Vacant Board Position

Our board had a mid-term vacancy. If you have any interest in serving, please contact me at amieek@gmail.com

Beach Survey

Just to bring everyone into the loop on the challenges our boards face with the beach- see our survey below. Our land is only .16 of an acre, and overlaps between a IDOT easement and the water high mark. Accordingly, parking is a huge challenge for us. We're in the process of working with the state to get things ironed out. I'll keep you all in the loop as things progress.

Strategic Plan Between BLWPOA and County Fire

KB Rasmussen, Board member, has been fostering a relationship with the county fire department.  He developed the following strategic plan, which the county has agreed to.  As you can see- there's quite a bit of work to get this together, and the plan identifies much more work to come.

 

#1  To provide effective and cooperative planning, training, communication and firefighting guidelines to fight fires on Bear Lake West POA properties.

            Action Step 1.1: Establish procedures to assure adequate water, appropriate caches of firefighting gear, call lists, contingency plans for adding additional county firefighting units, contact procedures for calling on US Forest Service and BLM resources.

            Action Step 1.2: Hold an annual training exercise to evaluate and upgrade timelines and procedures.

            Action Step 1.3: Establish procedures to evacuate residents, including call lists, evacuation routes, a door to door notification procedure and a “help” crew to help with evacuation of elderly or medically challenged residents.

 

#2  To exercise and evaluate those guidelines on an annual basis and to provide a mechanism for updates and improvements.

          Action Step 2.1: Hold the annual training exercise in a May-June timeframe of each year.

            Action Step 2.2: Hold a joint meeting with county commissioners, fire commissioners, fire marshal, the POA board and POA management after the exercise to correct problems, refine methods and resources, and improve effectiveness.

 

#3  To initiate procedures and methodologies for cooperation between the county and other agencies, including call lists, equipment lists, and complete resources lists.      

          Action Step 3.1: Establish a responsible parties list for the following:

·       Annual attendance at a county commissioners meeting by a representative of the POA board or its appointee.

·       Annual attendance at a fire commissioners meeting by a representative of the POA board or its appointee.

·       Annual attendance of a POA board meeting by county commissioners and fire commissioners.

·       Regular contact by fire commissioners with the US Forest Service and BLM.

 

#4 To initiate and establish a plan for the education of POA residents and procedures for the sharing of information and fire prevention guidelines including the following:

·      Evacuation procedures and routes.

·      Call lists.

·      Home fire prevention education, including clearing brush and weeds away from structures.

·      Training for residents to help with fires.

·      Use of the POA website, POA blog, mail lists, local newspapers and radio stations and the annual meeting to initiate education and share information.

 

          #5 To continue the work on creating an emergency evacuation road.

                     Action Step 5.1: Continue to work with the county and “Seis Ninos” landowners to                                   develop an emergency exit road for BLW POA and HOA residents.

                        Action Step 5.2: Schedule a meeting with Seis Ninos landowners.

 

          #6 To work towards recruiting additional volunteer firefighters.

Bear Lake West Amenities: Golf Course Pumps

Bear Lake West Amenities: Golf Course Pumps: The new golf course pumps arrived today and should be operational by Thursday!

Rules and Common Courtesies

If you didn't get the listing of BLWPOA rules and common courtesies at the annual meeting- don't worry, we'll be delivering a copy to each cabin.  It would be helpful to post these rules and courtesies so it is clearly visible to family and guests.  Also, please see below for a summary:

Use of ATVs

• ATVs can be a major annoyance to others.  Please be respectful.
• All users aged 16 years or younger must wear helmets as required by Idaho law
• A driver's license is required to operate an ATV on public and/or state roads
• ATV use is restricted to existing roads and trails
• Speed limits are to be observed at all times

Dogs

• Dogs are to be under the owner's control at all times
• Please show courtesy to your neighbors by preventing your dog from barking, chasing wildlife, or threatening others

Guns, Fireworks & Fires

• Gun use, including air and pellet guns, is prohibited within the boundaries of the POA.
• Fireworks are prohibited at all times.
• Open fires are allowed, but must be contained in a firepit with appropriate cautions taken- ie, All flammable materials removed from the vicinity of the fire pit, and preventative tools nearby, such as water, bucket, shovel, and/or hose.
• If the State or County puts fire restrictions in place, those must be observed as well.

Noise

• Please observe a noise restriction between the hours of 10 PM to 8 AM

Speed

• Dust can be a major issue on the mountain, so please keep all vehicles to 10 MPH as posted.

Garbage

• Only household garbage may be placed into trash receptacles.  No construction, furniture, appliances, or hazardous waste is allowed.  The county landfill is located approximately 1 mile east of Montpelier.

Emergencies

• The Bear Lake County emergency number is 911. 
• The nearest medical facilities are the Bear Lake Clinic located in Garden City, UT or the Bear Lake Memorial Hospital located in Montpelier, ID.
• House or open brush fire incidents should be reported to 911, however, the POA does have a brush fire truck, which is typically able to respond more quickly than the County.  Please call Steve Howard at (435) 881-5143 or Dan Fillion at (208) 479-6617 to report fires.

Water

• If you have problems with your water, or lack thereof, please call Dan Fillion (number above). 
• If you observe a flashing red light on a water reservoir location, please call Dan or Steve.

Firewise Community

One of the items presented by Dan Fillion and KB Rasmussen in the annual POA meeting yesterday related to making our community a recognized Firewise community.  Brochures were passed around relating to the program, which outline how to make your home safer from wildfire.  If you missed the meeting or didn't have a chance to grab a brochure, more information can be obtained at http://firewise.org/wildfire-preparedness/teaching-tools/brochures-and-booklets.aspx  or http://www.idahofirewise.org/homeowners/

Annual Meeting- Saturday at 9AM

The annual meeting will be held this Saturday (8/9) at 9AM at the Clubhouse.

Board of Directors Election will take place at the Annual Meeting. The following Board Members will be up for election: Craig Schaar, Amy Karcher and Dave Burbank.  A ballot was mailed to all members; please fill out the ballot and return at the Annual Meeting on August 9th and 9am.

See you there!

Fire Prevention Information

As an owner of property that was scorched in the Rockport fire, where neighboring cabins burnt to the ground, I wanted to take a moment to remind POA and HOA homeowners of fire danger. Studies have proven that embers can get swept up and catch nearby hillsides on fire up to two miles away.

Our POA Board has been developing a relationship with County Fire Commissioner. The Board is helping the County develop written contingency plans in the event of a fire emergency on the mountain. We will be disseminating additional information as our efforts progress.

In the meantime, please use common sense. Cut back grass and weeds with a string line trimmer. Remove any dead brush from around all structures on your property. As always, do not ignite fireworks on the mountain. Please be extremely cautious using any flammable materials. Never leave a fire unattended and always pour several buckets of water over the coals, even if you think they have cooled. You should be able to touch the coals with your bare hands.

Additional information relevant to Idaho, including fire-wise landscaping tips, can be found at www.utahfireinfo.gov.

The Beach

A concern around Bear Lake has been zebra and Quagga mussels. As you may have noticed, additional mandatory watercraft inspection stations have been set up around the lake on both the Utah and Idaho sides. Our lake has not yet been infected with these invasive species; however, nearby Lake Powell was recently identified as being infested with zebra and Quagga mussles, which heightened concern for our lake.

I once lived on a Midwestern lake infected with zebra mussels, and it was not pleasant. Aside from interrupting the natural food chain cycle, kids and dogs routinely sliced their feet and paws on the razor sharp shells. We all need to be aware of the risk zebra mussels present and do our part to ensure our lake remains uninfected. More information can be found at www.bearlakewatch.com or http://www.agri.idaho.gov/Categories/Environment/InvasiveSpeciesCouncil/Quagga_Zebra_Mussels.php

Utah and Idaho have enacted legislation that restricts how visitors launch watercraft and drive on the beach. Both states have initiated inspections and proof of inspection programs for watercraft. Our amenities board felt it is in the best interest of our beach to restrict vehicle usage and thereby eliminate the launching of watercraft since we lack the resources to police this activity. Added concerns relate to reduced visibility when pulling out of the beach and restricted parking have added to the concern with launching of watercraft at the beach site.

Accordingly, we are in the process of building a rock entrance that will restrict passage onto the beach to ATV/UTV vehicles only. Vehicle parking has always been limited at the beach area due to the very small area of land above high water mark that is available to us, less than .16 acre. So, please be considerate of others when parking next to the highway and of the limited visibility at the South corner.  Also, please do not block the ATV/UTV entrance to the beach.