DLA Annual Meeting set for Sat. June 11 as members picnic

(updated June 8, 2022)--As a fun way to accommodate the Covid situation, the Duane Lake Association annual meeting will be  held outdoors this year. It will be the first in-person meeting in two years. The combination neighborhood picnic / annual meeting will be held at Van Patten Mill Park (0.7 mile from Duanesburg Stewarts) under a pavilion roof.

The DLA will host provide hot dogs, hamburgers, and vegi-burgers and all the "fixings" as well as beverages at approximately 12:30 while the business meeting is set to start at about 2:00 p.m.  Everyone is encouraged to bring a dish of the usual picnic fare to share, such as salad, potato salad, macaroni salad, desserts, etc.  The pavilion has six picnic tables that can accommodate four to six people each. The park also features a playground for kids, a ball field, basketball court, and horse shoe pit. The facilities are reserved from noon until dusk.

People seeking a bit more social distancing are encouraged to bring folding chairs. Umbrellas--just in case--might be a good idea.

The business meeting will include reports on association work and discussion (and Q & A) about Duane Lake affairs. 

Required voting on the Annual Lake Management Plan and election / re-election of Board members will be done online. All eligible voters will receive an emailed link to the ballot.

Links to the proposed 2022-2023 Lake Management Plan and a report from the Financial Review Committee can be found to the right of this web page. 

Election (or re-election) of three Board members will also be conducted.  Two current Board members  (Michaelynn McClenahan and Maria Flores Seibert) have decided not to seek re-election. Vice President Pat Huff is willing to serve again if re-elected. Kathy Hotaling has agreed to stand for election as secretary. Kyle McCraith has agreed to stand for election as a Director. Any adult member of a dues-paid family is eligible to seek election to the Board.

 

 

 

WINTER IS A GREAT TIME TO ORDER SHRUBS TO STRENGTHEN SHORELINES

(Dec. 28, 2021)--Both the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Schenectady County Soil and Water Conservation District offer low-cost shrub seedlings ideal for shoring up your shoreline.

It's the recommended way to minimize soil erosion along your shoreline . . . erosion that not only eats away your yard, but also adds muck to the lake bottom and undesirable nutrients that fuel blooms of blue-green algae.

Click on this link to learn more about the DEC shrub sales program. 

The Schenectady County SWCD brochure  will be posted here as soon as the 2022 list is available.

FIRST-EVER DUANE LAKE WINTER SOLSTICE SOUP STROLL BEATS THE CHILL

 

(Dec. 18, 2021)---The weather was chilly and dank.  The weight of a pandemic hung over a Covid-weary neighborhood, but the Duane Lake Association maneuvered around them both with a Winter Solstice Soup Stroll.

    Since we couldn't safely bring everyone indoors for a Roving Feast, as had been done every winter for the past many years, this outdoor event seemed like a good alternative, and perhaps as many as thirty people turned out, eager to once again meet and greet their neighbors and enjoy hot dogs over an open fire, soups, s'mores, and cozy-warm brandy.

    Thanks to hosts Ann and Dave Vincent, Jerry Evans, Chris and Art Miller, and Mary and Kim Roberts, with an extra special thanks to Kim Roberts for organizing and promoting the event.

DREDGING PERMIT FOR OUTLET CANAL GETS 2-YEAR EXTENSION

(Dec. 22, 2021)--Eighteen percent more rain this year than normal prompted the Duane Lake Association to seek an extension for its DEC-approved canal-dredging project.  The original application called for the work to be done in late summer of 2021, when outflow is at a minimum and least likely to send loose dirt downstream. 

    Scraping two inches off the bottom of the canal was seen as necessary to help protect the dam and shoreline from high-ice damage. The stretch of canal bottom shown above sits about 14 inches higher than the spillway constructed in the 1950s by NY State to govern the level of lake water.

    The application to extend the permit period was approved today.

    Work is now expected to be done in late summer of 2022.