future years, as well as determine the correct amount of annual assessments to collect. This work really is a must if we want to build and retain a solid financial position for our HOA for years to come. I can t emphasize how important this effort is. I ll close with a note about a buddy of mine, you see, he's addicted to brake fluid. But he tells me not to worry; he can stop at any time Kevin Andel, President 3
Save the Date The Blue Lake Springs Holiday Brunch will be held the Sunday after Thanksgiving, November 29th 11:00 a.m. Hosted Refreshments 11:30 a.m. Brunch Buffet 4
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VOLUNTEERS IN PREVENTION (VIP) I am again going to address the dead Beetle Tree issue for the umpteenth time. When you come to your home here on the Labor Day weekend you are going to be shocked at all the dead Beetle trees or the logs laying on the ground from these being cut down. Many of you have received agreements from PG&E (ARCT, PG&E Contractor) to allow them to cut down dead trees on your property that threaten their Power Lines. Any of you receiving these forms it is best you sign these right away and send them back. PG&E is in our Subdivision now cutting down these trees. This work is being done by PG&E at no cost to you. You will be responsible to get the logs removed from your property and the slash from those trees. Some of you will have more dead trees on your property that PG&E did not mark to be taken down by them. You are responsible to hire someone to take these trees down and remove them from your property. This dead tree issue is huge here and we do not have enough resources on the mountain to get them down quickly and removed. Go to our web site, blsvip.com and look up the lot cleaners list and you will find a very short list of tree fallers to contact to get your work done. At this time most of these, if you were to call right now, are schedule as far out as end of September or into October before they will get to your work. There are many issues that are a result of this large amount of dead trees that are becoming critical for us in the Ebbetts Pass area. The worst is we are running out of place s to take these logs to. Secondly we are having issues cost wise of getting rid of the slash from these trees and there is more. I have spent numerous hours and attended many meetings working on this Beatle issue and the dead trees for 3 years now and tried to get concessions and help from several agencies without much success. So we have what we have and will have to deal with it the best we can. Yes it is ugly and costly. If you live here all the time it wears on you every day. For those of you that have the money to afford trying to save your trees that are not dead yet there are companies that can spray them with a material that can fend off the Beetle but is no Guarantee. Some tree fallers have used this before they cut beetle trees down and they feel it has been successful. Some of these companies in the area that I have heard do this spraying are: Tri County Pest Control 209-795-5979, Anchor Pest Control 209-536-1981, Foothill Pest Control 800-464-3772, Clark Pest Control 209-795-1010. Look in your Calaveras Phone book for others. Continue on Page 7 6
The prediction by Foresters is that Blue Lake Springs will lose over 1,000 trees this year and we are well on our way to seeing this happen. Wish I could be more upbeat in this article this month but this is what I am dealing with every day. You need to know about it. Your CAL FIRE VIP Coordinator, Pete Padelford SNOWFLAKE LODGE HOURS: FRIDAY/ SATURDAY 5:30 pm - 8:30 THE LODGE WILL BE OPEN SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6th 2015 FROM 5:30-8:30 PM Come in and join us for dinner Friday and Saturday! Enjoy the beautiful weather while you can with Deck dining*. Looking for something more casual? Try our Bar Menu, which offers appetizers and a lighter faire (no reservation required)! Or make a reservation to join us in the dining room, where you can enjoy dinner prepared by Lodge Chef Marc Kirby and his staff. We look forward to seeing you soon! For Dinner reservations please call 209-795-2357. Walk-ins will be accommodated as space allows. *Deck dining will be available weather permitting, through Mid September. Seating is first come basis. 7
Texas Hold em Monthly Texas Hold em tournaments will begin Thursday, September 10. Texas Hold em 2nd Thursdays at 2:00 pm (September through May).............................................. Check-in: 1:30pm Play Time: 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm Entrance Fee: $5.00 All prizes are gift certificates to the restaurant Snowflake Lodge members must accompany their guests (members are allowed up to 6 guests). To reserve your seat and a seat for your guests send an email to Louise Cooke at lcooke11@yahoo.com and include the names of any guests. If you need to cancel, email as soon as possible. Please make sure you type Texas Hold em in the subject line. This year we are offering lessons on rules and strategy just before play from 12:30 to 1:30 pm. Just come on into the lodge, sit back and have some fun learning this unique game! The end of the season annual Texas Hold em Tournament will be held in May 7, 2016. To qualify for the tournament you must have played in at least 2 of the 7 monthly games. 8
WELCOME NEW OWNERS Gregory & Teri Applequist Unit 1 Charles & Lillian Calderhead Unit 2 Erick & Krystle Martin Unit 2 Scott Blandford Unit 3 Kevin & Kelly Smith Unit 5 Michael & Barbara Mehan Unit 7 Shannon Hughey Unit 8 Dean & Susan Bradley Unit 9 Michael & Maureen Eastman Unit 9 Vincent & Rachel Friedman III Unit 9 Frances Boudart Unit 10 Marni Fischer & Jean Shrem Unit 10 Zakary & Lindsey Akin Unit 11 Jeremy & Kristine Hurley Unit 12 Robert & Lisa Dieterich Unit 13 Michael & Lorraine Sommers Unit 13 Howard & Michelle Fletcher Unit 13 Hugo & Martha Aguilera Unit 13 9
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 5:30 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. President, Kevin Andel Board of Directors Vice President, Michele Stahlberg Treasurer, Mike McAtee Secretary, Linda Penney Director, Jimmy Cooke Director, Christine Gosswiller Director, Robert Podesta Your Association welcomes letters from members and well 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 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 Administration General Manager, Tony Abila Assistant General Manager, Marsha Hampton 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 Nicole Conner Security Vernon Nicholson The Lodge Log is published by the Blue Lake Springs Homeowners Association in accordance with the By-Laws of the Association. Manager: Tony Abila Production: Blue Lake Springs HOA Staff 10